New York Court Summary

The New York trial court system consists of Supreme Courts, Family Courts, Surrogate's Courts, County Courts, Civil Courts of the City of New York, Criminal Courts of the City of New York, District Courts, City Courts, Town Courts and Village Courts, Justice Courts, and The Court of Claims.

Supreme Courts, Family Courts and Surrogate's Courts are located in every county and generally handle the same types of cases throughout the state. Supreme Courts exercise greater jurisdiction over criminal cases in New York City, but County Courts handle most criminal cases outside of New York City. County Courts serve all counties except for New York City counties that instead have Civil Courts of the City of New York and Criminal Courts of the City of New York.

Civil Courts and Criminal Courts of the City of New York, District Courts and City Courts exercise jurisdiction over similar types of cases. District Courts are located on Long Island and City Courts are located outside of New York City. Town Courts, Village Courts and Justice Courts have similar jurisdiction over cases but less territorial jurisdiction as compared to other types of courts. The Court of Claims is a specialized court that handles civil claims against the State of New York from one central location.


First Name	MI	Last Name	State

I entered a partial first name above

Where to find court cases in New York

The chart below gives general information on the types of cases heard in each type of court in New York.

= Most or all cases.

= Some cases.

Case Type	Court Type
Civil	Supreme Courts	Family Courts	Surrogate's Courts	County Courts	Civil Courts of the City of New York	Criminal Courts of the City of New York	District Courts	City Courts	Town Courts and Village Courts	Justice Courts
General Civil - Unlimited			$Some General Civil - Unlimited cases can be found in the Surrogate\'s Courts$
General Civil - Limited			$Some General Civil - Limited cases can be found in the Surrogate\'s Courts$
Small Claims
Civil Equity
Complex Commercial
Foreclosures and Liens
Real Estate Title and Boundary			$Some Real Estate Title and Boundary cases can be found in the Surrogate\'s Courts$
Landlord / Tenant
Ordinance Violations
Protection, No Contact, and Restraining Orders
Administrative Agency Appeals
Criminal	Supreme Courts	Family Courts	Surrogate's Courts	County Courts	Civil Courts of the City of New York	Criminal Courts of the City of New York	District Courts	City Courts	Town Courts and Village Courts	Justice Courts
Felony
Felony Preliminary Hearings
Misdemeanors
Ordinance Violations
Juvenile
Traffic and Infractions				$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the County Courts$		$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the Criminal Courts of the City of New York$	$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the District Courts$	$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the City Courts$	$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the Town Courts and Village Courts$	$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the Justice Courts$
Domestic Relations	Supreme Courts	Family Courts	Surrogate's Courts	County Courts	Civil Courts of the City of New York	Criminal Courts of the City of New York	District Courts	City Courts	Town Courts and Village Courts	Justice Courts
Divorce
Child Custody and Visitation
Child Support
Paternity
Domestic Violence Protection Order
Juvenile	Supreme Courts	Family Courts	Surrogate's Courts	County Courts	Civil Courts of the City of New York	Criminal Courts of the City of New York	District Courts	City Courts	Town Courts and Village Courts	Justice Courts
Adoptions			$Some Adoptions cases can be found in the Surrogate\'s Courts$
Juvenile Delinquency
Child Abuse and Neglect
Termination of Parental Rights
Children in Need of Supervision
Mental Health	Supreme Courts	Family Courts	Surrogate's Courts	County Courts	Civil Courts of the City of New York	Criminal Courts of the City of New York	District Courts	City Courts	Town Courts and Village Courts	Justice Courts
Involuntary Commitments
Other Mental Health Cases			$Some Other Mental Health Cases cases can be found in the Surrogate\'s Courts$
Probate	Supreme Courts	Family Courts	Surrogate's Courts	County Courts	Civil Courts of the City of New York	Criminal Courts of the City of New York	District Courts	City Courts	Town Courts and Village Courts	Justice Courts
Wills & Estates			$Most or all Wills & Estates cases can be found in the Surrogate\'s Courts$
Name Changes
Trusts			$Some Trusts cases can be found in the Surrogate\'s Courts$
Guardianships and Conservatorships			$Some Guardianships and Conservatorships cases can be found in the Surrogate\'s Courts$

Note: Some courts in New York are not included in the chart above. Please use the following links for descriptions and types of cases heard:

The Court of Claims

New York Courts Summary