NYC Civil & Housing Court Guide

The New York City Civil Court hears civil disputes throughout all five boroughs where the amount in controversy is up to $50,000. Its divisions include the General Civil Part, Small Claims Part (up to $10,000), Commercial Claims Part for businesses, and the Housing Court / Landlord-Tenant Part for nonpayment, holdover, and HP proceedings.

The NYC Small Claims Part hears money disputes up to $10,000 in a simplified, low-cost forum where most parties appear without lawyers. Filing costs $15 for claims under $1,000 and $20 for claims between $1,000 and $10,000. Hearings are informal and conducted in the evening at each borough Civil Court.

The Commercial Claims Part is the small-claims forum for businesses suing other businesses or natural persons. The jurisdictional limit is $10,000 (corporations, partnerships, and associations may bring up to five claims per calendar month). Procedures mirror the Small Claims Part — informal evening sessions, simplified rules, fast resolution.

The General Civil Part of the NYC Civil Court hears non-housing civil disputes for money damages or property up to $50,000. It handles contract claims, personal injury, property damage, debt collection, and other civil matters that exceed the $10,000 Small Claims cap but fall below the Supreme Court threshold.

The NYC Housing Court is the Landlord-Tenant Part of the Civil Court. It hears nonpayment proceedings (tenant owes rent), holdover proceedings (lease expired or terms breached), and HP actions (tenants seeking repairs). Each borough has its own Housing Court, with resolution parts for settlement, trial parts for contested matters, and one HP part for code-enforcement cases.

The New York County Civil Court (Manhattan) is located at 111 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013. It hears civil money claims up to $50,000 arising in Manhattan, Small Claims and Commercial Claims matters, and houses the Manhattan Housing Court. The supervising judge is Hon. L. Austin D'Souza.

The Kings County Civil Court (Brooklyn Civil Court) is located at 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. It handles General Civil cases up to $50,000, Small Claims, Commercial Claims, and houses the Brooklyn Housing Court. The supervising judge is Hon. Carmen A. Pacheco.

The Queens County Civil Court is located at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435. The modern courthouse opened in January 1998 and houses 20 Civil and Housing Court Judges hearing General Civil cases up to $50,000, Small Claims, Commercial Claims, and Queens Housing Court matters. The supervising judge is Hon. Michael H. Goldman.

The Bronx County Civil Court is located at 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451, in the shadow of Yankee Stadium. The court hears General Civil cases up to $50,000, Small Claims, and Commercial Claims, with eight Civil Court judges. The supervising judge is Hon. Taisha L. Chambers. The Bronx Housing Court is in a separate building at 1118 Grand Concourse.

The Richmond County Civil Court is located at 927 Castleton Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10310, in the West Brighton section. The historic courthouse was built in 1927 and serves the borough of approximately 450,000 residents. Civil, Small Claims, Commercial Claims, and the Staten Island Housing Part all operate from this single location. The supervising judge is Hon. Robert Helbock Jr.

The New York County Housing Court (Manhattan) is located at 111 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013, inside the Manhattan Civil Court building. It hears nonpayment, holdover, and HP proceedings for residential properties in Manhattan, with seven resolution parts, seven trial parts, and one HP part. The supervising judge is Hon. Frances Ortiz.

The Kings County Housing Court (Brooklyn) is located at 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, inside the Brooklyn Civil Court building in Downtown Brooklyn. It hears nonpayment, holdover, and HP proceedings through seven resolution parts, five trial parts, and one HP part. The supervising judge is Hon. Kevin McClanahan.

The Queens County Housing Court is located at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435, inside the Queens Civil Court building. It hears nonpayment, holdover, and HP proceedings for residential properties throughout Queens. The supervising judge is Hon. John S. Lansden.

The Bronx County Housing Court is located at 1118 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10456 — a dedicated building separate from the Bronx Civil Court. The "user-friendly" courthouse, designed by Rafael Viñoly and opened in November 1997, hears nonpayment, holdover, and HP proceedings for Bronx residential property. The supervising judge is Hon. Miriam M. Breier; the Clerk of the County is Karissa Farinas.

Staten Island's Housing Part is integrated within the Richmond County Civil Court at 927 Castleton Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10310 — the historic 1927 courthouse in West Brighton. There is no separate Housing Court building on Staten Island; the Housing Part operates as a designated calendar inside the Civil Court.

A nonpayment proceeding under RPAPL § 711(2) starts by serving a 14-day rent demand on the tenant. If unpaid, the landlord files a Notice of Petition and Petition with the Housing Court in the borough where the property is located, pays the index-number fee, and serves the papers on the tenant before the return date.

A holdover proceeding starts with a predicate notice — a notice of termination, a 30/60/90-day notice, or a notice to cure under the lease and Rent Stabilization Code. Once the notice expires, the landlord files a Notice of Petition and Petition under RPAPL § 711(1) or § 713 in the Housing Court of the borough where the property is located.

When you receive a Housing Court Notice of Petition, read the return date carefully and appear on that date or file a written Answer by then. You can deny allegations, raise defenses (improper service, warranty of habitability, rent overcharge), or assert counterclaims. Failure to appear results in a default judgment and warrant of eviction.

The standard NYC Housing Court index-number fee is $45 for a summary proceeding (nonpayment, holdover, HP). Additional fees apply for motions ($45), Notes of Issue ($30), demands for jury trial, and other interim filings. Forms are free at any Housing Court Clerk's office and on the Office of Court Administration website (DIY Forms portal).

NYC Civil Court filing fees are set by Civil Court Act §§ 1911–1912. The standard index-number fee is $45 for a Summons and Complaint, $80 for a Summons with Endorsed Complaint with claims over $1,000, and $25 for cases up to $1,000. Small Claims cases cost $15 (claims under $1,000) or $20 (claims $1,001–$10,000). Each motion is $45.

NYC Civil and Housing Courts provide free interpreters in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, Bengali, Korean, Haitian Creole, Polish, Arabic, and dozens of other languages. Request an interpreter when you file or as soon as you receive your court date by calling the Office of Language Access at 800-Court-NY or asking at the Help Center.