Westchester County Court Clerk Offices

Westchester County Court Clerks Explained

New York splits clerk work in a way that trips up many people. Two different jobs share the word "clerk." One holds records. The other runs a courtroom. Both matter, but they are not the same desk.

The Westchester County Clerk is the county record officer. That office files and keeps the official Supreme and County Court legal records, judgments, and liens. It also runs land records, business filings, and the online portal. If you want a certified copy of a Supreme or County Court file, the County Clerk is your stop.

A court's chief clerk is different. Each trial court has its own chief clerk who runs the calendar, takes in new filings at the counter, schedules cases, and answers court questions. The chief clerk of Surrogate's Court, the Family Court clerks, and the six city court clerks all fall in this group. They manage the flow of a case inside their court. For the records side of Supreme and County Court, the official file still sits with the County Clerk.

County Clerk vs. Court Chief Clerk

The split is easier to see side by side. One office is built to hold and copy records. The other is built to move cases through court. Knowing which one you need saves a wasted trip.

So a person filing a new estate case talks to the Surrogate's Court chief clerk. A person who wants a certified copy of an old judgment goes to the County Clerk. The two work together, but each has its own lane.

Supreme and County Court Clerk's Office

The Supreme and County Court counters sit in the main White Plains courthouse. The civil office is on the ninth floor. The criminal office is on the second floor. These counters handle court business, calendars, and filings for the trial court. The official record for each case still goes to the County Clerk's Legal Division.

Two phone lines split the work. Civil court matters use one line. Criminal court matters use the other. Hours run Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed on state holidays.

For the full court profile, judges, and parts, see the Westchester Supreme Court page. For records held by the record officer, see the County Clerk page.

Surrogate's Court Chief Clerk in Westchester County

Surrogate's Court handles wills and estates. It has its own chief clerk who runs the court office. The chief clerk is Eugene Yates. The deputy chief clerk is Vera Dedvukaj. The court sits on the nineteenth floor of the White Plains courthouse, and the Surrogate is Hon. Brandon R. Sall.

The office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Payments are taken until 3:30 p.m. The court runs a Pro Se Help Center for people without a lawyer. Two lines reach that center: 914-824-5701 and 914-824-5687. Estate searches run online through WebSurrogate, but counter and filing help comes from this clerk's office.

For estate filings, fees, and search tips, see the Westchester Surrogate's Court page.

Family Court Clerks in Westchester County

Family Court has three sites in Westchester. The main court is in White Plains. There are also courts in Yonkers and New Rochelle. Each site has its own clerk's window for filings and court dates. Family cases cover custody, support, paternity, juvenile matters, neglect, and family offense petitions. Divorce is not a Family Court case; that is a Supreme Court matter.

Each Family Court clerk takes new petitions, sets appearance dates, and manages the court calendar for that location. The clerk does not give legal advice, but the staff can point you to the right form and the right room.

See the Westchester Family Court page for case types, forms, and access rules. Family records carry tighter privacy limits than most court files.

The official NYCOURTS Westchester Family Court page lists all three sites with their phone and fax lines.

Westchester County City Court Clerks

Six cities in Westchester run their own city courts. Each one has a clerk's office for local civil cases, criminal matters, traffic tickets, and small claims. The clerks handle counter intake and court dates for their city. The courts are in Peekskill, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Rye, White Plains, and Yonkers.

Phone setups vary by city. Some city courts use one main line. Others split civil, criminal, and traffic onto separate numbers, which the table notes spell out.

For more on these courts and how they fit the local system, see the Westchester City Courts page. Each city court clerk can confirm a court date or accept a filing for that city.

Note: City courts handle most local traffic and minor cases, so a parking or speeding matter usually starts with that city's court clerk.

How to Contact the Right Westchester Court Clerk

Reaching the wrong clerk wastes time. The key is to match the case to its court first. Once you know the court, the clerk is easy to find. Use these steps to land at the right window on the first try.

1. Find out which court has your case: Supreme, County, Surrogate's, Family, or a city court.
2. If you need an official copy of a Supreme or County Court file, contact the County Clerk, not the court clerk.
3. For court dates, new filings, or counter help, call that court's own chief clerk or clerk's office.
4. Have your case, index, or file number ready, plus the party names.
5. Check the court's hours; most close their counters and take payments before 5:00 p.m.
6. If you have no lawyer, ask whether the court runs a help center, like the Surrogate's Pro Se Help Center.

When in doubt, the main courthouse switchboard can route you. The NYCOURTS court records help page also explains where different case types live.

What Each Court Clerk Handles in Westchester County

A court chief clerk wears several hats. The job is part records counter, part calendar manager, part public help desk. The clerk keeps the court running so judges can hear cases. Below are the common tasks across the Westchester courts.

• Take in new petitions, motions, and other filings at the counter.
• Set and post court dates and manage the daily calendar.
• Collect fees, fines, and surcharges where the court takes them.
• Answer public questions about court process and forms.
• Keep the court's working case files and route them to the right judge.

What the clerk will not do is give legal advice. Staff can explain a process or hand you a form. They cannot tell you what to file or how your case should go. For that, you need a lawyer or a court help center.

Where Westchester Court Records Are Held

This is the part that confuses most people. A court clerk runs the case, but the official Supreme and County Court record sits with the County Clerk's Legal Division. So a court date question goes to the court clerk. A request for a certified copy of a filed judgment goes to the County Clerk.

The County Clerk says legal records are open to the public unless a statute or court order seals them. Matrimonial files are the main closed group. Online searching runs through Westchester Records Online, while certified copies come from the Legal Division counter or by mail.

For the record office in full, see the County Clerk page and the broader court records guide.

Related Westchester County Court Resources

For the record office that holds official files, see the County Clerk. For the trial court, see Supreme Court. For estates, see Surrogate's Court. For family cases, see Family Court. For local courts, see City Courts, and for general lookups, see court records.