Suffolk County Court Records in New York

Suffolk County is situated in the eastern part of New York State. It has 10 towns and was founded in 1683. Its county seat is Riverhead, while the largest town in the county is Brookhaven. Suffolk County covers 912 square miles of land area and has a population of over 1.5 million people.

The trial court system in the county is made up of different courts; town courts and village courts, district court, surrogate's courts, family court, county court, and supreme courts. Also called justice courts, town courts and village courts handle some civil and criminal cases. These include misdemeanors, violations of local ordinances, and traffic infractions. Justice courts can arraign, set bail, and preside over preliminary hearings in felony cases.

District courts in Suffolk County handle civil claims where the amount in dispute is up to $15,000, civil violations of local and state housing standards. They also share jurisdiction over domestic violence orders of protection with supreme courts, family courts, town courts and village courts.

Surrogate's court preside over cases of affairs of decedent, administration of estates, probate of wills, and other probate matters. Family courts handle juvenile matters, abuse prevention orders, and domestic relation cases. The county courts in Suffolk County handle civil claims of less than $25,000, evictions, foreclosure, partition of real property, and matters related to real estate and liens.

The supreme courts are the chief courts in the county with jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases. Any case beyond the jurisdiction of other courts in the county is heard in the supreme courts.

The Suffolk County Clerk's office is the official recorder for the county. The office maintains records of court actions for proceedings held at the courts in the county. To obtain copies of court records, you may visit the address of the county clerk at:

If you only want to view case information for Suffolk County court actions, use the New York State Unified Court System Case Search to search by case number, attorney information, or party name.