Westchester County borders the Bronx to the south, Connecticut to the east, and Rockland County to the west. With approximately 1 million residents, it is one of the most affluent suburban counties in the United States — and one of the most internally diverse. The county spans from Yonkers at its southern tip, where demographics and records patterns closely resemble the adjacent Bronx, to the prosperous commuter villages of Scarsdale, Bronxville, Rye, and Bedford in the northern half, where long-tenure homeownership and high income produce a records environment with minimal criminal court activity and stable address history.
Westchester County operates its own unified Supreme Court system at the White Plains courthouse. The county is separate from all five NYC boroughs — a Bronx OCA search returns nothing for Westchester records, and a Westchester search returns nothing for Bronx records. For subjects who moved from the Bronx to Yonkers or Mount Vernon, prior Bronx records stayed behind and require a separate Bronx County OCA search. For the broader New York context including the Clean Slate Act and DOCCS, see our New York state guide.
Key takeaways
- Westchester County has an estimated 1,004,457 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS) — heavily bifurcated between dense urban southern communities (Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle) and affluent northern villages with much lower court activity.
- Westchester County Supreme Court (White Plains) handles felony criminal matters, major civil litigation, matrimonial cases, and probate. Westchester County Court handles lower-level felonies and serious misdemeanors — both are accessible through OCA.
- Yonkers, Mount Vernon, and New Rochelle have significant populations that relocated from the Bronx. Prior Bronx County OCA searches are standard for subjects in those communities.
- New York's Clean Slate Act (effective November 16, 2024) seals eligible misdemeanor records after three years and felonies after eight years.
Westchester County quick facts
- Population estimate (2023): approximately 1,004,457 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS)
- County seat: White Plains
- Largest city: Yonkers (est. pop. 211,000)
- State: New York
- Primary courts: Westchester County Supreme Court (felonies, major civil, matrimonial); Westchester County Court (lower felonies, serious misdemeanors)
Population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
How to search Westchester County records
Run OCA e-Courts Westchester County for Supreme Court history
Westchester County Supreme Court records are accessible through OCA e-Courts at iapps.courts.state.ny.us with Westchester County selected. The portal covers felony criminal cases, major civil matters over $25,000, matrimonial cases, and probate. Westchester County Court — a separate tier that handles lower felonies and more serious misdemeanors — also has OCA access through a separate portal selection. For state prison history, DOCCS at doccs.ny.gov provides a free statewide lookup before committing to the $95 OCA fee. Our court record search guide covers New York's suburban court structure.
Add Bronx County OCA for subjects with prior Bronx or NYC address history
Westchester County's southern cities — Yonkers, Mount Vernon, and New Rochelle — are primary destinations for residents relocating from the Bronx and other NYC boroughs. Prior court records, arrest records, and property transactions from those boroughs stay in the originating borough's system. For subjects in Yonkers or Mount Vernon with address history that runs through the Bronx, a parallel Bronx County OCA search alongside Westchester is the complete approach rather than checking Bronx only if Westchester comes up clean. Our find someone by name and city guide covers how to use address chain history to route across county lines.
Use the Westchester County Clerk for property records and judgments
The Westchester County Clerk at westchesterclerk.com maintains recorded real property documents including deeds, mortgages, and liens. Civil judgment indexes and UCC filings are also accessible through the County Clerk portal. This is the property and judgment record source alongside OCA for case records. For vital records, Westchester County marriage records are held at the town or city clerk level where the license was issued — Westchester has multiple cities and towns each with their own vital records. New York State DOH at health.ny.gov/vital_records maintains the statewide index from 1880 forward. See our public record search guide for context.
Official record sources in Westchester County
| Record type | Agency | Online access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court criminal and civil records | OCA e-Courts — Westchester County | iapps.courts.state.ny.us | Select Westchester County. Covers Supreme Court cases — felonies, major civil, matrimonial, probate. Clean Slate Act sealing applies. |
| County Court records (lower felonies, serious misdemeanors) | OCA — Westchester County Court | iapps.courts.state.ny.us | Separate OCA selection from Supreme Court. Lower-level criminal matters that do not reach Supreme Court. Required for complete criminal history coverage. |
| Property records, deeds, mortgages, judgments | Westchester County Clerk | westchesterclerk.com | Free online access to land records including deeds and liens. Civil judgment indexes also available. Certified copies require fee. |
| Marriage records | Town or city clerk where license issued / NY State DOH | health.ny.gov/vital_records (statewide index) | Westchester marriage licenses are issued and held at the town or city clerk level. NY State DOH maintains a statewide index from 1880 forward. Not NYC DOHMH — that system covers only the five boroughs. |
| State prison history | DOCCS | doccs.ny.gov | Free statewide NY State prison lookup. Run before the $95 OCA statewide fee. |
For a broader overview of how New York's public records systems work outside the five NYC boroughs, see our public record search guide.
