New York City has five separate Surrogate’s Courts — one for each borough/county — and the court that handles your estate is determined by the borough where you were domiciled at death. Manhattan estates go to the New York County Surrogate’s Court at 31 Chambers Street; Brooklyn estates to the Kings County Surrogate’s Court at 2 Johnson Street; Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island each have their own. Venue is set by SCPA 205–206.
Which Surrogate’s Court has jurisdiction over my NYC estate?
The decedent’s county of domicile controls. The five boroughs are five counties:
| Borough | County | Surrogate’s Court location |
|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | New York County | 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007 |
| Brooklyn | Kings County | 2 Johnson Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 |
| Queens | Queens County | Jamaica, Queens |
| The Bronx | Bronx County | The Bronx |
| Staten Island | Richmond County | Staten Island |
Because domicile sets venue, a Brooklyn resident’s estate is filed in Kings County even if they died in a Manhattan hospital or owned a condo in Queens. Verify the exact address and room for the borough you need before filing.
What does a Surrogate’s Court do?
The Surrogate’s Court is New York’s specialized court for matters of the dead and the incapacitated estate. Its jurisdiction under the Surrogate’s Court Procedure Act (SCPA) includes:
- Probate of wills and appointment of executors
- Administration of estates with no will (intestacy)
- Accountings by executors, administrators, and trustees
- Will contests and other estate litigation
- Guardianship of minors’ property (SCPA Article 17) and certain disabled persons
- Adoptions and kinship determinations
Why does the decedent’s county of domicile set venue?
Under SCPA 205, an estate is administered in the county where the decedent was domiciled — their true, fixed, permanent home. SCPA 206 addresses non-domiciliaries who leave property in New York. Domicile is about intent and permanence, not where someone happened to die; a snowbird who keeps a Bronx apartment as their permanent home is domiciled in the Bronx even if they died in Florida.
Domicile (definition): The one place a person treats as their fixed, permanent home and intends to return to — distinct from a temporary residence.
How do the five courts differ in practice?
All five boroughs run on NYSCEF, New York’s electronic filing system, so most documents are filed online rather than over the counter. Beyond that, the courts differ mainly in volume and pace:
- Manhattan (New York County): High-value, co-op-heavy estates; more will contests and SCPA 1404 witness examinations. The Help Center is commonly located in Room 302 of 31 Chambers Street (verify room before visiting).
- Brooklyn (Kings County): Very high volume; kinship and heirship proceedings are common given a large immigrant population, which can lengthen timelines.
- Queens, Bronx, Staten Island: Each has its own clerk’s office, Help Center for self-represented filers, and calendar rhythm.
Surrogate (definition): The elected judge who presides over a county’s Surrogate’s Court. Each county has one or more Surrogates plus a Chief Clerk who oversees filings.
Self-represented vs. represented filers
Every borough court maintains a Help Center to assist self-represented (pro se) filers with forms and procedure — but staff cannot give legal advice. For uncontested small estates this can be enough; for contested matters, co-op transfers, or estate-tax exposure, representation is the safer path.
Three NYC court realities to know
- You cannot pick a friendlier borough. Venue is fixed by domicile under SCPA 205 — you file where the decedent lived, not where it is convenient.
- All five courts e-file. NYSCEF covers every borough, so out-of-state executors can often file without traveling.
- Volume drives timelines. A clean estate in a high-volume borough still queues behind thousands of others; budget time accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
How many Surrogate’s Courts are there in New York City? Five — one for each borough/county: New York (Manhattan), Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Bronx, and Richmond (Staten Island).
Can I file my parent’s estate in any borough? No. You must file in the Surrogate’s Court of the borough where your parent was domiciled at death, under SCPA 205.
Do all NYC Surrogate’s Courts use e-filing? Yes. All five boroughs are on the NYSCEF electronic filing system.
What does the Manhattan Surrogate’s Court handle? The New York County Surrogate’s Court at 31 Chambers Street handles probate, administration, accountings, guardianships, and estate litigation for people domiciled in Manhattan.
Filing in the right borough court
Russel Morgan files and litigates in all five borough Surrogate’s Courts. Book a 30-minute consultation. See also the NYC probate process and the complete NYC estate guide.