How to Find a Debtor's Assets in New York

Why Asset Discovery Matters

New York courts do not investigate a debtor's finances for you. The enforcement officer — City Marshal or County Sheriff — will not accept your levy or garnishment request without specific asset details: a bank branch address, an employer's payroll department, or a vehicle's VIN. The entire collection apparatus is creditor-driven, meaning you have to find the targets yourself.

There are two main paths: public records searches (free, immediate) and legal discovery tools (formal, more powerful).

Public Records You Can Search Today

Real Property — ACRIS and County Clerk Records

For NYC properties, the Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS) is a free online database at the NYC Department of Finance. Search by the debtor's name to find recorded deeds, mortgages, liens, and property transfers across all five boroughs. ACRIS shows the block-and-lot identifiers you need when docketing a judgment lien.

Outside the city, county clerk offices maintain their own land records. Many are searchable online through individual county websites, though some rural counties still require in-person lookups. You are looking for deeds in the debtor's name, which confirm property ownership and the county where a judgment lien would attach.

Business Records — NYS Department of State

The Division of Corporations database at the New York Secretary of State lists business registrations, named officers, and service-of-process addresses. Search for businesses associated with the debtor and review those records. This matters for two reasons: business income may be reachable through an installment payment order (CPLR 5226), and business bank accounts held in the debtor's name may be targetable with a restraining notice.

Vehicle Records — DMV

NYS Department of Motor Vehicles title records show vehicles registered in the debtor's name. You need the make, model, year, and VIN before an enforcement officer will process a personal property execution. Keep in mind that the debtor has a $5,500 vehicle exemption under CPLR 5205(a)(8), or $13,625 if the debtor has a disability, and any existing auto loan takes priority — so the vehicle is only worth pursuing if its equity significantly exceeds the applicable exemption.

UCC Filings

Uniform Commercial Code financing statements filed with the Secretary of State reveal secured interests in the debtor's personal property — equipment, inventory, accounts receivable. These filings tell you what assets exist and who has a prior claim on them.

Legal Discovery — Information Subpoenas

Public records show property and business registrations, but they do not reveal bank accounts, employment details, or income. For that, you need a CPLR 5224 information subpoena.

An information subpoena can be directed at the debtor (asking them to disclose all assets, accounts, and income sources) or at third parties (asking a specific bank whether the debtor holds accounts there, or asking an employer to confirm employment and salary).

The debtor has 7 days to respond. If they ignore it, you file an Order to Show Cause for Contempt — a court motion compelling them to appear and answer.

Third-party subpoenas are particularly useful when the debtor refuses to cooperate. If you suspect the debtor banks at a specific institution, a subpoena to that bank will confirm or deny the account and give you the balance information you need to decide whether a bank levy is worth pursuing.

Court Follow-Up for Unanswered Subpoenas

If a debtor or third-party witness fails to answer a properly served information subpoena within 7 days, you can apply for an Order to Show Cause for Contempt under CPLR 2308, CPLR 5251, and § 1812(d) of the applicable court act. Include the subpoena and questions, proof of service, and an affidavit stating that no response was received. If the judge signs the order, serve it as directed; the hearing is a court process to compel an answer, not an automatic arrest proceeding.

Building a Target List

The practical approach is to layer these methods:

1. Start with free public records — ACRIS, county clerk property searches, DOS business records, DMV
2. Serve information subpoenas on the debtor and on any banks or employers you can identify
3. Use the court's contempt process if a properly served subpoena goes unanswered

Each asset you identify maps to a specific enforcement tool: bank accounts to restraining notices and levies, employment to income executions, real property to judgment liens.

Our New York Judgment Collection Guide includes an asset discovery worksheet that walks through each search method and records the results in the format enforcement officers expect.

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