The New York City Municipal Archives maintains a database of vital records for New York City. To access the database, visit https://www.nyc.gov/site/records/historical-records/genealogy.page. Over 10 million of 13.3 million historical birth, death and marriage records have already been digitalized. Click on the “Search Genealogy” link. From there, you can search for records by name, date, and other criteria.
Birth records are available from 1855 to 1909. Death records are available from 1862 to 1948. Marriage records are available from 1866 to 1937. If you find a record you want, you can order a copy for a fee. There are restrictions on who can access records less than 75 years old due to privacy laws. Therefore, if you are not a direct descendant or have a legal right to access the record, you may need to provide additional documentation to obtain a copy.
KH [Thanks to Pastor Paul Hutchins for this information.]