Suffolk County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Suffolk County is located in the eastern part of New York and was created in 1683. It has a population of over 1.52 million residents and a land area of 912 square miles with an additional 1,461 square miles of water bodies. Riverhead is its county seat and Brookhaven is its largest town. Suffolk County court system comprises Supreme, Family, County, District, and Village and Town Courts.

The Suffolk County Supreme Court is the highest in the county and hears civil cases with more than $25,000 in claims and felonies beyond the County Court's jurisdiction. It has exclusive jurisdiction over legal separation, annulment, and divorce. It is located in Riverhead and Central Islip. The Suffolk County Court has jurisdiction over most criminal cases and civil cases with claims under $25,000. The Suffolk County Family Court in Riverhead and Central Islip, handles domestic relations and juvenile matters, such as child neglect, adoption, delinquency, dependency, persons in need of supervision, and paternity cases. The Suffolk County Surrogate's Court has jurisdiction over probate matters, including administration of estates, admission of wills, lifetime trusts, and appointment of guardianships. The Suffolk County District Court hears most misdemeanors, preliminary felony hearings, and civil cases with claims under $15,000. There are 33 town and village courts in Suffolk County. These courts hear misdemeanors, municipal ordinance violations, traffic infractions, landlord/tenant relations, and civil cases with under $3,000 claims.

The Suffolk County crime rate is 1,132 crimes per 100,000 population, which is far below the national crime rate. According to the New York Courts Caseload Trend, Suffolk County Supreme and County Courts handle about 2,000 criminal and 50,000 civil cases. The Family Court also hears about 40,000 cases, while the Surrogate Court handles about 10,000 cases. Local courts attend to over 80,000 cases annually. The Suffolk County Clerk maintains records from the Supreme, District, and County Courts, while Court Clerks maintain the records from the other courts. Individuals may visit the courts to inspect or request copies of specific nonconfidential court records. Alternatively, they can search for public court records on the New York State Unified Court System. However, certain court records in Suffolk County are sealed under New York law or by court orders to preserve privacy and protect sensitive information. These records are not accessible to the public but can be accessed by authorized persons or court orders. These records include adoption records, juvenile records, financial information, medical and mental health records, and identifying information about jurors.

In summary, Suffolk County's judicial system consists of the Superior, District, County, Family, Surrogate, and Local Courts. Together, they carry out several essential tasks, such as deciding criminal cases and settling conflicts. The court system also ensures that the public has electronic access to both historical and current court records. Suffolk County is committed to fulfilling its legal obligations with distinction and is an example of effective judicial management in New York.