Richmond County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Richmond County, one of the twelve original New York colony counties, was founded in 1661 and lies in the southernmost end of the State of New York. It shares the same land area of 57.5 square miles with Staten Island, a New York City borough, and boasts a population of 492,925 residents. It, however, has no county seat since it also exists as one of the five New York City boroughs. The Richmond County court system is composed of five major trial courts, namely:

• Richmond County Supreme Court
• Richmond County Family Court
• Richmond County Surrogate Court
• New York City Civil Court
• New York City Criminal Court

Richmond County Supreme Court, the apex county court, is also the highest 13th Judicial District Court and has general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal proceedings. It comprises two parts - the Civil and Criminal part and the Matrimonial Division. The Richmond County Supreme Court does not adjudicate criminal cases outside New York City as such cases typically fall within the jurisdiction of other lower courts. Civil cases under its purview include cases involving the settlement of monetary claims exceeding $25,000, annulments, and intricate commercial lawsuits. Divorce-related domestic violence cases and legal separation also fall under its jurisdiction. Richmond County Family Court and Richmond County Surrogate Court are located on Staten Island. They both have original jurisdiction to adjudicate cases involving family and children matters such as guardianships and adoptions. However, Richmond County Family Court, more specifically, oversees cases involving custody/support of minors, juvenile delinquency, and certain family-related crimes such as domestic abuse. In contrast, the County Surrogate Court hears probate cases, including beneficiary rights, trusts, and decedents' estate administration. The New York City Civil Court comprises three Divisions - General Civil, Housing, and Small Claims. It hears cases for monetary claims less than $25,000 (for General civil) and $5,000 (for Small claims), land tenant-tenant cases, and other home property code violations. The New York City Criminal Court has authority over misdemeanor lawsuits, cases involving other lesser-grade crimes (non-misdemeanor offenses), and preliminary felony hearings.

An annual Trial Court Caseload Trend analysis showed that total case filings in Richmond County rose from 59,472 in 2022 to 92,148 in 2023, a jump of 55%. Similarly, total dispositions for the same period reviewed also climbed by 51% from 42,951 to 64,774 disposed cases. Per an Index Crime Report by the New York State's Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), Richmond County residents reported a total of 4,485 crimes in 2021. This statistic reflected an almost 4% drop from 5,042 crimes reported in the previous year. The Richmond County Clerk maintains public court case records in Richmond County. They also process court records requests from interested persons and provide copies of records subject to the payment of applicable fees. In-person inspection of court case records at the specific court where the case was heard, and online records access such as the Criminal History Record Search (CHRS) and New York State Court Electronic Filing (NYSCEF) are other access options for prospective requestors.

Richmond County Courts ensure that residents can access an efficient justice system and also experience countywide law and order. The court system also houses a comprehensive database of historical court case records and facilitates citizens' access to them for various purposes, including conducting criminal background checks and determining the transparency of court processes, among others.