--- name: ny-suffolk-dc description: > Use when drafting or filing in Suffolk County District Court (Uniform District Court Act) — the second Long Island District Court handling civil actions up to $15,000, landlord-tenant summary proceedings, and small claims in five western towns + Brookhaven. Triggers include 'Suffolk District Court', 'Suffolk County District Court', 'Central Islip courthouse', 'Suffolk Landlord Tenant Part', 'UDCA', 'Uniform District Court Act'. Covers Suffolk DC's six geographic districts (five western towns + Brookhaven), Civil Part / L&T Part / Small Claims Part / Commercial Claims Part, 22 NYCRR Part 212 format, and $15,000 UDCA jurisdictional ceiling. IMPORTANT: Suffolk DC does NOT cover eastern towns (East Hampton, Southampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southold) — they route to Town Justice Courts. NOT a substitute for Suffolk Supreme Court (separate court with own filing system). version: 0.1.1 --- # Suffolk County District Court > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** Verify the specific District's local > rules and the assigned Judge's Part Rules before every > filing. ## At a glance - **Court**: Suffolk County District Court — established under the **Uniform District Court Act (UDCA)** and codified procedural rules at **22 NYCRR Part 212** - **Civil jurisdiction**: claims up to **$15,000** (UDCA § 202) - **Small claims**: up to **$5,000** in informal proceedings (UDCA § 1801) - **Commercial claims**: up to **$5,000** in the Commercial Claims Part (UDCA § 1801-A) - **L&T (summary proceedings)**: no monetary cap on rent arrears; RPAPL Article 7 procedure - **Headquarters**: **400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip, NY 11722** (First District / Cohalan Court Complex) - **E-filing**: NYSCEF expanding in Suffolk District Court civil filings; check NYSCEF case-type matrix before attempting ## Coverage area — five western towns + Brookhaven Suffolk District Court has jurisdiction **only over the five western towns plus Brookhaven**: - **Town of Babylon** - **Town of Huntington** - **Town of Islip** - **Town of Smithtown** - **Town of Brookhaven** The five **eastern towns** — Riverhead, Southold, Shelter Island, Southampton, and East Hampton — are **outside the District Court's jurisdiction**. Civil matters arising in those towns route to the **Town Justice Courts** (Uniform Justice Court Act, civil jurisdiction up to **$3,000**). This is a frequent surprise for pro se litigants who file in Central Islip a case that actually belongs in (e.g.) Southampton Town Justice Court. | District | Coverage | Courthouse | |---|---|---| | **First District** | Town of Babylon | 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip (Cohalan Complex) | | **Second District** | Town of Babylon | 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip | | **Third District** | Town of Huntington | 30 Center Drive, Central Islip | | **Fourth District** | Town of Smithtown | 30 Center Drive, Central Islip | | **Fifth District** | Town of Islip | 30 Center Drive, Central Islip | | **Sixth District** | Town of Brookhaven | 30 Center Drive, Central Islip | > Most filings actually transit through one of the two Central > Islip courthouses (Cohalan Complex at 400 Carleton, and 30 > Center Drive). The District designation drives the > calendaring and judicial assignment, not the physical > location. ## Parts division Suffolk District Court operates the same Parts as Nassau: - **Civil Part** — debt-collection and contract actions up to $15,000 - **Landlord-Tenant Part** — RPAPL Article 7 summary proceedings (nonpayment + holdover); the Suffolk County L&T forum for the western towns + Brookhaven - **Small Claims Part** — informal proceedings; up to $5,000 - **Commercial Claims Part** — entities; UDCA § 1801-A - **Criminal Parts** — misdemeanors + violations + arraignments - **TPVA** — Traffic and Parking Violations Agency ## Distinctives ### Suffolk's jurisdictional split is unique on Long Island Unlike Nassau (where the District Court covers the entire county), **Suffolk's District