New York District Court


In the U.S. state of New York, the District Court is a trial court of inferior jurisdiction serving Nassau County and the five western towns in Suffolk County. It is not to be confused with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, whose territorial jurisdiction includes the two counties.

Subject-matter jurisdiction

The court has subject-matter jurisdiction over civil matters seeking monetary damages up to $15,000, small-claims matters seeking monetary damages up to $5,000, and landlord and tenant matters. The criminal jurisdiction of the court includes trials over misdemeanors, violations, and infractions, preliminary jurisdiction over felonies, and jurisdiction over traffic tickets charging a crime. In Suffolk County, the jurisdiction of the court also includes town ordinance offenses prosecuted by the towns.

Places of sitting

In Nassau County, the court sits at 99 Main Street, Hempstead, New York.
In Suffolk County, the court is organized into six districts, including one district, having a "central location," covering all five towns and five districts, having "outlying courthouses," each covering one of the towns. The outlying courthouses have the above-noted jurisdiction over civil matters, small claims, landlord and tenant matters, and town ordinances; the central location has the remaining jurisdiction. The districts, not to be confused with the districts of the New York Supreme Court, are:
Appeals from the District Court go to the Appellate Terms of the New York Supreme Court for the Second Department.

History

The Suffolk County District Court became active pursuant to the New York Uniform District Court Act in January 1964, replacing the town courts.