Smithtown Dissolution Of Marriage Lookup

Smithtown dissolution of marriage records are held at the Suffolk County Clerk's Office in Riverhead. Smithtown is a town on Long Island's north shore in Suffolk County. The town does not run its own divorce court or store dissolution records. Every case goes through the Suffolk County Supreme Court, and the county clerk stores all the files. The Smithtown Town Clerk at 40 East Main Street handles birth, death, and marriage certificates but cannot help with dissolution records. To search for a case, get copies, or check on a filing, you need to go through the Suffolk County Clerk.

Suffolk County Clerk and Smithtown Dissolution Cases

All Smithtown dissolution of marriage cases go through the Suffolk County Supreme Court. The Suffolk County Clerk's Office is at 300 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901. Phone: 631-852-2000. This office keeps every dissolution file for the county. The full record, from the summons to the final signed judgment, is stored here.

To request records in person, bring a government-issued photo ID to the clerk's office. The name on your ID should match the name on the case. If it does not, bring proof of the name change. Give the staff both party names and the index number. Without an index number, they will search by name, which costs extra. Copies are made on site. Most people walk out the same day with what they need.

For mail requests, send a notarized letter to the Suffolk County Clerk at 300 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901. State the names of both parties, the approximate year of the dissolution, and what records you need. Include payment by check or money order. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope. Processing time is a few business days.

Smithtown Dissolution Records Online

The WebCivil Supreme search tool covers Suffolk County. Select Suffolk from the drop-down and type in a name. Results include the index number, party names, filing date, and case status. The search is free and goes back to 1983. No documents are viewable online because Domestic Relations Law Section 235 seals dissolution of marriage files. But the index number you get from WebCivil can be used to request copies from the clerk.

The Suffolk County Clerk's website provides information about getting dissolution records from the county.

The site spells out what you need for both in-person and mail-based requests.

Cases filed through the electronic system are on NYSCEF. Parties and their lawyers can view their own case files there. The general public cannot access dissolution documents through NYSCEF because of the seal on matrimonial records. The system will tell you if a case exists and whether it is open or closed.

Smithtown Dissolution Fees

Search fees at the Suffolk County Clerk are $5.00 per name for every two-year block. Certified copies run $5.00 for the first four pages and $1.25 per additional page, capped at $40 per document. Plain copies are $0.65 each. These are standard New York State fees.

Filing a new dissolution of marriage case costs $210 for the index number. Add $95 for the Request for Judicial Intervention and $30 for the Note of Issue. Fee waivers exist for people who cannot afford these costs. Free forms for uncontested dissolutions are on the NYS Courts website. You can also get packets at the Suffolk County Matrimonial Center in Central Islip.

Smithtown Town Clerk

The Smithtown Town Clerk is at 40 East Main Street, Smithtown, NY 11787. Phone: 631-360-7510. This office issues birth, death, and marriage certificates for Smithtown. It does not handle dissolution of marriage records. Call the Suffolk County Clerk in Riverhead for anything related to a dissolution case.

The New York State Department of Health also keeps dissolution certificates for cases since 1963. A mail order is $30. Online orders are $45 plus a vendor fee. Phone: 855-322-1022. State certificates confirm that a dissolution happened and give the basic facts. They do not show the terms of the agreement. For the full judgment with all the details, contact the Suffolk County Clerk.

Keep in mind that there are two types of dissolution records. The certificate from the Department of Health is a simple document with names, dates, and the county where the case was filed. The decree from the county clerk is the full court judgment. It has all the terms, including custody, support, and property. Most people need the certificate for basic things like name changes. The decree is for legal matters where the full details matter.

Dissolution Of Marriage Laws for Smithtown

Only the Supreme Court can grant a dissolution of marriage in New York. For Smithtown, that is the Suffolk County Supreme Court. Under Section 235 of the Domestic Relations Law, every paper in a dissolution case is sealed for 100 years. No one other than the parties and their lawyers can look at these files without a court order. After 100 years, the records become public.

At least one spouse must have lived in New York for two years before filing. One year is enough if both live here and the grounds arose in the state. Six months works if you got married in New York or lived here as a couple. The no-fault ground is that the marriage broke down irretrievably for at least six months. Most Smithtown cases use that ground because it is the simplest path to dissolution.

Nearby Cities

These Suffolk County communities also file dissolution cases through the county system in Riverhead.