Find Orange County City Court Records

Orange County City Court Jurisdiction

City Courts are local trial courts. They handle a defined slice of cases, not the big civil suits or felony trials. In Orange County, the three City Courts hear misdemeanors and lesser offenses, civil claims up to $15,000, small claims up to $5,000 where available, and housing and landlord-tenant matters. Traffic cases are a large part of the work.

These courts sit below the County Court and the Supreme Court in the state structure. A serious case may start in a City Court and move up. A felony, for example, can be arraigned locally and then routed to the County Court for trial. For the full court ladder and appeal path, see the Orange County Supreme Court page. The three City Courts each serve their own city, so the right court depends on where the matter arose. A ticket or charge from Middletown goes to Middletown City Court, one from Newburgh to Newburgh City Court, and one from Port Jervis to Port Jervis City Court. The face of the ticket or the charging paper names the court, which removes most of the guesswork.

Orange County City Courts at a Glance

The three courts split the county's three cities. Each has its own bench and clerk. The table below lists the address, phone, and judges for all three.

Each court also has a Chief Clerk who runs calendars and records. Middletown's is Jamie Cevetillo, Newburgh's is Deirdre Premuto, and Port Jervis's is Teri Androvette. For clerk roles, see the court clerk offices page.

Middletown City Court Schedule

Middletown City Court sits at 2 James Street, with Hon. Steven W. Brockett and Hon. Theresa R. Cayton on the bench. The court runs set calendars by matter type, so the day you appear depends on the case. The card below lists the office and key times.

The court publishes specific calendars. Traffic court is Thursday at 2:30 p.m. The civil calendar is Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Landlord-tenant matters are Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Payment is accepted until 3:45 p.m., and phone inquiries run until 4:30 p.m. These set times help you plan a trip and avoid a wasted drive.

The fixed calendar matters more than it might seem. A traffic ticket and a landlord-tenant case do not share a day, so showing up on the wrong morning means another trip. Note the gap between the two cutoffs as well. Payment must be in by 3:45 p.m., but the phone line keeps taking questions until 4:30 p.m. So if you cannot make a payment in person before the window closes, a call may still get you an answer the same day. Confirm your calendar day before you drive to 2 James Street.

Newburgh City Court Details

Newburgh City Court sits at 300 Broadway and has three judges: Hon. Joanne M. Forbes, Hon. Anika C. Mohammed, and Hon. Paul D. Trachte. The court closes for lunch, so timing matters. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Plan around that midday closure.

Newburgh's courthouse carries a notable civic feature. It received a 10-panel mural series called "Newburgh the Evolution of an American City." The NY Courts mural page says artist Bryan Gugliemi was selected from 36 submissions through a structured jury process, and the project was commissioned under the city's Percent for Art program. The mural ties the city's history to the courthouse, with the panels depicting phases of Newburgh's past.

The court also splits its filing lines by case type. Newburgh provides one set of fax numbers for civil, traffic, and housing matters and a separate fax line for criminal matters. So a fax sent to the wrong line can slow a filing. Match the document to the right line before you send it. Like the other City Courts, Newburgh links ePlea and web payment for eligible fines, fees, and surcharges, which can save a trip for routine tickets.

Port Jervis City Court Access

Port Jervis City Court sits at 20 Hammond Street, with Hon. Kiel Van Horn and Hon. Matthew D. Witherow on the bench. It is the westernmost City Court in the county. The court notes a specific accessibility detail worth knowing before a visit.

The ADA elevator is on the parking-lot side of the building. So a visitor who needs the elevator should enter from that side rather than the street front, which is not always obvious from the road. Small details like this save time and stress on a court day, especially for anyone with limited mobility. Like the other two City Courts, Port Jervis handles misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, and civil matters, and links ePlea and web payment for eligible fines, fees, and surcharges. For traffic matters in particular, see the Orange County traffic court records page.

How to Search Orange County City Court Cases

City Court criminal cases can appear in WebCriminal, the free state tool that shows many criminal cases with a future appearance date. WebCriminal includes Middletown, Newburgh, and Port Jervis City Courts in its court list, along with the County and Supreme Court. You can search by case identifier, by defendant name, or by court calendar.

For tickets and fines, ePlea and the web payment tool let eligible drivers respond online without a trip to court. Not every matter qualifies, so check the ticket and the court page first. The steps below cover a basic City Court case search.

1. Find the right city. The court is set by where the ticket or charge arose: Middletown, Newburgh, or Port Jervis.
2. For a criminal matter with a future date, open WebCriminal and select the City Court.
3. Search by case or summons number, or by defendant name, using at least the first two letters of each name.
4. For an eligible ticket, use ePlea or web payment to pay or respond online.
5. For a copy or a calendar question, call the court's Chief Clerk using the numbers above.

Note: City Court traffic convictions are tracked separately from your DMV driver record, so the two files are not the same.

Types of Orange County City Court Records

City Court records cover the everyday cases that touch most residents. The mix is wide. Traffic tickets are the largest share by volume, from speeding to equipment violations. Misdemeanor criminal files cover lesser offenses. Civil cases handle money disputes up to the court's limit. Small claims and housing matters round out the docket.

What shows in a record depends on the case. A traffic file may list the charge, the court date, the plea, and the disposition. A criminal file may show the charge, appearances, and the outcome. A small claims file shows the parties and the claim amount. Sealed cases and protected information stay out of public view, the same as in the higher courts. The categories below cover the main City Court record types.

• Traffic infractions and vehicle and traffic offenses.
• Misdemeanors and lesser criminal offenses.
• Civil money claims up to $15,000.
• Small claims up to $5,000 where available.
• Housing and landlord-tenant matters.

For full case history that crosses courts, the County Court and Supreme Court files matter too. See Orange County court records for the broader picture and the state portals that tie them together.

Town and Village Justice Courts

The three City Courts are not the only local courts. Orange County's towns and villages run Justice Courts, also called town and village courts. They handle a lot of the same local work: traffic, small claims, evictions, civil matters, and many misdemeanors and arraignments. New York has more than one thousand of these courts statewide.

The lead-in below links the state overview. The screenshot shows the NY Courts page on New York town and village Justice Courts.

Justice Courts work a little differently from City Courts in one key way. They are locally funded, run by the town or village they serve rather than the state. A town justice may hear an arraignment late at night, set bail, and send a felony up to the County Court. Day to day, the docket is traffic, small claims, evictions, civil disputes, and lower-level criminal matters. The jurisdiction is broad for local matters but capped, much like the City Courts.

For payment and search, the same state tools apply across these courts. ePlea and web payment handle eligible fines, fees, and surcharges online for many traffic matters, so a driver may not need to appear at all. For criminal cases with a future appearance date, WebCriminal can show many City Court records by case number, summons number, or defendant name. If a ticket was issued in a town or village rather than one of the three cities, the matter goes to that local Justice Court, not a City Court. The location on the ticket tells you which court to contact. For broad case lookup, see Orange County court records, and for filings, the Orange County Clerk.