Washington County
Washington County, located in the northeastern region of New York State, was formed in 1772 as Charlotte County and assumed its present name in 1784. It has approximately 61,302 residents and covers 831 square miles of land area. With its seat of government in Fort Edward, the Washington County judicial system consists of the Supreme Court, County Court, Family Court, Surrogate's Court, and Justice Courts.
The Supreme Court in Washington County generally presides over civil cases with no monetary limitations and which are beyond the jurisdictions of other courts. It also oversees domestic relations matters like divorce and equity lawsuits like mortgage foreclosures. Washington County Court, on the other hand, has limited jurisdiction over civil cases up to $25,000 in claims. Additionally, the court hears criminal cases like felonies, whose possible sentencing is death or a long jail term. Appeals from the Justice Courts are also heard by the Washington County Court.
In Washington County, matters involving minors and families are handled by the Family Court. The court handles juvenile cases like delinquencies and child protective proceedings like abuse and neglect. It also decides cases like domestic violence as well as matters, such as child adoption, custody, and guardianship. Similarly, cases related to probate wills and administration of decedents' estates fall under the jurisdiction of the Washington County Surrogate's Court.
There are 17 Town Courts and four Village Courts across Washington County. They are collectively called the Justice or Local Courts and they handle civil cases and matters ranging from small claims to evictions and traffic violations. The Criminal Divisions of the Local Courts sit on criminal cases like misdemeanors.
Washington County court records are normally generated during case filings and court proceedings. They include summons, warrants, affidavits, transcripts, exhibits, and court orders, which are typically maintained by respective clerks of the courts. The County Clerk serves as the custodian of the Supreme Court's and County Court's records. Most court records in Washington County are publicly available. However, juvenile, confidential, expunged, and sealed court records are restricted from public access.
Some of Washington County public court records include the following:
- Criminal Records
- Civil Records
- Family Law Records
- Probate Records
For online case records and dockets of the Supreme and County courts in Washington County, interested individuals may search through the Unified Court System eCourts portal. Similarly, court records of other courts in Washington County, as well as records that are not available online, may be obtained directly from the courts where the cases were heard.
