Richmond County is the borough of Staten Island — New York City's southernmost borough, connected to Brooklyn by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and to New Jersey by the Bayonne Bridge and the Goethals Bridge. With roughly 490,000 residents, Staten Island is the smallest NYC borough by population but one of the most suburban in character. It is the only NYC borough that is not directly connected to the rest of New York City by subway.
The essential operational fact for records searches: OCA e-Courts with Richmond County selected covers Staten Island Supreme Court civil and criminal cases. Staten Island Criminal Court (misdemeanors) requires the OCA Criminal Court portal with Richmond County/Staten Island specified. Staten Island is a separate county from every other NYC borough — a Brooklyn or Manhattan OCA search will return no Richmond County results. For the broader New York context including DOCCS and the Clean Slate Act, see our New York state guide.
Key takeaways
- Richmond County (Staten Island, pop. est. 490,000 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS) is the most suburban of the five NYC boroughs with a more stable residential population than Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens.
- OCA e-Courts with Richmond County selected covers Staten Island Supreme Court cases — Criminal Court misdemeanors require a separate OCA Criminal Court selection.
- Staten Island has historically strong New Jersey ties — many residents commute via the Bayonne, Goethals, or Outerbridge crossings, and some have prior or concurrent NJ address histories. NJ eCourts is a standard supplement.
- New York's Clean Slate Act (effective November 2024) is sealing eligible criminal records — Richmond County criminal history gaps will accumulate over time.
Richmond County quick facts
- Population estimate (2023): approximately 490,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS)
- Borough: Staten Island
- State: New York
- Primary courts: Richmond County Supreme Court (civil and criminal); Staten Island Criminal Court (misdemeanors)
- Judicial district: 2nd Judicial District
Population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
How record searches work in Richmond County
Richmond County searches begin with OCA e-Courts at iapps.courts.state.ny.us with Richmond County selected. The portal covers Richmond County Supreme Court civil and criminal cases (felonies). Staten Island Criminal Court — handling misdemeanors and violations — requires a separate OCA Criminal Court portal selection with Richmond County/Staten Island specified. Both court searches together provide comprehensive Richmond County coverage.
The Richmond County Clerk maintains civil Supreme Court records online for judgments and liens. NYC ACRIS covers property records for Staten Island. For the New Jersey cross-state supplement, NJ eCourts at njcourts.gov covers all 21 New Jersey counties in a single search — Hudson County (Jersey City) and Union County (Elizabeth) are the most commonly relevant for Staten Island residents. Our guide on finding someone by name and city covers how to use Staten Island neighborhood names as search anchors.
Types of records available in Richmond County
- Supreme Court civil and criminal records — OCA e-Courts, Richmond County selected
- Criminal Court records — misdemeanors — OCA Criminal Court, Staten Island selected
- Judgments and liens — Richmond County Clerk online portal
- Property records — NYC ACRIS online for Staten Island deeds and mortgages
- Vital records — NYC DOHMH Vital Records for Staten Island births, marriages, and deaths
- New Jersey cross-state supplement — NJ eCourts for Hudson County or Union County as needed
- State prison history — DOCCS free statewide lookup
The New Jersey connection
Staten Island's proximity to New Jersey is the most operationally significant geographic fact for records searches. The borough shares three bridge crossings with New Jersey, and a substantial portion of Staten Island's working population commutes to or has employment ties in New Jersey. The Italian-American community that dominates much of north and mid-Staten Island has family and residential roots that extend into Hudson County NJ (Bayonne, Jersey City) and Union County NJ (Elizabeth, Linden).
In practice, any comprehensive Staten Island records search for a subject with more than 5–10 years of local history should include NJ eCourts as a standard supplement. Both portals are free and the NJ search takes only a few minutes additional effort. DOCCS covers New York state prison history regardless of borough, and can be run before the $95 OCA fee.
Crime statistics and public-safety context
Richmond County has the lowest crime rates of the five NYC boroughs, consistent with its more suburban character. However, the opioid epidemic has significantly affected certain Staten Island communities — the borough had among the highest per-capita opioid overdose death rates of any NYC county during the peak crisis years. Drug-related criminal court filings are above what general property crime rates would suggest. Source: NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, 2022 Annual Report.
