Understanding ACRIS deeds and mortgages

Learn how to search recorded New York City property documents, distinguish common document types, and verify the index against the document image.

Written by RealSpiro editorial teamReviewed by RealSpiro editorial teamReviewed July 2026

1. Know what ACRIS covers

The Automated City Register Information System provides online access to recorded real-property documents for Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn from 1966 to the present. The Office of the City Register maintains records such as deeds, mortgages, mortgage satisfactions, and certain liens and UCC filings.

Staten Island property records are handled through the Richmond County Clerk. Records before 1966 require other City Register research and are not available through the same online ACRIS document archive.

Start by confirming the borough and BBL. A street address can refer to more than one lot or condominium unit, while a parcel identifier narrows the search to the intended tax lot.

2. Search by parcel identifier

From the ACRIS Main Options screen, use Find Addresses and Parcels if you need to convert an address into a BBL. Then choose Search Property Records and search by Parcel Identifier.

Select the borough.
Enter the tax block and lot.
Select the relevant document class or begin broadly when you are building a timeline.
Sort or review results by recorded date and document type.
Open the document detail and image for records that matter to the question.

ACRIS also supports searches by party name, document type, document ID or City Register File Number, transaction number, reel and page, and UCC or federal-lien file number. Those searches are useful when a parcel search is incomplete or you are tracing a referenced document.

3. Read common document types carefully

Deed

A deed records a transfer involving an interest in real property. Review the parties, property description, execution date, recorded date, consideration fields, and any referenced documents. The indexed party name alone does not explain every ownership interest or condition.

Mortgage

A mortgage records a security interest connected to a debt. The amount shown is a recorded document amount, not a current payoff balance. A later modification, consolidation, assignment, or satisfaction can change how the record should be understood.

Satisfaction of mortgage

A satisfaction generally records that the referenced mortgage has been satisfied or released. Match the satisfaction to the original mortgage using the referenced recording information rather than relying only on similar party names or amounts.

Assignment of mortgage

An assignment records a transfer of the mortgage interest from one party to another. It does not by itself mean that the underlying debt was paid off.

Consolidation, extension, or modification agreement

These documents can combine, extend, or modify prior mortgage obligations. Read the referenced documents and the image before treating the displayed amount as a new, separate loan.

4. Review the document image

The ACRIS result row is an index. When an image is available, compare the index with the recorded document itself. Important fields often include:

City Register File Number or other recording reference.
Document type and document date.
Recorded date and time.
Grantor, grantee, borrower, lender, assignor, or assignee.
Borough, block, lot, unit, and property description.
Referenced prior mortgages, deeds, or other instruments.
Amounts, tax forms, signatures, exhibits, and legal descriptions.

If the index and image appear inconsistent, preserve the CRFN and contact the appropriate City Register or ACRIS support channel rather than silently choosing the version that fits your assumption.

5. Build a record timeline

Review documents chronologically and connect related records by their references. A useful working timeline might include the deed, mortgage, later assignment, modification or consolidation, and satisfaction. Keep document dates and recorded dates separate.

Do not calculate current debt by simply adding every mortgage amount in the result list. Recorded documents can overlap, be consolidated, assigned, modified, or satisfied. The public record tells you what was recorded; it may not show the current private payoff or every unrecorded fact.

6. Important limitations

New York City states that reviewing these documents is not necessarily the same as performing a title search. Public indexes can contain errors, names can vary, and a parcel or unit mismatch can produce a convincing but incorrect result.

Use ACRIS as a source of recorded documents, not as a legal conclusion about ownership, lien priority, debt, marketability, or title. For transactions or decisions that depend on those conclusions, use a qualified attorney, title professional, lender, or other appropriate specialist.

Primary sources used

ACRIS overview and coverageNew York City Department of Finance ACRIS Main OptionsNew York City Department of Finance, Office of the City Register ACRIS Document Search introductionNew York City Department of Finance, Office of the City Register Recording property-related documentsNew York City Department of Finance Property deed or record guidanceNYC311

Understanding ACRIS deeds and mortgages

Learn how to search recorded New York City property documents, distinguish common document types, and verify the index against the document image.

Written by RealSpiro editorial teamReviewed by RealSpiro editorial teamReviewed July 2026

1. Know what ACRIS covers

Start by confirming the borough and BBL. A street address can refer to more than one lot or condominium unit, while a parcel identifier narrows the search to the intended tax lot.

2. Search by parcel identifier

From the ACRIS Main Options screen, use Find Addresses and Parcels if you need to convert an address into a BBL. Then choose Search Property Records and search by Parcel Identifier.

Select the borough.
Enter the tax block and lot.
Select the relevant document class or begin broadly when you are building a timeline.
Sort or review results by recorded date and document type.
Open the document detail and image for records that matter to the question.

3. Read common document types carefully

Deed

Mortgage

Satisfaction of mortgage

Assignment of mortgage

An assignment records a transfer of the mortgage interest from one party to another. It does not by itself mean that the underlying debt was paid off.

Consolidation, extension, or modification agreement

These documents can combine, extend, or modify prior mortgage obligations. Read the referenced documents and the image before treating the displayed amount as a new, separate loan.

4. Review the document image

The ACRIS result row is an index. When an image is available, compare the index with the recorded document itself. Important fields often include:

City Register File Number or other recording reference.
Document type and document date.
Recorded date and time.
Grantor, grantee, borrower, lender, assignor, or assignee.
Borough, block, lot, unit, and property description.
Referenced prior mortgages, deeds, or other instruments.
Amounts, tax forms, signatures, exhibits, and legal descriptions.

If the index and image appear inconsistent, preserve the CRFN and contact the appropriate City Register or ACRIS support channel rather than silently choosing the version that fits your assumption.