§ 919 — Block indices in offices of county clerks

§ 919. Block indices in offices of county clerks. 1. New York, Bronx,\nKings and Queens counties. a. The county clerks of the counties of New\nYork, Bronx, Kings and Queens shall continue to index under the proper\nblock numbers all instruments now required by law to be recorded in the\nbooks of notices of lis pendens. Such block index of notice of lis\npendens shall be entitled "the block index of notice of lis pendens" and\nshall be ruled for entering therein the date of filing, the nature of\nthe action, the nature of the instrument, the court and index number,\nthe first named defendant, the first named plaintiff, the lot number or\nstreet address, if any, the microfilm number and the proceedings had.\n b. The county clerk of each of such counties shall also continue to\nindex under the proper block numbers all statutory notices of liens or\nclaims on land other than lis pendens which may be filed or recorded in\nhis office, which index shall be entitled "the block index of liens" and\nshall be ruled for entering therein the date of filing, the nature of\nthe instrument, the owner of the premises affected by the notice, the\nname and address of the lienor by whom the claim is made, the amount,\nthe lot number or street address, if any, and the proceeding had.\n c. On and after July first, nineteen hundred sixty-four, the use of\nland maps in the offices of the clerks of the counties of New York,\nBronx, Kings and Queens shall be discontinued, and the land maps\npreviously in use shall remain on file for the purpose of reference. On\nand after such date, the tax maps for the boroughs of Manhattan, Bronx,\nBrooklyn and Queens shall be substituted for the land maps theretofore\nin use for the counties of New York, Bronx, Kings and Queens, and\nreference shall be had to such tax maps and to the block numbers\ndesignated thereon for the purpose of indexing instruments required to\nbe indexed in the block index of notice of lis pendens or in the block\nindex of liens. Such tax maps shall be conclusive as to the location of\nblock boundaries and block number designations. The tax map for each\nborough may be referred to as the land map for the particular county\nwhich it affects.\n d. Except in the counties where existing land and tax blocks are\npresently identical, on and after July first, nineteen hundred\nsixty-four, the indices of all blocks theretofore existing in the block\nindex of notice of lis pendens and in the block index of liens shall be\nclosed except for the purpose of completing the indexing of instruments\nfiled prior to such date. New block indices shall thereupon be opened\nfor the block index of notice of lis pendens and for the block index of\nliens, which new indices shall be numbered to conform with the block\nnumbers designated on the tax map of the borough for the particular\ncounty to which it relates and which shall thenceforth be used for all\nentries relating to land in such blocks. The date of closing shall be\nentered at the end of each block index so closed and a reference shall\nbe made to the block number of the corresponding block in the new block\nindex. All such new block indices shall be endorsed on the covers\nthereof so as to show the date of the opening thereof.\n e. Whenever the boundaries of any block on the tax map shall\nthereafter be changed or altered and renumbered according to law, the\nblock indices of notice of lis pendens and of liens of such block\ntheretofore existing comprising the land in the changed or altered block\nso renumbered as aforesaid shall, except for the purpose of completing\nthe indexing of instruments filed prior to such change or alteration and\nrenumbering be closed and discontinued and new block indices of notice\nof lis pendens and of liens shall be opened for every such renumbered\nblock, which new index shall thenceforth be used for all entries\nrelating to land in such block. The date of closing shall be entered at\nthe end of each block index so closed and a reference shall be made to\nthe number of every new, changed or altered block to be used in place\nthereof. The date of opening shall be entered at the beginning of every\nnew block index, with a reference to the number of every block before in\nuse for the land contained in such new block.\n f. Every instrument presented to a county clerk for filing and\nrequired to be indexed in the block index of notice of lis pendens or in\nthe block index of liens in order to entitle the same to be filed shall\nhave endorsed thereon the number of every block on the current tax map\nin which the land affected by such instrument is situate.\n g. The county clerk of each of such counties, so long as he deems it\nexpedient, may prepare alphabetical indices of the parties to the\ninstruments mentioned in this subdivision, or to any of them, filed in\nhis office, and of the owners of land against which liens have been\nfiled and of judgment debtors whose names appear on record. The\nparticular form of such alphabetical indices shall be as such county\nclerk shall determine, and shall cover such periods and be brought down\nto such dates as he shall direct in respect to his own office.\n h. Whenever any instrument entitled to be filed and indexed under the\nprovisions of this subdivision shall be presented for record, there\nshall forthwith be endorsed thereon the date, hour and minute of its\nreceipt and the same shall be entered in the proper index under the\nproper block number thereof in accordance with the items set forth in\nparagraph a or paragraph b hereof.\n i. The entries made in the block indices of notice of lis pendens and\nof liens in conformity with the requirements of this subdivision shall\nfor the purpose of notice be deemed and taken to be a part of the record\nof the instrument to which such entries respectively refer, and shall be\nnotice to subsequent purchasers or incumbrances to the same extent and\nwith like effect as the filing of such instruments in the office of such\ncounty clerks now is or may be notice.\n j. In cases where any instrument shall have been filed with an\nerroneous designation, such county clerk on presentation of proper proof\nthereof shall enter such instrument in the proper index under the proper\nblock number of every block, the designation of which shall have been\nerroneously stated. He shall at the same time make a note of such entry\nand of the date thereof in every place in which such instrument may have\nbeen erroneously indexed, opposite the entry thereof, and also upon the\ninstrument itself, if the same be in his possession or produced to him\nfor the purpose, and the record of such instrument shall be constructive\nnotice as to the property in any block not duly designated at the time\nof such filing only from the time when the same shall be properly\nindexed.\n