Reclaim Property from NYPD

To retrieve property from the NYPD Property Clerk, other than a vehicle, you must:

1. Retain and safeguard your copy of the property voucher.
    
2. As the property owner, appear in person at the Property Clerk's office in the borough where the property was taken. You may have an authorized representative make a claim for the property. Your representative must have a notarized letter from you, the owner of the property, identifying the individual whom you are authorizing to act as your representative and identifying the specific property to be claimed.
    
3. You must present the following to claim your property:
   • An Invoice Number
   • Proper Identification
   • District attorney's release or a supervising district attorney's statement refusing to grant a release (If the vouchered property is NOT Arrest Evidence, a district attorney's release is NOT REQUIRED.)
      
4. Claim your property as soon as possible.
    
5. If property was arrest evidence, you must demand the property no later than 120 days after the termination of the criminal proceedings. If no demand is made, the property may be disposed of by the Police Department Property Clerk according to law.
    
6. If property is not arrest evidence, a demand should be made as soon as possible whether or not criminal proceedings have been instituted, and, if they have been instituted, at any time, whether or not such proceedings have been terminated. It is important that the demand be made for this property before 120 days from the day it is vouchered, or the property may be disposed of by the Police Department Property Clerk according to law.
    
7. If a demand is made for property which is arrest evidence, and there is no district attorney's release or a supervising district attorney's statement refusing to grant a release, the claimant has 270 days from the demand to obtain a district attorney's release or a supervising district attorney's statement refusing to grant a release. If a release or a statement refusing to grant a release is not provided to the Property Clerk within 270 days of the demand, the property may be disposed of according to law.
    
8. If, in a timely manner, the claimant provides the Property Clerk with a district attorney's statement refusing to grant a release, the claimant must, when the district attorney no longer needs the property, obtain and submit to the Police Department a district attorney's release.
    
9. Forms to request a district attorney's release and/or other forms regarding the release may be obtained at a district attorney's office in any of the five boroughs. The district attorney's release or supervising district attorney's refusal to grant a release must be obtained from the district attorney's office where the criminal case is being prosecuted.

To claim property of high value, like cash or jewelry, you must present at least one piece of identification that contains your photo. You should call the Property Clerk Division's Office in your borough before going in to retrieve property to ensure that all necessary criteria for release of the property are met.

• Property Clerk Division personnel will accept a valid New York State Department of Motor Vehicles photo driver license, a learner permit, a non-driver's photo ID card or IDNYC as sufficient identification needed to release property. No other forms of identification will be required to release property.
   
• Temporary/interim New York State Department of Motor Vehicles licenses are not valid as sufficient identification needed to release property.
   
• Any person attempting to retrieve property that does not have the identification noted above must present two forms of identification, photo and non-photo, in order to retrieve property.
   
• Accepted photo documents include:
  • U.S military photo identification card
  • Out-of-state photo driver license
  • U.S. State Department-issued passport or passport card
  • Foreign passport with a valid J-551 stamp or with a statement on the visa
  • Permanent resident card T-551
  • Welfare/medicaid card with photo
  • New York State or New York City pistol permit with photo
  • Photo identification card issued by local government agency
  • U.S. college identification with photo and transcript
  • U.S. high school identification with photo and report card
     
• Accepted non-photo documents include:
  • Credit card
  • Birth certificate/baptismal certificate
  • U.S. social security card
  • U.S. health insurance card/prescription card
  • U.S. utility bill (must include your name and address)
  • U.S. insurance policy (in effect for more than three years)
  • Rent receipt, from building owner or management, showing applicant’s name and address
  • Property tax receipt
  • W-2 yearly income tax form
  • Employment identification card
  • New York State professional license
  • New York State registration document (vehicle/boat)
  • U.S. computer-printed pay stub (must contain your name)
  • U.S. union card
  • Welfare/medicaid card without photo

You must present proper identification to claim property. In some cases, additional forms of identification might be requested.

For any questions, you can call the Property Clerk Division's Borough Property Office in your borough:

• Manhattan Property Office
  (646) 610-5906
   
• Bronx Property Clerk
  (718) 590-2806
   
• Brooklyn Property Clerk
  (718) 624-5364
   
• Queens Property Clerk
  (718) 433-2678
   
• Staten Island Property Clerk
  (718) 876-8413