Rockland County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Located on the west of the Hudson River, Rockland County is found after Richmond County on the southernmost end of New York State. It ranks as New York State's third-most populous county, with a population of nearly 337,500 people. Its county seat and biggest settlement is New City. Rockland County is served by several trial courts, including:

• Rockland County Supreme Court
• Rockland County Court
• Rockland County Family Court
• Rockland County Surrogate Court

In addition to these courts, 21 Justice Courts also serve various towns and villages within the county. Rockland County Supreme Court is located in the 9th Judicial District and has the broadest jurisdiction. It has unlimited original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases but is exempted from hearing felony cases in the county and cases under the lower courts' purview. It also hears civil lawsuits where the monetary limits of other courts' jurisdictions are exceeded. The Rockland County Court hears all criminal cases, including felonies, misdemeanors, and other lesser crimes within the county. It also handles certain civil cases, such as those involving monetary claims below $25,000. Rockland County Family Court has exclusive authority over juvenile delinquency issues, and other family and children-related matters. Typical Family Court cases include child custody and protective cases, paternity cases, and adoptions. Rockland County Surrogate Court shares original jurisdiction with the Family Court over adoptions and guardianships, along with administration of decedent's estates and probate of wills cases. The 21 Town and Village Courts, also called Justice Courts, are limited-jurisdiction courts that preside over local civil cases for claims not exceeding $3,000 and criminal lawsuits such as misdemeanors, vehicle/traffic infractions, landlord-tenant cases, and municipal code violations. Rockland County town justice courts are located in:

• Clarkstown
• Haverstraw
• Ramapo
• Orangetown
• Stony Point

While some Village Justice Court locations include Airmont, Chestnut Ridge, Hillburn, Suffern, Montebello, Haverstraw, and New Square; other Courts are situated in:

• Piermont
• Sloatsburg
• Nyack
• South Nyack
• Grandview-on-Hudson
• Spring Valley
• Wesley Hills
• West Haverstraw
• New Hempstead

Data released from a New York State Court Caseload Trends report indicated that there were 13,485 case filings in 2022 compared to 16,980 in 2023. Dispositions trended upwards in 2023 as 15,780 case dispositions were recorded compared to 13,961 in 2022. Also, the DCJS Index Crime Report in 2021 showed that 2,292 crimes were reported in Rockland County composed of 329 violent crimes and 1,963 property offenses.

The Rockland County Clerk's Office is tasked with organizing and managing court case records especially for the Supreme and County Courts. It also ensures that non-confidential court records are publicly accessible. New York State's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) grants New Yorkers, including Rockland County residents, the right to access court records. Requestors can access Rockland County digitized court records online for free. In addition, they can also visit the courthouses where their case proceedings occurred to view and obtain hardcopy records. They are, however, required to pay appropriate fees to copy court records. Finally, court case records filed more than six years ago can be accessed at the Rockland County Archives Building in Pomona.

Rockland County's court system, with its different Courts of varying but distinct jurisdictions, underpins its solid county leadership and enhances effective justice delivery to all residents. Its trial courts, ranging from the Supreme and County Courts to the Justice Courts, maintain a detailed database of various court records that provides the public with readily accessible legal information, further enhancing judicial transparency and trust.