N.Y. Civil Practice Law & Rules § 4511: Judicial notice of law

Rule 4511. Judicial notice of law. (a) When judicial notice shall be

taken without request. Every court shall take judicial notice without

request of the common law, constitutions and public statutes of the

United States and of every state, territory and jurisdiction of the

United States and of the official compilation of codes, rules and

regulations of the state except those that relate solely to the

organization or internal management of an agency of the state and of all

local laws and county acts.

(b) When judicial notice may be taken without request; when it shall

be taken on request. Every court may take judicial notice without

request of private acts and resolutions of the congress of the United

States and of the legislature of the state; ordinances and regulations

of officers, agencies or governmental subdivisions of the state or of

the United States; and the laws of foreign countries or their political

subdivisions. Judicial notice shall be taken of matters specified in

this subdivision if a party requests it, furnishes the court sufficient

information to enable it to comply with the request, and has given each

adverse party notice of his intention to request it. Notice shall be

given in the pleadings or prior to the presentation of any evidence at

the trial, but a court may require or permit other notice.

(c) Determination by court; review as matter of law. Whether a matter

is judicially noticed or proof is taken, every matter specified in this

section shall be determined by the judge or referee, and included in his

or her findings or charged to the jury. Such findings or charge shall be

subject to review on appeal as a finding or charge on a matter of law.

(d) Evidence to be received on matter to be judicially noticed. In

considering whether a matter of law should be judicially noticed and in

determining the matter of law to be judicially noticed, the court may

consider any testimony, document, information or argument on the

subject, whether offered by a party or discovered through its own

research. Whether or not judicial notice is taken, a printed copy of a

statute or other written law or a proclamation, edict, decree or

ordinance by an executive contained in a book or publication, purporting

to have been published by a government or commonly admitted as evidence

of the existing law in the judicial tribunals of the jurisdiction where

it is in force, is prima facie evidence of such law and the unwritten or

common law of a jurisdiction may be proved by witnesses or printed

reports of cases of the courts of the jurisdiction.