Acquire Free Bronx County Divorce Records: View Dissolutions

Look up free Bronx County divorce records efficiently with the steps and links provided in this resource.

You can find these important vital records throughout New York with a free search if you know the steps to take to retrieve public divorce records. Whether for personal or genealogical reasons, there are multiple helpful resources provided by official agencies.

This streamlined article provides all the guidance you need to see who has dissolved their marriage in Bronx County, New York.

How To Search Bronx County Divorce Records for Free

Any individual can find the basic information about divorces through a free online records search using the Bronx County Clerk’s helpful features. Specifically, users navigate to the Case Search tool to begin the process.¹

Unless you already know the details, such as the lawyer’s name or the case number, interested parties should elect to search by party name.

After entering one or both of the spouses’ names, the viewer will see a list of case records that match. By clicking on the case number, the researcher will see the publicly available information about the divorce.

This display will present all public information about the case. However, researchers should be aware that there will be only the most basic facts.

New York only makes the spouses’ names and the date of the divorce public. Further details of the decree are only available to the parties involved.

To take any further step to obtain a copy of the decree, you have to be a party to the action or the lawyer representing a party. Those legally entitled individuals can call the Bronx County Clerk’s Office at (718)-618-3300, the Record Room at 718-618-3357, or the Records Search Department at (718)-618-3377 for assistance.²

Those who seek in-person help can also go to the Bronx County Clerk’s Office between the hours of 9-5 on business days for help; the address is listed below:

12th Judicial District
Bronx County Clerk’s Office
Records Search Department
851 Grand Concourse (Cross of 158th & 159th Streets) Room 118
Bronx, NY 10451

To obtain the decree, the authorized person must write to the Clerk at the address above and request a record search. Include as much information as possible, such as the case number, the spouses’ names, date of divorce. There are fees and certain requirements involved with this search.

To begin with, record seekers have to narrow the search window to 2 years and pay a $10 fee for the Department to search, whether a record is found or not. To open the search up to a longer period, requesters have to pay an additional $5 per year. If the record is located by the Clerk’s office, an official Certificate and copy of the decree can be provided to the requester upon display of proper identification.

Alternatively, record seekers can use a separate online records system. Users can access New York’s Web Civil Local App, which connects to databases of county records.³ Select “Bronx County Civil Court” and search by “party name”.

The tool will display the results of matching cases where the researcher can select a case and gain publicly available information.

Parties seeking copies of their official records will then.

Some researchers investigate the availability of records from smaller municipal or local sources instead of larger county-wide systems. Though the city governments can be more local and more accessible than county governments throughout other parts of the state, it is not so for New York City.

Keep in mind that New York City’s enormous population, small geographical size, and unique history do not fit general municipal and county patterns.

In New York City, counties are actually smaller than the city. Bronx County, or “The Bronx,” is the smallest administrative district where researchers can seek records. New York City as a whole does not keep municipal divorce records.

How To Search the New York Department of Health for Divorce Records Throughout the State

In several situations, searching for records through the state agency can be more productive. Sometimes, the researcher will think that a divorce was granted in Bronx County, but the record may have been created in another court. Additionally, former spouses who are party to the divorce can seek official copies of their certificate through the state of New York.

To simply search for statewide records of a divorce judgment, record seekers can use a broader inquiry on the previously mentioned Web Civil Local – Case Search Tool.

By selecting “all courts” and “search by the party”, any divorce case with the person’s name will be found.

As with all New York divorce records, everything but the most basic details are sealed and private to the parties.

For those seeking official copies of their own case, The New York Department of Health keeps all vital records for the state, including divorces.⁴ The Department maintains a database and/or physical files that contain the certificate of the divorce.

The state does not keep the full divorce decree. For any questions regarding these state records, call the Vital Records Call Center at (855)-322-1022.

The fastest service as recommended by the State of New York, is to use their officially authorized third-party vendor, VitalChek. Users enter the case information into the online tool and then order a certified copy. The fee for this service is $45 from the state of New York, plus the current vendor fee.

If you prefer to call, VitalChek also processes phone orders at 877-854-4481. VitalChek accepts credit and debit cards and ACH electronic checks only.

To order by mail, applicants will fill out the Mail-in Application for a Copy of Divorce Certificate.⁵

Then they send the form with a $30 check, postal money order, or certified check made out to the NYS Department of Health by first class mail, registered mail, certified mail or U.S. Priority Mail to:

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

Applicants must also include copies of identification to prove they are the party in the divorce. Acceptable forms include a driver’s license, state-issued ID card, passport, or military ID. Alternatively, requesters can provide two of the following: utility bills, phone bills, notarized letter from a government agency.

Genealogy researchers may seek older historical records of divorce, such as divorce indexes, common law divorce records, or archives. Some indexes related to matrimony and divorce are kept at the State Archives, the New York Municipal Archives, and the Bronx County Clerk’s Archives.⁶

New York Archives
NYS Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (518)-474-8955

New York City Municipal Archives
31 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Phone: 212-639-9675 

Office of the Bronx County Clerk
Archives Section
851 Grand Concourse, Room 118
Bronx, NY 10451

Email: [email protected]

Are Details of Divorce Accessible to Everyone in Bronx County?

The legislature determined what records are public with the New York State Article 6 – NY FOIL Law.⁷ Though the law provides access to some other documents, New York has some of the most private divorce papers in the country.

Citizens can only access the most basic information about divorces such as the spouse’s names and that a divorce was granted through a case search. Researchers do not have access to the divorce certificate that verifies that the marriage was dissolved or the detailed decree.

The additional divorce records are only available to those who have a legally defined interest. This includes the parties to the divorce and lawyers representing those individuals. Additionally, others are occasionally granted a court order to receive the records in certain circumstances, such as police who are conducting an investigation or judges reviewing a custody issue.

Researchers can also turn to third-party providers that can sometimes provide more divorce records than government officials can provide. These providers sometimes digitize information from various unofficial sources. Though these searches can be helpful, it’s important to remember that the information is not official or verified and cannot be used for an official or legal proceeding purpose.

Even with helpful search tools, access to in-depth Bronx County divorce records is limited compared to some other jurisdictions; however, parties to a divorce, their representatives, and genealogical researchers will find the information they need to research ethically and effectively.