Court covers only the five western towns plus Brookhaven**. The eastern towns (Riverhead, Southold, Shelter Island, Southampton, East Hampton) maintain their own Town Justice Courts with the $3,000 small-civil limit. Pro se debt-defense practice therefore looks different in eastern Suffolk than in western Suffolk: - **Western Suffolk + Brookhaven**: cases up to $15,000 land in Suffolk District Court (Central Islip); CCFA + 22 NYCRR Part 212 apply - **Eastern Suffolk**: cases up to $3,000 land in Town Justice Court; cases over $3,000 must route to **Suffolk Supreme Court**, not the District Court ### CCFA + 22 NYCRR § 202.27-a apply in full The 2022 **Consumer Credit Fairness Act (CCFA)** applies in full at Suffolk District Court Civil Part the same way it applies in Nassau District Court and NYC Civil Court. CPLR 3015(e) heightened pleading (account statements, itemized default-rate calculation, chain of title for assigned debt) is enforced at default-judgment time. The 3-year SOL on consumer-credit actions (CPLR 214-i) shortens many actions filed in the wake of the 2022 reforms. ### Cohalan Court Complex is the principal courthouse The **John P. Cohalan Jr. Court Complex** at 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip is the primary courthouse — it houses both Suffolk District Court (First + Second Districts) and the **Suffolk County Supreme Court Civil Term**. The complex is colloquially "Central Islip" and the two courts are sometimes confused; verify the named court on the summons. ### L&T Part procedure Suffolk District Court's **Landlord-Tenant Part** runs RPAPL Article 7 summary proceedings under the same procedural framework as Nassau and NYC Housing Court. The 2019 HSTPA amendments — **14-day rent demand**, **30/60/90-day termination notice** based on tenancy length, **§ 234-a caps on late fees**, and the **rent-deposit protection scheme** — apply across Suffolk County L&T practice. Note that Good Cause Eviction (2024 statewide opt-in) has been adopted by several Suffolk County villages and cities (Islip, Babylon Village among them); confirm the relevant municipality's election before drafting a holdover petition that would now require Good Cause grounds. ### Discovery is limited CPLR Article 31 disclosure formally applies; in practice Suffolk District Court Civil Part rarely sees written interrogatories or document demands outside the pre-trial conference order. Most disputes are resolved at the first two appearances on the consumer-credit calendar. ## Filing checklist 1. **Summons + Complaint**: UDCA § 401 / 402 — short-form summons + complaint with the **$45 filing fee** (UDCA § 1911(1)) 2. **Service**: CPLR 308 / 312 within UDCA § 403 service period (typically 120 days) 3. **Answer**: defendant has **30 days** from service in the Civil Part (CPLR 320(a)) 4. **Pre-trial conference**: routinely scheduled within 60-90 days of issue being joined; held at Central Islip regardless of District 5. **Trial date**: 6-12 months from filing in most Civil Part cases > **Format compliance:** 22 NYCRR Part 212 governs Suffolk > District Court filings. Use `ny-statewide-format` as the > baseline. ## Composition with other ny- skills - `ny-statewide-format` — baseline 22 NYCRR Part 202 format with Part 212 District Court adjustments - `ny-county-courts` — broader roll-up that this skill refines - `ny-nassau-dc` — the parallel Nassau District Court skill - `ny-discovery` — CPLR Article 31 mechanics - `ny-first-30-days` — Answer / pre-answer motion triage - `ny-consumer-debt` — CCFA pleading + default scrutiny in the Civil Part - `ny-landlord-tenant` — RPAPL Article 7 procedure for the Suffolk L&T Part - `ny-pro-se` — pro se framework (Suffolk DC is high-volume pro se) - `ny-file-packet` — packet assembly ## Pro-se resources - **Suffolk County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service**: 631-234-5577 - **Nassau / Suffolk Law Services (NSLS)** — civil legal aid; serves both counties - **Touro Law Center Civil Practice Clinic** — Central Islip; pro se support - **Self-Represented Litigants Office** at Cohalan Complex