Monroe County
Monroe County is situated on Lake Ontario's southern shore in New York State. It is a part of the state's Finger Lakes region and was originally a part of Albany County. An estimated 748,482 people live in Monroe County, and its county seat, which is also its largest city, is Rochester.
Monroe County's trial court system includes a supreme court, a county court, a family court, a surrogate's court, city courts, and town/village courts. The Monroe County Supreme Court, which has the broadest county jurisdiction, mostly hears criminal cases beyond the County Court's purview. Typical Supreme Court cases include felonies, small claims tax assessments, civil claims exceeding $25,000, divorces, complicated commercial lawsuits, mortgage foreclosures, injunctions, and annulments.
The Monroe County Court prosecutes county felony crimes punishable by imprisonment terms exceeding one year. It also handles civil claims for $25,000 and less and cases relating to real estate and liens, including evictions, real property partitions, foreclosures, and real estate contract performances. Finally, the County Court has appellate jurisdiction over the City Courts and the Town/Village Courts. The Family Court in Monroe County hears various juvenile cases such as juvenile delinquency and child neglect, domestic relations suits such as paternity and adoption, abuse prevention orders, and certain criminal cases involving family members. Monroe County Surrogate's Court hears probate cases, including wills, trusts, decedents' estate administrations, and guardianships.
The City Courts have limited jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases, including misdemeanors and offenses punishable by imprisonment terms of up to one year and civil claims for amounts in controversy for $15,000 and less. The Towns and Village Courts, or Justice Courts, generally handle cases, including initial felony hearings, bail-setting proceedings, misdemeanors, civil claims and small claims for $3,000 and less, violations of local ordinances, and traffic infractions.
Monroe County court records are records of legal proceedings of various cases tried in the county. These records contain details, including litigants' names and addresses, charges, docket entries, transcripts, opinions, orders, and judgments. Examples of court records that are generated from different case trials in the county include:
- Probate records
- Civil records
- Juvenile records
- Domestic relations records
The Monroe County Clerk maintains court records for the Supreme Court and County Court and processes record requests. Per State Law, court records are publicly accessible. Interested persons can access Monroe County court records online, by mail, or in person by visiting the courthouse where their cases were heard. In addition, they can also obtain court records from the County Clerk's Office during business hours at:
39 W. Main Street
Room 101
Rochester, NY 14614
Phone: (585) 753-1600
