What an Onondaga County Court Docket Contains
A docket is the case index, not the case file. It lists each paper that was filed and each court event in order from first to last. Read it oldest entry to newest. The most useful lines are the case number, the filing date, the caption, the judge or part assigned, the docket entries themselves, and the next appearance date. Some entries link to documents. Others are one-line summaries that tell you something was filed but do not show the content behind it.
Each Onondaga County court keeps its own docket in its own system and uses its own numbering format. Supreme Court civil cases use index numbers. County Court criminal cases use docket and indictment numbers. Surrogate's Court estate matters use file numbers. Family Court proceedings use petition numbers. Syracuse City Court cases use docket numbers. Town and village justice court matters carry local docket numbers that may not appear in any statewide portal at all. If you do not know which number format applies, start with the court that would have handled the case type you are researching, then ask the clerk if needed. Onondaga County has many courts; the format of the case number is the fastest way to tell which system issued it.
Some dockets are fully public. Some are sealed. Others are partly open and partly restricted under a specific court rule or statute. A blank search result does not mean no docket exists.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case / Index / Docket Number | Index number for Supreme Court civil; docket or indictment number for County Court criminal; file number for Surrogate's Court; petition number for Family Court; docket number for City Court. |
| Case Caption | Plaintiff v. Defendant, People v. Defendant, Matter of (name), Estate of (name), or family-style petition caption. |
| Filing Date | The date the case was opened or the initial document was filed in the Onondaga court. |
| Parties and Counsel | Names of litigants and attorneys of record where the case type is public. |
| Judge / Part | The assigned justice, judge, or hearing officer and the part or courtroom designation. |
| Docket Entries | Line-by-line log of each filing, order, hearing, and event in date order. |
| Next Appearance Date | The scheduled court date, time, and purpose for the next event in the case. |
| Case Status | Active, disposed, stayed, or sealed. |
| Disposition | Judgment, dismissal, plea, sentence, decree, or settlement entry when the case ends. |
How to Find an Onondaga County Court Docket
The search path starts with the case type. Civil and matrimonial cases in Onondaga County's Supreme Court route to WebCivil Local and NYSCEF. Felony criminal cases in County Court and misdemeanor matters in Syracuse City Court route to WebCrims. Estate and probate proceedings route to WebSurrogate. Each portal has a county filter. Always select Onondaga before running the search to avoid picking up results from Oswego, Madison, Jefferson, or other counties in the Fifth Judicial District.
If you know a case number, use it. A name-only search in a large county like Onondaga can return a long list. Narrow by year if the portal allows a date range. Try last name alone first if a full-name search returns nothing; middle initials and spelling variants can cause misses. Once you find the right case, open the docket entries and read from oldest to newest. The most useful lines for most people are the next appearance date and the current case status. If you need documents rather than a timeline, the process is separate and is covered on the court records page.
- Identify the case type: civil, criminal, estate, or family. That choice determines which portal to use.
- For civil matters in Onondaga County Supreme Court, open WebCivil Local or NYSCEF and set the county to Onondaga.
- For criminal appearances in County Court or Syracuse City Court, open WebCrims and select Onondaga County from the county field.
- For estate, probate, and guardianship files in Surrogate's Court, open WebSurrogate and select Onondaga County.
- Enter the case number if you have it, or search by party last name and approximate year of filing.
- Read the docket entries in order. Note the case number, the judge or part assigned, and the next court date.
- If an entry links to a document, click to view it. Restricted documents require a clerk request or a court order.
- For certified copies of judgments and orders, contact the Onondaga County Clerk at 401 Montgomery Street, Room 200.
Onondaga County Civil Dockets on WebCivil and NYSCEF
Supreme Court civil dockets in Onondaga County are reached through two overlapping portals. WebCivil Local covers civil case information for courts in the New York system, including lower-level and local civil matters. NYSCEF covers e-filed Supreme and County Court cases and is usually the most complete source for current docket entries, party lists, and public PDFs in Onondaga County matters filed electronically. Many Onondaga County Supreme Court cases are now e-filed, so NYSCEF is often the better starting point for cases from the last several years.
A civil docket in Onondaga County shows the index number, case caption, parties and attorneys, judge and part, RJI filing date, motion sequences with return dates, conference history, orders entered, and the final judgment or decree. Matrimonial cases are in Supreme Court but are restricted under Domestic Relations Law § 235. The docket index may be visible, but underlying documents are not open to the general public. A party who needs a certified divorce judgment must request it through the clerk rather than downloading it from a public portal. That request process is covered on the marriage and divorce records page.
