Property Data Privacy
What NYC property data is public record, what remains private, and how RegWatch handles this information.
What Is Public Record in NYC?
In New York City, a significant amount of property information is considered public record and is freely accessible. This is by design — transparency in property ownership and building safety protects buyers, tenants, and the public.
Owner names, deed recordings, and transfer history are public records maintained in ACRIS and county clerk offices.
Property tax assessments, tax bills, exemptions, and abatements are public through the Department of Finance.
All DOB, HPD, FDNY, and ECB violations are public records, including the nature of the violation, status, and any fines.
Building permits, including the scope of work, applicant, and status, are public records filed with DOB.
Zoning designations, variances, and special permits are public records maintained by DCP and BSA.
Mortgage recordings, UCC filings, lis pendens, and judgment liens are all public records.
C of O documents defining permitted building use and occupancy are public records at DOB.
What Is Not Public?
Certain categories of information are protected by law or not published by city agencies:
- Personal financial details: Bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, and private financial statements are never part of public property records.
- Tenant information: Individual tenant names and lease terms are not public records (except in certain court filings).
- Address confidentiality: Participants in the NYS Address Confidentiality Program have their addresses redacted from public records.
- Sealed court records: Certain litigation records may be sealed by court order.
- Internal agency communications: Deliberative or pre-decisional agency documents are exempt from FOIL requests.
How RegWatch Handles Data
RegWatch exclusively uses publicly available data from official city sources. We do not:
- Collect or store personal financial information
- Scrape private or restricted databases
- Publish tenant information
- Sell user search data to third parties
Our platform aggregates and presents the same information that is freely available through individual city agency websites, but in a unified and searchable format. We add value through cross-referencing, normalization, and analysis — not through access to non-public data.
New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)
New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) establishes the public's right to access government records. Property records fall squarely within FOIL's scope. The NYC Open Data initiative extends this principle by proactively publishing datasets rather than requiring individual FOIL requests. RegWatch's data sourcing aligns with both the letter and spirit of these transparency mandates.
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