New York Consolidated Laws, Estates, Powers and Trusts Law - EPT § 6-6.4 Perfection of title

(a) If the title to any property to which this part applies was held by the decedent at the time of death, title of the surviving spouse may be perfected by an order of the surrogate's court having jurisdiction over the decedent's estate or by execution of an instrument by the personal representative or the testamentary beneficiaries or distributees of the decedent with the approval of the court, upon due notice to all persons who would be required to be served with process in a proceeding under section twenty-two hundred ten of the surrogate's court procedure act.  Neither the personal representative nor the court has a duty to discover or attempt to discover whether property held by the decedent is property to which this part applies, unless a written demand is made by the surviving spouse or the spouse's successor in interest.

(b) If the title to any property to which this part applies is held by the surviving spouse at the time of the decedent's death, the personal representative or a testamentary beneficiary or distributee of the decedent may institute an action to perfect title to the property.  The personal representative has no fiduciary duty to discover or attempt to discover whether any property held by the surviving spouse is property to which this part applies, unless a written demand is made by a testamentary beneficiary, distributee or creditor of the decedent.