How to read an ACRIS record
ACRIS is the public register of NYC property documents. A practical walkthrough of deeds, parties, consideration amounts, and the traps that make ACRIS prices misleading.
Updated Aug 18, 2026 · 6 min read
ACRIS - the Automated City Register Information System - is New York City's public record of property documents. It is the closest thing to ground truth for what a property actually sold for. It is also awkward to read, and it will mislead you if you take every number at face value.
What is in ACRIS
ACRIS holds recorded documents rather than transactions. The distinction matters. Each document has a type, a set of parties, one or more legal descriptions tying it to a BBL, and dates.
| Document | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Deed | Ownership changed hands. Carries the consideration amount - the sale price. |
| Mortgage | A loan was secured against the property, and for how much. |
| Satisfaction of mortgage | A previous loan was paid off. |
| Assignment | A mortgage was transferred between lenders. Not a sale. |
The fields that matter
Consideration amount
This is the sale price - usually. It is the single most misread field in ACRIS, because plenty of deeds are recorded with a nominal or zero consideration.
Document date versus recorded date
The document date is when the parties signed - effectively the closing. The recorded date is when the register processed it. The gap between them is routinely a few weeks and occasionally months. If you are asking "what is selling right now?", the document date is the honest answer; if you are asking "what is public now?", it is the recorded date.
Parties
Party 1 is the seller (grantor), party 2 the buyer (grantee). Names are entered by hand at recording, so expect inconsistent spellings, and expect LLCs rather than individuals on a large share of transactions.
Legal description
This ties the document to a borough, block, and lot - and, for condos, often a unit. It is what lets you connect a deed to a specific apartment. If you are unclear on how that identifier works, see what is a BBL.
Traps worth knowing
- Co-op sales are largely absent. A co-op apartment transfers as shares, not as a deed, so most co-op prices never appear here.
- Bulk and sponsor deeds distort averages. One deed can convey many units for a combined price.
- A deed can cover multiple lots. The consideration is for all of them together, not each.
- Recording lag is real. A quiet recent month often means documents have not been processed yet, not that nothing sold.
A workable method
- Start from the BBL rather than the address, so you catch every document for the lot.
- Filter to deeds, and discard consideration amounts at or near zero.
- Check whether the deed conveys one unit or many before using the price.
- Use the document date to place the sale in time.
- Cross-check against the listing history - a deed that matches a listed apartment is far more trustworthy as a comp.
That last step is most of what CurbScoop does automatically: it resolves recorded sales to buildings and units, marks non-arm's-length transfers, and lines them up against listing history so a comp set is defensible. Continue with how to find real comps.
Common questions
- What is ACRIS?
- The Automated City Register Information System, New York City’s public database of recorded property documents including deeds, mortgages, and satisfactions.
- Is the ACRIS sale price the real price?
- Usually, but not always. The consideration amount on a deed can be nominal for transfers between family members, estates, or related entities, so a $10 or $0 sale is a transfer rather than a market trade.
- Why is my sale not in ACRIS yet?
- Recording lags the closing, often by weeks. The deed is dated at closing but only appears once the register processes it.