Queens County
Queens County is geographically located in the largest and most eastern area out every one of the five boroughs of NYC. It's adjacent to Brooklyn and is located alongside the Western side of Long Island. It was established in 1683 and stretches across 178 square miles. Queens County has a huge population of 2,252,196 as of 2023. It houses two out of three of New York City's most prominent airports, LaGuardia and JFK. It was created as one of the 12 counties of the province of New York and named in honor of the queen consort of Charles II, Catherine of Braganza.
The Supreme, Family, Surrogate, Civil, and Criminal Courts have greatly contributed to the importance, creation, and sustenance of the justice system. The Supreme Court Civil term handles foreclosure, complex commercial disputes, mental health commitment, and divorce, and uses alternative dispute resolution to resolve particular cases. The Supreme Court criminal term handles felony matters and charges criminals to prison for a period that exceeds one year.
Cases that involve children and families such as guardianship, child custody, child support, termination of parental rights, delinquency, and child/persons in need of supervision cases are handled by the Family Court. The Surrogate Court ensures that the estate owned by deceased persons is distributed according to the wishes of the deceased. It also presides over adoption, and probate of wills, and shares jurisdiction with the Family Court over guardianship cases. The Civil Court hears small claims cases in which the amount of money involved is $10,000 or less, eviction cases, misuse of rented properties, and cases involving monetary relief of $50,000. The Criminal Court attends to misdemeanors (DWI), weapon charges, and driving with suspended licenses.
The judiciary provides access to court records through the County Clerk, this shows that it is transparent with court proceedings. The following court records are indexed and can be obtained (copied, duplicated, and photocopied) in Queens County:
- Civil
- Criminal
- Traffic
- Probate
- Small Claims
Members of the public can check for court records in the County Clerk's office from 9:00 AM - 4:45 PM on Mondays through Friday except on public holidays. Alternatively, they can call at (718) 298-0600 to make further inquiries about obtaining court records. For online access to court records, you may visit the Queens County Clerk website. Court records can be viewed at the Queens County Clerk's office at
88-11 Sutphin Blvd
Room 106
Jamaica N.Y 11435