Use the county filter. Set it to Onondaga before running any search. The Fifth Judicial District covers several counties, and an unfiltered name search can return results from other districts or neighboring counties that have nothing to do with an Onondaga County case.
Onondaga County Criminal Dockets on WebCrims
WebCrims is the statewide criminal docket and appearance tool for New York courts. In Onondaga County it covers felony matters in County Court and criminal matters in Syracuse City Court. Town and village justice court cases outside the city may not appear at all. A ticket or arraignment that happened in Camillus, Clay, Salina, Manlius, Cicero, or another Onondaga municipality may require a direct call to that local court. Do not treat a blank WebCrims result as proof that no case exists if the matter could have originated outside the county courthouse or city court.
A WebCrims result for an Onondaga criminal case shows the defendant's name, court, docket or indictment number, charge, severity, next appearance date, and the part where the case is assigned. The data reflects the last court action entered in the system. Sealed dispositions under CPL § 160.50 will not appear. Youthful offender cases under CPL § 720.35 are confidential and will not show as standard adult criminal dockets. The full sealing rules and details about criminal case access are on the Onondaga County arrest records page.
Note: WebCrims shows case appearances and current status; it is not a criminal-history database and does not replace a certified disposition from the court clerk.
Surrogate's Court Dockets in Onondaga County
Onondaga County's Surrogate's Court sits at 401 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202, phone (315) 671-2100. It handles probate of wills, administration when there is no will, small estate voluntary administration, fiduciary accountings, guardianship matters assigned to Surrogate's Court, and adoption-related estate proceedings. Each case gets a file number rather than an index number, and the file number is the most reliable search key in the WebSurrogate portal. Select Onondaga County when prompted.
A Surrogate's Court docket entry in Onondaga County can include the probate petition, the original will if filed, citations, waivers and consents, decrees, letters testamentary or letters of administration, inventories, and accountings. Adoption records are sealed under New York law and do not appear as public dockets. Guardianship details and certain clinical information attached to a proceeding may also be restricted depending on the type of matter. Full probate and estate coverage is on the Surrogate's Court page.
How Onondaga County Dockets Differ from Full Case Records
People often ask for "the docket" when what they actually need is the documents behind it. The two are not the same thing. A docket is the running list of entries that tracks what happened and when. The underlying case file is the stack of actual papers, orders, and exhibits that those entries reference. The docket tells you a motion was filed on a certain date. The motion itself is a separate document that may or may not be publicly available through a portal or clerk request.
In Onondaga County the docket answers the timeline questions. When did the case open? What was filed and when? Who appeared, and for what purpose? How did the case end? The underlying documents answer substance questions, and getting them means a NYSCEF download for e-filed civil matters, a clerk request at 401 Montgomery Street for hard-copy records, or a court order if the file is sealed or restricted. A certified copy of a judgment or order is yet another step, handled by the clerk and subject to the fee schedule. A court records search through the County Clerk costs $5.00 per name per two-year period; a certified copy is $5.00 minimum for the first four pages. The full fee schedule is at onondaga.gov/clerk/fees.
Onondaga County Court Hearing Dates and Parts
A part is the specific court assignment for a case in Onondaga County. Each justice or judge in Supreme Court and each County Court judge runs a named or numbered part. The part designation appears on the docket and on the court calendar. Knowing the part is important before traveling to 401 Montgomery Street, because the building houses multiple courts and several courtrooms on different floors and in different corridors. Arriving without a part assignment can lead to delays at the security desk.
Hearing dates and parts change. Adjournments are common, and a date visible in WebCrims or NYSCEF today may be rescheduled before the actual court day. Confirm the date, time, and courtroom with the court clerk on or near the morning of the hearing. The official Fifth Judicial District page at nycourts.gov is the best source for current Onondaga County Supreme Court part information and calendar listings. County Court calendars should be confirmed directly with the court at (315) 671-1020.
Town and village justice courts in Onondaga County do not share a central calendar system. If a case sits in DeWitt, Lysander, Geddes, Onondaga town, or another local court, the appearance date is confirmed only by contacting that specific court. There is no single statewide portal that aggregates all Onondaga County town and village court calendars.
Onondaga County Court Docket Terms Explained
Docket entries use short codes and legal terms that are not always obvious to someone reading a case for the first time. The definitions below cover the terms that appear most often in Onondaga County dockets across the Supreme Court, County Court, City Court, and Surrogate's Court systems.
