New York County Recorder Mechanics Lien Filing

You can file your mechanic liens in person at the New York County Clerk’s Office located at:

New York County Courthouse
60 Centre Street, Room 161
New York, NY 10007

Phone: 646-386-5955

The New York County Clerk’s Office now accepts all documents electronically.

All recordable documents that you submit to the City Register’s Office can be e-recorded using the Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS).

To record your documents electronically, visit www.nyc.gov/acris.

The New York County Clerk’s Office does not publicly disclose information on recording backlog.

If your construction project is located in New York County, then yes, you should file your lien here.

The New York County Clerk’s general document recording requirements are as follows:

1. The name and address of the parties as written in the document; should match the Endorsement Cover Page
2. The New York State acknowledgement has the current acceptable wording, and includes the
venue, date (should not predate the document) and name
3. The document must be dated and signed
4. The Block and lot shown in the document matches the Endorsement Cover Page
5. Provide an address, a metes and bounds description or the block (s) and lot (s) in the document.
6. All required exhibits, schedules and cross references are included
7. The correct property type is cited in the document.
8. The correct document type is cited on the Endorsement Cover Page.
9. All names reflected in the document, should be listed separately on the Endorsement Cover Page

The New York County Clerk follows the state’s regulations here too. They are:

1. Pages must be either 8.5 x 11 or 8.5 x 14 in size.
2. The font must be at least 8 point.
3. The ink must be black on a white surface.
If any portion of the document isn’t legible, the lien may be rejected.

The fees must be paid in cash, by Visa, Mastercard, or American Express credit cards, by an attorney’s check made payable to the New York County Clerk, or in the form of a U.S. postal money order made payable to the New York County Clerk.

The New York County Clerk’s recording fees are as follows:

Recording Fees

Real Estate Documents: $32.00 + $5.00 per page + $5.00 for Cover Page. Minimum for 2 pages = $42.00 ($32.00 + 1 Cover Page + 1 document page). Note: One 2 sided page counts as 2 pages.

Lien Fees

Mechanic’s Lien: $30.00
Affidavit of Service for Mechanic’s Liens: $5.00

Copy Fees

Business Records, Certified Copy: $10.00

You can obtain a recorded copy of your lien in person at the New York County Clerk’s Office located at:

New York County Courthouse
60 Centre Street, Room 161
New York, NY 10007

Phone: 646-386-5955

Hours: 9 A.M. to 3 P.M.

You can now request electronic certified copies of real and personal property documents recorded in ACRIS. Before requesting electronic certified copies, make sure that the recipient of your documents is willing to receive them in an electronic format.

The Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS) allows you to search property records and view document images for Manhattan from 1966 to the present.

You can access ACRIS here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/finance/taxes/acris.page

Access to a copy of a lien may require paying a fee.

You can get the property’s legal description from the New York County Clerk’s Office in person.

You can search for documents recorded in the New York County Clerk’s Office online at: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/finance/taxes/acris.page

You can also search for property legal descriptions online with the
New York City Department of Finance at:
https://a836-pts-access.nyc.gov/care/forms/htmlframe.aspx?mode=content/home.htm