How to search for sex offenders in New York
Two ways to check the New York sex offender registry: manually on the official state site, or programmatically across New York and every other US registry with a single API call.
Option 1 — Search the official New York registry
- Open the official New York sex offender registry public search.
- Search by last name (required), first name, or by city / ZIP / address.
- Open a result to see offenses, registration status, and known addresses.
- Note the record URL — it’s the authoritative source for that person.
The public New York site is best for a one-off, manual lookup. It won’t scale to bulk screening or cover other states in one search.
Option 2 — Search New York with the Offendersearch API
One authenticated request queries the New York registry plus the national NSOPW source, de-duplicates people across sources, scores each match, and returns provenance and freshness on every record.
POST /v1/search
{
"query": { "lastName": "Doe", "state": "NY" },
"jurisdictions": ["NY", "NSOPW"],
"locationScoped": true,
"freshness": "standard"
}This is a live demo of the API shape returning sample data. Real, scored results across every registry require a free account with billing enabled.
New York search FAQ
Is searching the New York sex offender registry free?
Searching the official New York public registry directly is free. The Offendersearch API is for teams that need programmatic, scored, multi-source results across New York and every other jurisdiction in one call.
Can I search sex offenders near an address in New York?
Yes. Provide a city, ZIP, or latitude/longitude with a radius and the API returns registrants near that location in New York, each scored and tagged with its source.
How current is New York registry data?
Every record returns a lastCheckedAt timestamp. Choose the Standard, Weekly, or Daily freshness tier depending on how recently New York data must have been re-verified.