- Index Number
- The case identifier for Supreme Court civil matters. It is purchased from the County Clerk when the action is filed and takes a year-based format such as 2024-001234. It is how the docket is located in WebCivil Local and NYSCEF.
- Docket Number
- The case identifier used in criminal courts, City Court, and local justice courts. Format differs from an index number. County Court and City Court criminal cases use docket numbers rather than index numbers.
- Indictment
- The grand jury charging instrument for felony prosecution in Onondaga County Court or Supreme Court criminal parts. Once a grand jury returns an indictment, the indictment number often replaces the original docket number on court documents.
- SCI
- Superior Court Information. A charging instrument used in felony cases when the defendant waives the right to a grand jury and agrees to be charged by SCI instead of by indictment.
- RJI
- Request for Judicial Intervention. The form filed in Supreme Court civil cases to ask that a justice be assigned to the matter. The RJI date often marks when active judicial oversight of the case begins and is how motion and conference scheduling starts.
- Part
- The court assignment or courtroom designation for a specific case. Each justice or judge in Onondaga County Supreme Court and each County Court judge runs a part. Confirm the part before visiting the courthouse so you go to the right floor and room.
- Motion Sequence
- Each motion filed in a Supreme Court civil case gets a numbered sequence. A docket may show Motion Sequence 001, 002, and so on. Each sequence has its own return date and a separate order or decision entry when the court rules.
- NOI
- Notice of Issue. Filed in civil cases to signal that discovery is complete and the matter is ready for trial or final disposition. Filing the NOI moves the case onto the trial calendar.
- NOA
- Notice of Appeal. Filed after a final judgment to start appellate review. In Onondaga County, appeals from Supreme Court and County Court go to the Appellate Division, Fourth Department in Rochester.
- Adjournment
- A court-approved postponement of a scheduled appearance or hearing to a new date. Adjournments appear as docket entries. Always confirm the new date directly with the court or clerk because database updates may lag the actual court action by hours or days.
Why an Onondaga County Docket May Be Missing
A name search can return no result for several reasons, none of which prove the case does not exist. Understanding the common causes saves a wasted repeat search and helps you decide the right next step.
Sealed dispositions under CPL § 160.50 drop out of public portals automatically after a favorable termination in a criminal case. Youthful offender adjudications under CPL § 720.35 are confidential and will not appear as standard adult criminal dockets. Family Court files are restricted by statute; public search is generally not available for custody, support, family offense, abuse, or juvenile matters. Matrimonial files in Supreme Court are restricted under Domestic Relations Law § 235, so a divorce docket may not be fully viewable even when the index number is known. Cases sealed by application under CPL § 160.59 will also drop from public view if the court grants the petition.
A missing docket is also possible when the case is in a town or village justice court that does not feed into WebCrims or any statewide portal. Onondaga County has many municipalities, and a ticket or arraignment outside Syracuse City Court is often tracked only at the local level. The right next step is a direct call or visit to the court named on the ticket, summons, or arraignment paperwork. Spelling matters as well; search by last name only first to catch first-name variations or data-entry differences.
Note: A blank docket result is never proof a case does not exist; sealed, confidential, local-court, and older paper records can all return no result in a statewide portal search.
Older Paper Dockets in Onondaga County
Online indexing in New York courts covers a limited time range. Many older Onondaga County case files are not in any electronic portal. Pre-digital cases sit in paper file rooms, microfilm rolls, or off-site archive boxes. A user looking for a civil judgment from the 1980s, an estate file from the 1970s, or a criminal matter that predates electronic filing will not find a complete docket by running a WebCivil or WebCrims search. The record exists, but it is not on the internet.
Older Supreme and County Court records are generally held by the Onondaga County Clerk at 401 Montgomery Street, Room 200, Syracuse, NY 13202, phone (315) 435-2229. Surrogate's Court holds older estate files at the same courthouse address. For older matters, contact the clerk in writing and provide as much identifying information as possible. Include the full legal name of each party, the approximate year of the case, the court and case type, and any case number that appears on prior paperwork, deeds, or letters. A request with a common name and a vague decade will need more detail before the clerk can search. Clerk search fees are $5.00 per name per two-year period under the published fee schedule.
Some older justice court records may have been transferred to the New York State Archives or retained locally under court retention rules. A records-retention schedule can also limit how far back a specific file can be retrieved. If the clerk cannot locate a record, ask whether it may have been transferred to the State Archives in Albany, which holds records from many counties going back centuries.