At the foundation of the upstate courts are City Courts in urban centers like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany, handling misdemeanors, civil cases up to $15,000, and preliminary felony matters; Town and Village Justice Courts handle misdemeanors and lesser offenses. Although the County Courts try felony cases, town and village justices first arraign defendants in Town and Village Courts. Town and Village Courts also hear civil suits involving claims up to $3,000.
County Courts exercise felony jurisdiction, civil actions up to $25,000, and appeals from lower courts, while Family Courts address juvenile delinquency, child custody, support, and domestic violence exclusively. The Supreme Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction, hears major civil and criminal cases across multi-county judicial districts.
Counties: Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan & Ulster
Counties: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, St. Lawrence, Warren & Washington
Counties: Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Madison, Otsego, Schuyler, Tioga & Tompkins
Counties: Cayuga, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne & Yates
Counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans & Wyoming
