At a glance
Adult subject — e.g., a spouse
Your own minor child
As a parent you generally have broad authority to monitor your own minor child — especially on a phone, computer, or vehicle you own or provide. The gray area is recording the child's conversations with other people, where wiretap law and the “vicarious consent” doctrine come in and outcomes vary — and if you're co-parenting, custody orders and the other parent's rights matter. Those are marked “seek legal advice.”
General (any subject)
Recording & consent
New York is a one-party consent state. Under Penal Law § 250.05 you may record a conversation you're part of, or with one party's consent. Recording others' communications without consent is eavesdropping — a Class E felony.
Public conversations with no reasonable expectation of privacy are different. The federal overlay still applies.
N.Y. Penal Law § 250.05Recording law enforcement
Recording on-duty police in public is protected by the First Amendment — New York sits in the Second Circuit — and New York's Right to Monitor Act affirms the right to record police performing their duties, as long as you don't physically interfere.
GPS & vehicle tracking
New York added tracking to its unlawful-surveillance law: Penal Law § 250.45 makes it unlawful to install or use an electronic tracking device to determine a person's location or movement without consent. Tracking a vehicle you own is generally fine; secretly tracking someone else is a crime. Treat non-consensual tracking as a lawyer question.
N.Y. Penal Law § 250.45Private-investigator licensing
New York requires a state license to work as a private investigator, under General Business Law Article 7, administered by the Department of State, Division of Licensing Services. Applicants need at least three years of investigative experience and must pass a written exam.
N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law Art. 7 (§ 70 et seq.) · Regulator: NY Dept. of StateOut-of-state investigator reciprocity
New York's Department of State doesn't publish a general reciprocity license we could confirm, and New York is frequently cited as a state that doesn't broadly reciprocate. An investigator licensed elsewhere normally needs New York licensure to work here. Confirm current terms with the Department of State before working a New York case.
Hidden cameras in private areas
Using an imaging device to secretly view or record someone dressing, undressing, or in a place where they reasonably expect privacy is unlawful surveillance in New York (Penal Law § 250.45), a Class E felony. Hidden cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, and changing areas are off-limits.
N.Y. Penal Law § 250.45Cameras in your own home / nanny cams
You can put cameras in your own home, including nanny cams in common areas. The limits: don't aim a camera at a space a guest, tenant, or worker would reasonably treat as private (a bathroom, or a live-in caregiver's bedroom) — that risks the unlawful-surveillance statute — and remember audio follows the one-party recording law. Recording others' private conversations you're not part of can be unlawful.
N.Y. Penal Law §§ 250.45, 250.05Doorbell & outdoor cameras
A doorbell or outdoor camera covering your own porch, yard, or the street is fine — no reasonable expectation of privacy in public view. Trouble starts if you point a camera into a neighbor's window or fenced yard, or capture private conversations you're not part of. Aim at your property, not through someone else's walls.
Workplace & employee recording
New York's one-party consent rule applies at work: someone who is part of a conversation may record it. Secretly recording conversations you're not part of runs into the eavesdropping statute. Employers who monitor email or work systems should give clear notice, and federal workplace rules can apply.
N.Y. Penal Law § 250.05Drone surveillance
New York has no dedicated drone-privacy statute, but a drone used to view someone in a private, undress situation can be unlawful surveillance (Penal Law § 250.45), and stalking or trespass law can apply. Some cities (including New York City) restrict where drones may launch or fly. General flight and filming from public vantage points remain legal; treat drone surveillance of people as a lawyer question. FAA rules govern the airspace.
N.Y. Penal Law § 250.45 · FAA airspace rulesNeed this handled the right way in New York?
A licensed New York investigator knows these lines and how to gather evidence that holds up. A directory to match you with one is on the way.
What to expect →See an error or an out-of-date citation? Please let us know.
General legal information only, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Statutes and their interpretation change; entries may be incomplete or outdated. We disclaim all warranties and any liability for reliance on this page. Confirm the current law at the official New York Codes and consult a licensed New York attorney before recording, tracking, installing cameras, or gathering evidence.