CPL § 690.10

Search warrants; property subject to seizure thereunder · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 690.10 Search warrants; property subject to seizure thereunder.

Personal property is subject to seizure pursuant to a search warrant if there is reasonable cause to believe that it:

1. Is stolen; or

2. Is unlawfully possessed; or

3. Has been used, or is possessed for the purpose of being used, to commit or conceal the commission of an offense against the laws of this state or another state, provided however, that if such offense was against the laws of another state, the court shall only issue a warrant if the conduct comprising such offense would, if occurring in this state, constitute a felony against the laws of this state; or

4. Constitutes evidence or tends to demonstrate that an offense was committed in this state or another state, or that a particular person participated in the commission of an offense in this state or another state, provided however, that if such offense was against the laws of another state, the court shall only issue a warrant if the conduct comprising such offense would, if occurring in this state, constitute a felony against the laws of this state.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CPL/690.10

In plain English

A search warrant may seize personal property when reasonable cause shows that it falls into one of these categories:

(1) Stolen property.
(2) Unlawfully possessed property.
(3) Property used or intended to commit or conceal an offense. For an out-of-state offense, the conduct must amount to a New York felony. ★
(4) Evidence tending to show an offense occurred or a person participated. The same New York-felony condition applies to out-of-state offenses.

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 2 — The Court Officer: Criminal Procedure Law; Volume 2 — Your Career: Criminal Procedure in Plain English.