Reading A Search Warrant
CPL § 690.30 — executed within ten days, between 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. unless the warrant says otherwise
Ten days. A search warrant is executed not more than ten days after the date it was issued, and then returned to the court without unnecessary delay.
6:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. A warrant may be executed on any day of the week, but only between 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M., unless the warrant expressly authorizes execution at any time of the day or night.
Executing a warrant for premises or a vehicle, the officer gives, or makes a reasonable effort to give, notice of the officer's authority and purpose to an occupant before entry, and shows the warrant or a copy on request. If not admitted after that, the officer may enter by force. A warrant to search a person is executed the same way: notice, and the warrant shown on request.
Entry without notice. No notice is required when the premises or vehicle are unoccupied, or reasonably believed to be, or when the warrant expressly authorizes entry without notice.
Property seized is listed on a written, itemized receipt that names the court that issued the warrant. It goes to the person the property was taken from; for premises or a vehicle, to the owner, tenant or other person in possession if present, and otherwise it is left there. The officer then returns the warrant and the property to the court with a sworn written inventory.
Sources for this section (2)
- CPL § 690.30 — Search warrants; when executable
- CPL § 690.50 — Search warrants; execution thereof
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New York attorney.