New York City Opens 9/11 Records Portal on 25th Anniversary

On September 11 2026, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the launch of a public-records portal (nyc.gov/sept11docs) that initially makes available roughly 170,000 pages of city documents related to the September 11, 2001 attacks, health-risk investigations, and the settlement of two lawsuits filed by 9/11 Health Watch. The portal is funded by a $34 million allocation in the FY 27 budget and will be refreshed over the next twelve months as additional files are reviewed and personal identifiers are redacted.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

Since the attacks, first-responders, victims’ families, and advocacy groups have repeatedly requested access to the city’s internal assessments of air quality, exposure-zone determinations, and health-impact warnings issued by the Giuliani administration. The “Harding Memo” and the long-missing “68 boxes” of records, located in 2025, were among the most-cited gaps. The settlement with 9/11 Health Watch ends a multi-year legal battle over those documents.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

• ? 170,000 pages of records released in the initial upload.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

• $34 million earmarked for portal creation, maintenance, and staffing.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

• The city expects “substantially more documents” to be added during the coming year.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

• The portal will support New Yorkers seeking proof of presence in the Exposure Zone to qualify for the World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

Mayor Mamdani framed the release as a matter of “transparency and accountability” for families, survivors, and first-responders. Council Member Gale A. Brewer noted that health consequences have persisted for a quarter-century while critical records remained hidden. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal praised the administration for finally providing evidence needed to determine what the Giuliani administration knew about toxic exposures.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

Nadler’s remarks underscore a broader grievance that prior administrations failed to act on early warnings about airborne toxins.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

• “The very least our city owes the families, survivors and first responders whose lives were forever changed by the September 11th attacks is transparency and accountability.” — Mayor Mamdani

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

• “For years, survivors and families have been asking for more transparency from their government,” — Corporation Counsel Steven Banks

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

The portal gives survivors and families concrete documentation to substantiate claims for federal health benefits, potentially accelerating access to medical care and compensation. By making the Harding Memo and other internal assessments public, the city creates a precedent for municipal transparency in disaster response.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services and the New York City Public Schools will each assign staff to field requests for records that help individuals prove exposure-zone residency. The portal will be updated regularly throughout the next twelve months as the Law Department completes its review and redaction process. The FY 27 budget also funds ongoing maintenance, ensuring long-term public access.

25 Years Later, Mamdani Administration Opens City’s 9/11 Records to the Public and Settles Multi-Year Legal Battle