Check Out Free Kings County Divorce Records on Anybody

Access free Kings County divorce records using the search tools and guidance offered in this resource. With just a quick online lookup or request for public court records, divorce details can be found at no cost.

Whether you’re conducting research or seeking information for personal reasons, this resource can assist you with searching for and acquiring divorce and dissolution of marriage records in Kings County, New York.

How To Look Up Free Kings County Divorce Records

Divorce records in Kings County can be looked up using the Online Case Records Search Tool provided by the County Clerk’s Office.¹

A divorce is a court proceeding, therefore a court record is generated and maintained by the County Clerk’s Office. The search tool allows members of the public to search court cases by party name, file date, and/or index number.

It should be noted that the Kings County court system is a part of the New York State Unified Court System.

Once a search is initiated a list of court case records which includes the index number, file date, and the names of the plaintiff and defendant involved in the case.

Not all the cases listed are divorce cases. The search tool does not provide a filter to limit the list to divorce cases only.

The index number field is linked to a records page that provides limited information on the court case. This page does indicate that the court case is a divorce.

More detailed information for the court record is available to the parties of the case, and the attorneys for each party of the divorce.

Once the index number is found by looking up the divorce court case record as detailed above, obtaining a copy of a divorce record can be ordered by mail.² The request requires a notarized letter from one of the parties or their attorney, and must include the index number of the divorce court case along with the full names of both parties. A certification fee of $8.00, copying fee of $1.30 for the first two pages, and $.65 per page thereafter.

If a divorce record exemplification is requested, an additional $25.00 fee is charged, and the approximate processing time is two weeks. All fees may be paid by certified check, money order, or NYS attorney’s check. Personal checks are not allowed.

The request needs to include a self-addressed stamped envelope, and be mailed to:

Kings County Clerk
Room 189, Window 6 360 Adams St.
Brooklyn, New York 11201

Phone: 347.404.9772
Email: [email protected]

If the requestor does not have an index number for the divorce court case, a request for a search can be made by mail.

The request requires a notarized letter from one of the parties or their attorney, and must include the full names of both parties, and the years to be searched. The fee to have a search conducted is $10 for the first two-year period that is searched, and then $5 for every two-year period thereafter. Separate payments need to be included in the request for every 2-year period that is requested to be searched.

The search will be conducted chronologically from the earliest date requested. Once the divorce record is found, the search will end, and all fees for periods that are requested and not searched will be returned.

The certification fees are the same at $8.00, as are the copying fees of $1.30 for the first two pages, and $.65 per page thereafter. The same divorce record exemplification fee applies if requested, at $25.00, and the approximate processing time is also two weeks. All fees may be paid by certified check, money order, or NYS attorney’s check.

Personal checks are not allowed. The request needs to include a self-addressed stamped envelope, and be mailed to:

Kings County Clerk
Room 189, Window 9, 360 Adams St.
Brooklyn, New York 11201

Phone: 347.404.9772

Further inquiries may be made via email to [email protected].

In-Person request for a divorce record and an exemplification can be made at the same location address listed above, but in-person inquiries are to be made at window #5. All the same fees and waiting period apply as listed for requests made by mail.

The only difference is that a valid identification is required, and for persons that are not parties of the divorce, a notarized letter or an affidavit signed by one of the parties to the case allowing the requestor to obtain a copy of the divorce document. Also, in-person requests do allow payments to be made with cash.

Track Down Divorce & Dissolution Information via Cities in Kings County New York

Kings County is a very small county in the State of New York with an area of only 96 square miles that encompasses the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Its population as of 2020 is 2.73 million. The only city that can be searched for any type of public record is New York City.

The New York City Public website provides a public records search tool from which a link leads to a divorce records webpage.^{3, 4} From that point forward, the search is referred via internet links to the county clerks offices of the individual New York City boroughs.

The search for and obtaining of county divorce records is then performed as outlined in the section above.

View Divorce Records Throughout all of New York via the State Department of Health

When a search for divorce records at the county or city level does not yield the desired results, a broader statewide search may be more practical.

The State of New York Health Department Vital Records department maintains divorce records dating back to January 1, 1963.⁵ The difference between a divorce decree and a divorce certificate is that the decree is the document prepared by the court and signed by a judge which outlines the terms of the divorce.

Whereas a certificate is an informational document which includes only basic information about the parties of the divorce and is used primarily for recording purposes.

Ordering a divorce record from the State Health Department can only be done by one of the parties of the divorce, or someone with a New York State court order. Also required is a valid photo identification such as a driver’s license, state id, passport, military ID.

Also accepted as valid identification is a combination of any two of a utility or phone bill, and/or a letter from a government agency dated within 6 months.

To order by mail, an application form that can be accessed via the “Print Form” on the web page, need to be filled out and mailed to the following address:

New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Certification Unit
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220-2602

Phone: 855.322.1022

The fee for mail orders is $30 per copy. Payment options for mail orders include certified or personal checks, or postal money orders made out to the NYS Department of Health. For orders placed from a foreign country, an international money order or a check drawn from a US bank is required.

Online and phone orders are outsourced by the NYS Department of Health to VitalChek. The fee for on-line or phone orders is $45 per copy, plus a one time vendors fee $13.50. Additionally, shipping fees are charged.

Payment options for mail orders include credit/debit card, and AHC (electronic checks).

For historical county divorce records, the county clerk offices where the divorce proceedings occurred typically maintain the divorce records dating back to July 1, 1847. Dissolution of marriage records preceding this date, can be searched on the divorce index of the New York State Archives. Prior to1847, what was referred to as the Chancery Court was the institution that granted divorces.

Within the microfilm records of the Chancery Court can be found a divorce catalog. The New York State Archives provides research services. Researches can make a request for research services remotely, or by visiting the archives at the State Archives Building located at:

New York State Archives
222 Madison Ave
Albany, New York, 12230

Phone: 518.474.8955
Email: [email protected]

It is recommended that an appointment be made and confirmed so that a research table is reserved. Copying fees range from $1 to $25 depending on the type of record being duplicated (i.e. photo, microfilm, document, pdf file).⁷

Who Can Access Divorce Records in Kings County?

In the State of New York, the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) grants citizens access to public records with certain exceptions.⁸

Divorce papers refers to the initial documents that are filed to begin the divorce process. On the other hand, decree refers to the final judgment issued by the court.

With regards to any type of divorce, be it certificates or decrees, are not open to inspection by the public in accordance with Section 235, Article13, of Chapter 14 of the Consolidated Laws of New York.⁹ Only the parties of the divorce, their attorneys, or persons that have a court order have access to public divorce records.

100 years after the final court decree, the divorce records became available to the public.

Although common law marriages are not legal in the State of New York, if a couple is involved in one that originated in another state where such union is legal, then the State of New York recognizes it. In such a case, a common law divorce is possible.

For those searching for recent or archive divorce records, third party providers may also offer assistance, including those records that are not available through official record custodians or databases. However, it is important to note that information from these third party providers may not be used for official purposes, unless they are endorsed by county or state.

All the information in this article can serve as a useful resource to aid with searching and obtaining Kings County divorce records.