Nassau County, New York Court Records

Nassau County Court Records

Nassau County court records are official documents that provide details regarding legal proceedings that have taken place in the Nassau County court system. These records may include details of criminal proceedings, civil litigation, family law cases, and other legal conflicts that Nassau County courts have heard. Court records are kept in the custody of the County Clerk and are subject to public disclosure since they are considered a part of Nassau County Public Records.

Court records are an integral part of the legal system and are essential in ensuring transparency, accountability, and justice. They may also be used for legal research purposes by legal practitioners. There are two categories of court records found in Nassau County, New York:

Criminal court records: These records contain information related to criminal cases, such as arrests, charges, and sentencing.
Civil court records: These comprise details on civil litigation, dissolution of marriages, and other conflicts involving people or organizations that are not criminal.

Are Court Records Public in Nassau County?

Access to court records by the public in Nassau County is governed by Section 255 of the Judiciary Law. Although court records are also captured in the New York Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), access to the records is restricted. Nassau County court records are generally deemed public and available for inspection and retrieval. However, some court records may be prohibited or restricted from public access, either to protect the privacy of individuals or to adhere to legal mandates.

According to New York law, court records that are considered public consist of records of criminal and civil cases, including motions, orders, and judgments. Examples of records that may be restricted from the public include family court matters, juvenile cases, sealed criminal records, and mental health proceedings.

What Do Nassau County Court Records Contain?

Nassau County court records may contain various information pertaining to court proceedings. The particular content and format of court records may vary contingent on the nature of the case and the stage of the court proceeding. Generally, Nassau County court records may contain the following information:

Defendant Name
Birth Year of Defendant
Index Number
Case Name
Case Type
Classification
Filing Date
Disposition Date
Calendar Number
Jury Demand
Jury Status
Request for Judicial Intervention (RJI) Filed
Note of Issue (NOI) Filed
Date of NOI Issued
Judge Name
Track
Date of Incident
Criminal Justice Tracking Number
Arrest Date and Time
Arrest Number
Attorney Information

Where to Conduct a Nassau County Case Lookup?

Court records are generated during court sessions. When a case is filed in court, the court personnel creates a case file containing all necessary documents relevant to the case, which is subsequently kept in the custody of the County Clerk. A court case record lookup can be conducted at the following addresses.

How to Conduct a Nassau County Court Case Search

A case record can be requested in person or searched online. All in-person requests should be made at the Nassau County Clerk of Court’s office. The New York State Freedom of Information Law Court Records page gives instructions on finding court records on a person, either at the County Clerk or Clerk of Court’s office.
In-person requesters are required to provide specific details about the case, including the case number, names of case parties, or hearing or filing date.
Alternatively, online requesters may use the eCourt portal provided by the New York State Unified Court System to conduct case record searches. Interested persons must select the court relevant to the case type, and perform a search using either the index number, the party name, the attorney/firm name, or the justice/judge name.

Nassau County Civil Court Case Records

Civil court case records are official documents pertaining to civil cases handled by a court in Nassau County. These records contain details about civil lawsuits, like personal injury cases, small claims, landlord-tenant disputes, contract disputes, and other civil matters.

All official records related to civil court cases in Nassau County are held by the County Clerk. The County Clerk is responsible for receiving, filing, and maintaining the civil court case documents, as well as providing access to the records to members of the public. Requests can be made in person at the County Clerk’s office or online via the WebCivil Local and WebCivil Supreme portals. The search criteria for each portal are by index, party, attorney/firm, and justice/judge.

In-person requesters will need to provide the County Clerk’s office, with basic information about the case, such as the case number, the name(s) of the party(ies) involved, and the date of the court hearing. Specific fees may apply depending on the nature and quantity of the requested copies of records.

Nassau County Criminal Court Case Records

Criminal court case records are official documents that include criminal court cases heard in Nassau County Courts. These records contain information about criminal charges, court proceedings, and verdicts of criminal trials. The Nassau County Clerk of Court’s office is the custodian of all criminal court case records in Nassau County, just as it is for civil court case records. Criminal records are generally available to the public, except for sealed records.

Individuals can access these records in person at the County Clerk’s office or may access information about current criminal cases by visiting the WebCriminal portal. The WebCriminal portal provides information on criminal cases and future court appearance dates for selected New York State Courts of Criminal Jurisdiction. Search criteria is by:

Case Identifier: This allows the requester to perform a search using the Case Number or Summons Number.
Defendant Name: This allows the requester to perform a search using the Defendant's First and Last Name or the Name of a Corporation.

How to Get Nassau Court Records Online for Free

Nassau County Court records can be accessed online for free via the New York State Unified Court System eCourts portal. Users can use the tool to access information on upcoming appearance dates for Criminal and Family Court cases and view details on both active and disposed of cases in Civil Supreme, and Local Civil Courts. The eCourt provides the following tools to make a case search:

Worthy of note is the fact that not all court records may be accessible for free, and others may not be found online. In such cases, the requester should visit the Nassau County’s Clerk of Court’s office or courthouse for an in-person request.

Considered open to citizens of the United States, court records are available through both traditional, government sources, and through third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for a specific record or multiple records. In order to gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:

The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.

While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.

Courts in Nassau County

Shown below are the addresses of each court in Nassau County:

Supreme Court, Nassau County
100 Supreme Court Drive
Mineola, NY 11501
Phone: (516) 493-3400

Matrimonial Center
400 County Seat Drive
Mineola, NY11501
Phone: (516) 493-3444

Surrogate's Court, Nassau County
Hon. Margaret C. Reilly
262 Old Country Road
Mineola, NY 11501
Phone: (516) 493-3800
Chief Clerk: (516) 493-3805

Family Court, Nassau County
1200 Old Country Road
Westbury, NY 11590
Phone: (516) 493-4000

County Court, Nassau County
262 Old Country Road
Mineola, NY 11501
Phone: (516) 493-3710

District Court, Nassau County
99 Main Street
Hempstead, NY 11550
(516) 493-4200

City Court Of Long Beach
One West Chester Street
Long Beach, NY 11561
Phone: (516) 442-8544

Glen Cove City Court
13 Glen Street
Glen Cove, NY 11542
Phone: (516) 403-2441
Fax: (516) 403-2457

Office of the District Administrative Judge
10th Judicial District - Nassau County
Phone: (516) 493-3001
Fax: (516) 493-3390