Ny Suffolk Dc Codearranger

---
name: ny-suffolk-dc-codearranger
title: Suffolk County District Court
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).'
author: codearranger
author_url: https://github.com/codearranger/claude-legal/tree/main/plugins/ny-court-docs/skills/ny-suffolk-dc
license: MIT
version: 0.1.0
execution_mode: open
jurisdiction: us
practice: litigation
language: en
---

# 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