Cortland County
Cortland County was established in 1808 and named in honor of Pierre Van Cortlandt, New York's first Lieutenant Governor. The county occupies about 499 square miles of land in the Central New York region and has a population of 46,755 residents. Its county seat is Cortland.
Cortland County has six trial courts: the Supreme, County, Family, Surrogate, City, and Town Courts. The Supreme and County Courts in Cortland County are within New York's 6th Judicial District. As a court of general jurisdiction, the Supreme Court handles all legal proceedings not exclusive to other courts. Meanwhile, the Cortland County Court typically adjudicates felony trials and civil actions for more than $25,000. It also handles appeals from cases decided in Town and City Courts. Misdemeanor cases and certain ordinance violations are within the jurisdiction of Cortland County's City Court. The City Court judge can preside over monetary disputes below $15,000 and felony preliminary trials. In Cortland County, the Family Court handles juvenile cases, adoptions, and child custody disputes, while the Surrogate's Court addresses all probate cases. The Cortland County Justice Courts, also known as Town/Village Courts, often settle ordinance violations, landlord-tenant disputes, and small claims cases.
Cortland County court records, maintained by the County Clerk, contain details of court actions. These include case filings, evidence, transcripts, case numbers, dispositions, filing dates, names of involved parties, and hearing dates. The New York Freedom of Information Law mandates public access to the following court records:
- Civil records
- Family records
- Property records
- Small claims records
- Probate records
- Criminal court records
Note that the state's FOI Law prohibits public access to confidential court records, including sealed, juvenile, adoption, and mental health court records. Access to confidential records in Cortland County is possible if interested persons provide valid IDs or court orders granting them access. Interested persons can obtain these documents by sending completed request forms to the court clerk at:
Cortland County Clerk's Office
46 Greenbush Street, Room 105
Cortland, NY 13045
Phone: (607) 753-5021
Requesters can also view Cortland County public court records online via the New York eCourts. To find court documents online, users must provide specific details such as case numbers, party names, or other identifying information to narrow down their search.
