Delaware County
Located in the southern part of New York, Delaware County was created in 1797 and named after the Delaware River. It has a land area of 1,442 square miles, and its water bodies covers 25 square miles. According to the 2020 US census, 44,308 persons live within its boundaries. Its county seat is Delhi, and its largest city is Sidney.
The judicial system in Delaware County comprises the supreme, county, family, surrogates, and municipality courts. The Delaware County Supreme Court is the preeminent court in the county, and it typically hears cases beyond the jurisdiction of other county courts. It hears felonies, divorces, annulments, legal separations, and civil cases involving more than $25,000 claims. The Delaware County Court handles misdemeanor cases, evictions, foreclosures, civil proceedings with claims under $25,000, and real estate matters.
The Delaware County Family Court handles juvenile and domestic relations matters except for those involving the dissolution of marriages. It hears child support, termination of parental rights, paternity, delinquency, truancy, and emancipation. The Delaware County Surrogate's Court handles probate matters, including the admission of wills, the appointment of conservatorships and guardianships, adoptions, and the management of trusts and estates.
There are 23 town courts and four village courts in Delaware County. These courts hear misdemeanors, civil cases with claims under $3,000, traffic infractions, landlord/tenant relations, and municipal ordinance violations.
Public court records in Delaware County are court documents, exhibits, and files produced in the county courts that can be examined and copied by anyone. These records typically include docket listings, writs, warrants, court filings, motions, court proceedings, depositions, court transcripts, and judgments from the county courts. The Delaware County Clerk keeps records from the Supreme and County Courts, while the clerks of the other courts maintain their records.
The following types of court records are available to the public in Delaware County unless sealed by court orders:
- Criminal Records
- Domestic Relations Records
- Civil Records
- Probate Records
- Traffic Records
Records seekers can visit relevant courts to view and request Delaware County public court records. They can also contact the Delaware County Clerk's Office to obtain nonconfidential court records from the Supreme and County Courts. They can use the New York State Unified Court System portal to search for public court records from the county's Family, Supreme, and County Courts.
