Putnam County, named after General Israel Putnam, was founded in 1812. Its population of about 97,668 inhabits the county’s land area of 230 square miles. Carmel is its largest city and county seat.

Courts in Putnam County

The Putnam County Supreme Court is the highest court in the county and typically hears cases beyond the jurisdiction of other courts in the county. It handles felonies beyond the County Court’s jurisdiction and civil cases with more than $25,000 claims. It has exclusive jurisdiction over divorce, annulment, and legal separation.

The Putnam County Court has jurisdiction over most criminal cases and civil cases with claims under $25,000. It hears felonies, offenses arising from felony conditions, conservatorships, foreclosures, evictions, and real estate matters.

The Putnam County Family Court handles domestic relations and juvenile matters. It hears child neglect, delinquency, juvenile dependency, persons in need of supervision, paternity, and adoption cases. It cannot hear any family matter relating to the dissolution of marriages.

The Putnam County Surrogate’s Court has jurisdiction over probate matters. It handles the admission of wills, lifetime trusts, administration of estates, and appointment of guardianships.

There are nine town and village courts in Putnam County. Also called Justice Courts, they hear misdemeanors, municipal ordinance violations, traffic infractions, landlord/tenant relations, and civil cases with under $3,000 claims.  

Where to Find Public Court Records in Putnam County

Public court records in Putnam County are records that can be examined and copied by anyone. These records include warrants, court filings, court proceedings, writs, and verdicts from the county courts. The Putnam County Clerk maintains records from the Supreme and County Courts, while the court clerks maintain the records from the lower courts.

In Putnam County, requests for public court records must be submitted to the clerk of the court or the county clerk for supreme and county court records. Individuals may visit the courts to inspect or request copies of specific public court records. Alternatively, they can search for public court records on the New York State Unified Court System. The platform has records for the Supreme, County, and Family courts.

Types of Public Court Records in Putnam County

The right of the public in Putnam County to access certain court records is enshrined in the New York State Constitution and helps to assure the public of the fairness of the judicial system. Putnam County makes the following types of court records available to the public unless sealed by a court:

• Criminal Court Records: includes court proceedings and judgments for criminal cases
• Probate Court Records: includes documentation  of wills, estates, and trusts
• Family Court Records: includes divorce decrees, emancipation, maintenance orders, and annulments
• Civil Court Records: includes libel, trade secrets, automobile negligence, slander, and employment disputes

Confidential Court Records in Putnam County

In  Putnam County, confidential court records are court records sealed by default under New York law or by specific court orders. Court records are sealed for privacy or security reasons and can only be accessible to authorized persons or by court orders. The following are usually excluded from public court records in New York:

• Most juvenile delinquency records
• Adoption records
• Substance abuse treatment records
• Sexually transmitted disease (STD) test results and treatment records
• Medical and mental health records
• Certain records of victims of sexual or domestic violence
• Eligible misdemeanor or felony convictions after certain years

Part or all of a Putnam County court record may also be sealed if it contains sensitive information such as:

• Social Security number
• Driver’s license number
• Bank account details
• Identifying information about jurors or confidential informants.

Juvenile Delinquency in Putnam, NY

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Putnam County, juvenile delinquency crimes are on the rise. There are many reasons for the increase in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in New York often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of offenses, and other family matters.

In 2017, a total of 33 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Putnam County. Of that total, 58% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 19 court cases. Another 0% were dependency cases that accounted for 0 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Putnam County, are focusing on family health and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Putnam County juvenile delinquency statistics will show whether or not this approach is working.

Government of Putnam County, NY

https://www.ny.gov/

County Seat:	Carmel
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Home Rule
Year Organized:	1812
Total Square Miles:	246
2019 Population:	99,323
Persons/Square Mile:	0.00
County Contact:	40 Gleneida Ave County Office Building Carmel , NY 10512-1705 http://www.putnamcountyny.com/

Putnam County, NY Courts