Columbia County
Named after Christopher Columbus, Columbia County, New York, was formed from Albany County in 1786 after the American Revolutionary War. Its over 61,000 residents live within a land area of 635 square miles. Hudson is its county seat, and Kinderhook is its largest city.
The court system in Columbia County consists of the Supreme, County, Family, Surrogate, and Municipal courts. As the county's highest court, the Columbia County Supreme Court usually hears cases that are outside the jurisdiction of other courts. It handles civil disputes with claims over $25,000 and felony cases, divorces, annulments, and legal separations. The Columbia County Court handles most criminal cases, real estate disputes, civil matters with claims under $25,000, foreclosures, and evictions.
The Columbia County Family Court handles domestic relations matters that do not involve the dissolution of marriages and juvenile matters, such as truancy, juvenile delinquency, minor traffic offenses, and juvenile dependencies. Most probate matters, including admission of wills, appointment of guardianships, administration of trusts and estates, and adoptions, are handled by the Columbia County Surrogate's Court.
Municipality courts in Columbia County consist of Hudson City Court, 18 town courts, and three village courts. These courts deal with traffic infractions, landlord-tenant disputes, municipal ordinance violations, misdemeanors, and civil matters involving claims under $3,000.
Public court records in Columbia County are court files, exhibits, and documents, including court schedules, writs, warrants, court filings, motions, court proceedings, depositions, and judgments from the county courts that are open to the public. These records may be examined and obtained by anyone interested in them. The Columbia County Clerk keeps records from the Supreme and County Courts, while records from other courts are maintained by their respective clerks.
The following categories of court records are typically accessible by the public in Columbia County unless made confidential by court orders:
- Criminal Case Records
- Family Law Case Records
- Civil Case Records
- Probate Case Records
- Traffic Case Records
Record seekers can contact the Columbia County Clerk or other court clerks to access the county's public court records. They can also use the New York State Unified Court System platform to access public court records from the county's Supreme, Family, and County Courts.