Marriage records in Westchester County
Westchester County marriage licenses are issued by the town or city clerk in the municipality where the license was obtained. Westchester County has six cities (Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Peekskill, Rye) and numerous towns. For a marriage that occurred in Yonkers, the license is at the Yonkers City Clerk. For a marriage in Scarsdale, it is at the Town of Eastchester Clerk (Scarsdale is a village within the Town of Eastchester). This distributed vital records structure means there is no single Westchester County vital records office — the issuing municipality is the correct starting point.
New York State DOH maintains a statewide vital records index from 1880 forward at health.ny.gov/vital_records, which is the central search tool for Westchester marriage records when the issuing municipality is unknown. For a full guide to how marriage record searches work across all states including New York's municipal vital records structure, see our marriage record search guide.
Divorce records in Westchester County
Divorce cases in New York are filed in Supreme Court in the county where either party resides. Westchester County Supreme Court handles Westchester divorce filings, and case indexes are searchable through OCA e-Courts with Westchester County selected. New York requires at least one year of state residency before filing in most circumstances. Full divorce documents require contact with the Westchester County Clerk at the White Plains courthouse.
Westchester County generates substantial matrimonial filing volume given its affluent population and high homeownership rate. For subjects who were married in a NYC borough before relocating to Westchester, the marriage record is at the relevant NYC DOHMH borough office while the divorce filing is in Westchester County Supreme Court. For a full guide to how divorce record searches work across all states, see our divorce record search guide.
Industry insight
Westchester County searches require different calibration depending on which part of the county you are searching. A Yonkers search and a Scarsdale search are the same county by name but different environments. Yonkers is dense, urban, majority-minority, and generates court filing volumes comparable to a mid-size NYC borough community. Scarsdale, Bedford, and Bronxville are low-volume for criminal matters, high-volume for matrimonial and civil litigation, and have address databases so stable that a 20-year-old address for a homeowner is often still current. Knowing which part of the county before starting calibrates both what portals to run and what result volumes to expect.
The Bronx connection is the other thing I establish early. For any Yonkers or Mount Vernon subject, I look at prior address history before touching OCA. If Bronx addresses appear, I run Bronx County OCA in the same session. The Bronx-to-Yonkers corridor is the busiest suburban migration path in the New York metro area outside of Queens-to-Nassau.
Common mistakes when searching in Westchester County
- Not checking Bronx County OCA for Yonkers and Mount Vernon subjects — these cities border the Bronx and receive substantial relocation from Bronx neighborhoods. Prior court and property records stayed in Bronx County. A clean Westchester result for a Yonkers subject with a Bronx prior address does not mean a clean overall history.
- Expecting uniform search difficulty across all Westchester communities — a Yonkers search and an Armonk search require different approaches. Yonkers has urban-level court filings; northern Westchester villages have minimal criminal records. Calibrating expectations to the specific community saves time.
- Looking for Westchester marriage records through a single county office — Westchester has no central county vital records office. Marriage licenses are issued at the town or city clerk level. The relevant municipality must be identified before requesting a record.
- Running only OCA Supreme Court and treating that as a complete criminal history — Westchester County Court handles lower felonies and serious misdemeanors and requires a separate OCA selection. Both tiers are required for complete criminal history coverage.
Crime statistics and public-safety context
Westchester County's crime profile is sharply divided between its southern cities and its northern villages and towns. Yonkers (pop. 211,000) generates the majority of the county's total violent crime volume — its rates are significantly above the county average and comparable to mid-tier urban communities nationally. Mount Vernon and New Rochelle generate elevated rates relative to the county average. Northern Westchester communities including Scarsdale, Bronxville, Harrison, and Rye report among the lowest violent crime rates of any communities of comparable size in New York State. New York Division of Criminal Justice Services statistics for 2023 showed Westchester County's overall rate well below the statewide average, driven by the large number of low-crime northern municipalities. Source: NY Division of Criminal Justice Services, Crime and Justice Annual Report 2023.
Major communities in Westchester County
Yonkers
Yonkers (est. pop. 211,000 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS) is the fourth-largest city in New York State and the largest in Westchester County. It directly borders the Bronx and has a large Black and Latino population with strong demographic and migration connections to the South Bronx. Yonkers generates the majority of Westchester County's total criminal court filings. Prior Bronx County records are common for long-term Yonkers residents. Spanish surname variant checking is relevant for Southwest Yonkers searches.
White Plains
White Plains (est. pop. 59,000 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS) is the county seat and home to the Westchester County courthouse complex. As a midsize commercial and government center, White Plains has a mixed population including a significant Latino community in its northern sections. The White Plains City Court handles city-level matters separately from the county court system.
New Rochelle
New Rochelle (est. pop. 80,000 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS) sits on Long Island Sound in southeastern Westchester. It has a large Black community in its northern areas and a substantial Italian-American and Latino population. New Rochelle borders the Bronx to the south and shares the prior-Bronx-record pattern common to southern Westchester cities.
