Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court

Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court deals with estates, trusts, guardianships and adoptions of people who reside or have property in Suffolk County, New York.

Address

Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court
320 Center Drive
Riverhead, NY 11901

Main Phone: 631-852-1746

Phone Number Directory

Department	Phone Number
Miscellaneous	631-852-1739
Accounting	631-852-1720
Guardianship	631-852-1735
Probate	631-852-1725
Administration/Small Estates	631-852-1713
Records	631-852-1724
Law	631-852-1749
Cashier	631-852-1730

Hours of Work

Monday-Friday, 9:00 Am to 5:00 PM.

Some clerks leave early at the end of the day, and can be on a break during lunchtime. Also, trying to file things at the end of the day is not a good idea, especially on a Friday.

The court is closed on all state holidays.

Judge of Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court

Hon. Albert Messina is judge of the Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court.

The surrogate has a staff of clerks who help them analyze cases and conduct pre-trial, scheduling and settlement conferences.

Secretary: Angelica Leone
Law Clerk: Amy Hsu

Surrogate’s Court Chief Clerk’s Office
Amy E. Campbell, Deputy Chief Clerk
631-852-1746

Suffolk County County Surrogate Court Departments

Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court deals through its various departments with the following matters:

Probate – Suffolk County Surrogate Court handles estate proceedings involving a will. That’s why some people call it “Suffolk Probate Court.” Most probate proceedings are uncontested – the person who brings in the will (the proponent) submits the will, has their Long Island estate lawyer fill out the appropriate paperwork and files the original will in the Suffolk Surrogate’s Court, together with a petition, original death certificate, funeral bill and accompanying affidavits and notices. The court will set a date for the hearing on the probate of the will, and if no one appears, then the court will grant the probate. If someone does appear, then the estate is contested and the examinations of the attesting witnesses and the attorney-draftsman of the will are scheduled and the cases go on a contested track.

Estate Administration – this department handles estates where the person who died did not have a will. The person who is the closest relative of the deceased is appointed as the administrator of their estate. If the decedent is survived by a spouse, the spouse is usually appointed as the administrator. If no spouse, then children. And so on.

Guardianship – Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court handles Guardianships. There are two kinds of guardianships – those involving a mentally disabled (special needs) minor (those guardianships are known as 17-a), and guardianships of older adults who have become mentally incompetent due to some illness (this is known as Mental Health Law Article 81 guardianships)

Adoptions – Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court also handles adoptions, whether of regular adoptions, step-parent and family adoptions and adoptions from foreign countries, involving both infants and older children.

Accountings – this department handles accountings filed by executors and administrators of estates and trustees of trusts. Accountings are usually compelled by beneficiaries interested in the trust or an estate, through a Miscellaneous proceeding.

Record Room – Records are available on the computers located in the record room and on the computer. It is not possible to access those records online through the internet without an attorney account.

You can request information about an estate by writing them a letter with the correct legal name of the person who died, and include a check for $30 made out to Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court, and either a return stamped envelope or your email address to receive the information.

Suffolk County Miscellaneous Proceedings – Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court Miscellaneous department handles Affidavits of Service and Applications to Open Safe Deposit Boxes and Sealed Apartments. It also handles other proceedings, such determining kinship in an estate that has distant relatives, advice and direction, compel fiduciary to account, compel the production of a will or a trust, proceedings by a Long Island fiduciary to discover property, proceeding to remove executor, proceeding to remove administrator, proceeding to remove trustee, proceeding by fiduciary of estate to discover property, etc. Fees for those proceedings can be found here.

If you need an attorney for Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court, call Albert Goodwin, Esq., a New York estate, guardianship, wills, trust and probate lawyer with over a decade of experience. You can call Albert Goodwin, Esq. at (516) 777-0647. 

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