Major neighborhoods and their records context
St. George and the North Shore
St. George, the Staten Island Ferry terminal area, is the borough's commercial and governmental center. The Richmond County Courthouse is located in St. George. The North Shore communities — Stapleton, Tompkinsville, Port Richmond — have higher crime rates than the rest of the borough and generate a disproportionate share of Richmond County's criminal court filings. These neighborhoods have experienced significant demographic change with growing Latin American, West African, and South Asian communities.
Mid-Island — New Dorp, Oakwood, Great Kills
The mid-island communities have a stable, largely Italian-American residential character with multi-decade family tenure. Address database reliability in these neighborhoods is higher than in any other NYC borough. The Italian-American naming complexity — multiple family members with identical or similar names across generations — is the most common source of search noise in Staten Island records research.
South Shore — Tottenville, Annadale, Eltingville
The south shore communities are Staten Island's most suburban, with single-family homes, lower crime rates, and the most stable residential populations in the borough. Tottenville at the borough's southern tip is the most remote NYC community from Manhattan. Address histories in these neighborhoods tend to be long-tenure and reliable.
Staten Island's South Asian community
The Castleton Corners and mid-island areas have a growing South Asian — particularly Sri Lankan and Indian — community. South Asian naming conventions, including patronymic structures and romanization variants, create search complexity that is less commonly anticipated in a Staten Island search than in a Queens or Brooklyn search but is increasingly relevant.
Common search scenarios
Searching by name in Richmond County
Run OCA e-Courts Richmond County for Supreme Court matters, then OCA Criminal Court Staten Island for misdemeanor history. For Italian-American subjects with common surnames (Russo, Lombardi, Esposito, Ferraro), a date of birth is essential before OCA results are actionable — name overlap within extended family networks is acute in mid-island communities. DOCCS before paying the $95 OCA fee for state prison confirmation.
The New Jersey supplement
NJ eCourts for Hudson County (Bayonne, Jersey City area) and Union County (Elizabeth, Linden area) as needed. For subjects with known New Jersey employment or family ties, run NJ eCourts as part of the standard search rather than as an afterthought. See our Hudson County guide and our Union County guide for New Jersey portal detail.
Checking court records
OCA e-Courts Richmond County → OCA Criminal Court Staten Island → Richmond County Clerk for judgments → NYC ACRIS for property records → NJ eCourts supplement as needed. See our court record search guide for national context.
Start Here: Enter Any Name To View Records
Best sites to review first
Before navigating Richmond County's OCA portals and potential NJ supplement, these are the two services I recommend reviewing first.
| Service | Why people use it | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Instant Checkmate | Useful for establishing New Jersey cross-state address history and for narrowing Italian-American name overlap with date-of-birth anchors before running OCA. | Quick first-pass searches |
| TruthFinder | Useful for broader address history spanning Staten Island and adjacent New Jersey counties — standard for subjects with known NJ connections. | Expanded public-record context |
Frequently asked questions
Can I search Staten Island court records online?
Yes. OCA e-Courts at iapps.courts.state.ny.us with Richmond County selected covers Staten Island Supreme Court civil and criminal (felony) cases. Staten Island Criminal Court misdemeanors require a separate OCA Criminal Court portal selection. Records sealed under New York's Clean Slate Act will not appear in OCA searches. DOCCS provides free statewide prison history lookups before committing to the $95 OCA comprehensive criminal history fee.
Can you look up marriage or divorce records in Richmond County?
Yes. Staten Island marriage and death records are held by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Vital Records — the same NYC-specific system that handles all five boroughs, separate from the New York State DOH which handles upstate records. Divorce case indexes for Richmond County are accessible through OCA e-Courts with Richmond County selected at no cost. Marriage licenses for Staten Island are issued by the NYC Office of the City Clerk, which has a borough office on Staten Island.
Can I use these searches for jobs, housing, or insurance decisions?
No. The services discussed on this page are not consumer reporting agencies and the information here is not a consumer report. They should not be used for employment, tenant screening, insurance underwriting, credit, or any other purpose regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Other New York county guides
- New York County (Manhattan)
- Kings County (Brooklyn)
- Queens County
- Bronx County
- Nassau County (Long Island)
- Westchester County
- Suffolk County (eastern Long Island)
- Erie County (Buffalo)
- Monroe County (Rochester)
Browse all county guides: People Search by County