Scarsdale and the Rivertowns
Scarsdale and the Rivertowns corridor (Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, Tarrytown, Irvington) are among the most affluent communities in the county. These villages have stable, high-income homeowning populations, minimal criminal court activity, and above-average matrimonial and estate filing volumes. Address databases in these communities are highly reliable — multi-decade homeownership is common and residential addresses rarely change.
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon (est. pop. 68,000 — U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ACS) borders the Bronx directly and has a majority Black population with significant Caribbean-origin communities. Crime rates are among the highest in Westchester County. Mount Vernon City Court handles city-level matters. Prior Bronx records are common for Mount Vernon residents with Bronx address history.
Common search scenarios
Searching by name and city in Westchester County
Establish whether the subject is in southern Westchester (Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle) or northern Westchester (White Plains, Scarsdale, Armonk) before running OCA — this calibrates result volume expectations and determines whether a Bronx OCA parallel search is warranted. For southern Westchester subjects with Bronx prior addresses, run both in the same session. See our guide on finding someone by name and city.
Checking Westchester County court records
OCA e-Courts Westchester County for Supreme Court, then OCA Westchester County Court for lower criminal matters. DOCCS for state prison history before the $95 OCA fee. Westchester County Clerk for property and judgment records. For subjects with Bronx prior addresses, add Bronx County OCA to the session. See our criminal record search guide.
Searching for a subject who moved from the Bronx to Westchester
For any Westchester subject — particularly in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, or New Rochelle — whose prior address chain runs through the Bronx, run Bronx County OCA in the same session as Westchester. Records from before the move stayed in Bronx County. A relative search surfaces the prior-address chain quickly and confirms whether a Bronx parallel search is warranted.
Start Here: Enter Any Name To View Records
Best sites to review first
Before moving into Westchester County's court portals, these are the two services I recommend reviewing first — identifying prior Bronx or NYC borough address history before portal searches saves significant time.
| Service | Why people use it | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Instant Checkmate | Surfaces prior NYC borough and Bronx address history before choosing which OCA searches to run alongside Westchester | Prior-borough identification for southern Westchester subjects with Bronx or NYC address chains |
| TruthFinder | Broader address history across multiple Westchester communities and NYC boroughs for subjects with multi-stop relocation histories | Multi-location address chain searches for former NYC residents in Westchester |
Important: These services are not FCRA-compliant consumer reporting agencies. Do not use them for employment screening, tenant decisions, insurance underwriting, or any other purpose regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Frequently asked questions
Why should I check Bronx County records for a Westchester County search?
Westchester County's southern cities — particularly Yonkers and Mount Vernon — border the Bronx and receive substantial relocation from Bronx neighborhoods. Prior court records, arrest records, and property transactions from Bronx County stay in the Bronx County system when someone moves to Westchester. A Westchester County OCA search returns nothing for prior Bronx records. For any southern Westchester subject with a prior Bronx address, a parallel Bronx County OCA search is the complete approach.
Can you look up marriage or divorce records in Westchester County?
Yes, but marriage records are at the town or city clerk level where the license was issued — Westchester has no single county vital records office. New York State DOH at health.ny.gov/vital_records maintains a statewide index from 1880 forward for informational lookups. Divorce case indexes are accessible through OCA e-Courts with Westchester County selected. Full divorce documents require contact with the Westchester County Clerk in White Plains.
How do I access Westchester County court records online?
OCA e-Courts at iapps.courts.state.ny.us with Westchester County selected covers Westchester Supreme Court cases — felony criminal matters, major civil litigation, matrimonial, and probate. A separate OCA selection for Westchester County Court covers lower felonies and serious misdemeanors. Both are required for complete criminal history coverage. DOCCS at doccs.ny.gov provides a free statewide New York State prison history lookup before committing to the $95 OCA comprehensive fee.
How do I find property records for Westchester County?
The Westchester County Clerk at westchesterclerk.com maintains recorded real property documents including deeds, mortgages, and liens with free online access. Civil judgment indexes and UCC filings are also accessible through the County Clerk portal. The Westchester County Assessor provides property assessment and ownership data for current verification.
What is New York's Clean Slate Act and how does it affect Westchester searches?
New York's Clean Slate Act, effective November 16, 2024, seals eligible criminal records automatically — misdemeanors after three years following sentence completion, felonies after eight years. Sealed records do not appear in OCA searches. For southern Westchester communities with higher court filing rates, the sealing effect will grow over time. DOCCS remains available for individuals currently or recently incarcerated in New York State facilities.
Does Westchester County have separate city or town courts?
Yes. Westchester's six cities — Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Peekskill, and Rye — each have their own city courts handling local matters. Numerous towns and villages also have justice courts for local violations and petty offenses. These local courts are separate from Westchester County Supreme Court and County Court. For local-level matters originating in a specific municipality, contacting that city or village court directly is required beyond what OCA covers.
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
- Bronx County
- Nassau County (Long Island)
- Suffolk County (eastern Long Island)
- Kings County (Brooklyn)
- Queens County
- New York County (Manhattan)
Browse all county guides: People Search by County
