New York Court Records Search
New York State’s District Courts are located only in the two counties of Nassau County and the five western towns in Suffolk County. District Courts are limited jurisdiction courts that handle both civil and criminal issues.
The types of cases resolved by District Courts are tort cases, real property cases of up to $15,000, small claims cases of up to $5,000, misdemeanors, and other petty criminal offenses. These courts can also hold preliminary hearings for felonies. A good deal of cases that end up in District Courts are traffic and local ordinance violations. Many cases in District Courts involve landlord/tenant issues like evictions and other housing disputes. They also handle traffic and local ordinance violations cases as well.
On the NYCourts.gov website, they have a section for District Courts that include links to each one (Nassau and Suffolk County). Each link takes the user to a detail page with the courthouse location, directions, a listing of fees, a phone directory, links to more information for different types of cases like landlord/tenant disputes, small claims, and civil or criminal matters. This section also includes ADA accessibility information, details about these courts, district information, guidelines for jurors, forms for filing cases in District Court, statewide court information and special sections for things like domestic violence, juvenile issues, foreclosures, commercial business issues, and other legal items. Patrons of the court system can find forms or choose the e-filing option, publications to help guide them through the court system, and other resources to assist with legal help. The court's website is full of helpful information for self-represented litigants.
For the last year tallied, District Courts combined with City Courts saw a total of 631,255 criminal cases and 182,450 civil cases. On average each year they remain consistent within a few hundred thousand.