New York sorts offenses by how serious they are, and seriousness picks the court.

• Violations don't count as crimes. Disorderly conduct is one. Jail is capped at 15 days (Penal Law § 70.15(4)).
• Misdemeanors are the lower tier of crime, split into class A and class B. The worst, class A, can bring close to a year in the county jail: 364 days.
• Felonies are the serious tier, lettered A down to E. A felony can lead to state prison.

Here the city and town courts act as local criminal courts. Violations, traffic tickets and misdemeanors stay with them to the end. They also handle a felony's early stages, like the arraignment and any preliminary hearing. Once a grand jury indicts, a felony goes up to County Court. Family Court and the Youth Part of the superior court take cases involving young people. Appeals go up to the Appellate Division's Fourth Department.

County-level courts meet in two buildings, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• County Court and Supreme Court, 175 Hawley Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-280-6400. Felony trials happen here, and the District Attorney's main office is upstairs.
• Supreme and County Court in Niagara Falls, Angelo DelSignore Civic Building, 775 Third Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14301, 716-371-4000.
• Family Court, Niagara Falls, 775 Third Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14301, 716-371-4050.
• Family Court, Lockport, 175 Hawley Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-280-6500.

Expect a security check at the entrance, and bring a photo ID. The clerk can point you to the right courtroom.

Three cities have their own courts:

• Lockport City Court, 1 Locks Plaza, Lockport, NY 14094. Main line 716-280-6205, criminal desk 716-280-6227, treatment court 716-280-6229. Open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Niagara Falls City Court, 1925 Main Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14305, 716-371-4100. Its treatment court answers at 716-371-4113.
• North Tonawanda City Court, City Hall, 216 Payne Avenue, North Tonawanda, NY 14120, 716-845-7240. Its treatment court answers at 716-845-7297.

Every one of the 12 towns has a justice court. The five villages have none, so arrests there go to the town court around them.

• Cambria Town Court, 4160 Upper Mountain Road, Sanborn, NY 14132, 716-433-7664
• Hartland Town Court, 8942 Ridge Road, Gasport, NY 14067, 716-735-7239
• Lewiston Town Court, 1375 Ridge Road, Lewiston, NY 14092, 716-754-8213. Town offices keep weekday hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Town of Lockport Court, 6564 Dysinger Road, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-439-9528
• Newfane Town Court, 2896 Transit Road, Newfane, NY 14108, 716-778-9292
• Niagara Town Court, 7105 Lockport Road, Niagara Falls, NY 14305, 716-215-1480
• Pendleton Town Court, 6570 Campbell Boulevard, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-625-8833
• Porter Town Court, 3265 Creek Road, Youngstown, NY 14174, 716-745-3730, extension 6
• Royalton Justice Court, 5316 Royalton Center Road, Middleport, NY 14105, 716-772-2588. The office is open Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Criminal court is usually held the 2nd and 3rd Thursday at 5 p.m.
• Somerset Town Court, 8700 Haight Road, Barker, NY 14012, 716-795-9193
• Wheatfield Town Court, 2800 Church Road, North Tonawanda, NY 14120, 716-694-6793
• Wilson Town Court, 375 Lake Street, Wilson, NY 14172, 716-751-0549

Town justices often sit on set evenings, so phone the clerk to confirm the day and hour.

Arraignment is the opening court appearance. New York's court help page says the gap from arrest to arraignment is usually around 24 hours. The hearing is held in the city or town court for the place of arrest. For an arrest after dark or on a Saturday or Sunday, call the jail at 716-438-3393 and ask when and where the judge will see the person.

What usually happens in the courtroom:

• The charges are read aloud or explained.
• A defense lawyer stands beside the person. State plans call for counsel at every arraignment, at no cost to those who qualify (Executive Law § 832(4)).
• The judge chooses release, conditions, bail or remand, and gives reasons (CPL 510.10).
• In a family violence case, the judge may sign a temporary order of protection (CPL 530.12).

Some misdemeanors end that same day with a plea. On a felony, the judge sets a later date for a preliminary hearing or grand jury action.

Misdemeanors stay in the city or town court where they began. The District Attorney prosecutes them. A typical path looks like this:

1. Arraignment, or a first date set by an appearance ticket.
2. The prosecutor turns over evidence: within 20 days of arraignment when the person is held, 35 when free (CPL 245.10).
3. Plea talks, or a trial date.
4. Trial, if nothing settles it. Readiness deadlines: 90 days on a class A misdemeanor, 60 days on a class B (CPL 30.30).

Maximum penalties under Penal Law §§ 70.15 and 80.05:

• Top penalty for class A: 364 days locked up, $1,000 fine.
• Top penalty for class B: three months locked up, $500 fine.
• Top penalty for a violation: 15 days locked up, $250 fine.

Probation for a class A misdemeanor lasts two or three years (Penal Law § 65.00). A DWI conviction brings an extra step here. The driver must put an ignition interlock in any car they drive, own or have registered, within 10 days of sentencing. Probation keeps the list of approved installers at 716-438-4055. Each city court also runs a treatment court for people whose drug or alcohol use led to the charge.

A felony starts with a felony complaint in a city or town court. From there it moves like this:

1. Arraignment in the local court.
2. A deadline for holding the person. Jailed on a complaint? Release is required after 120 hours (144 when Saturday, Sunday or a holiday falls in that window) unless a preliminary hearing or grand jury action has begun (CPL 180.80).
3. Grand jury. The accused may testify there by serving written notice and signing a waiver of immunity (CPL 190.50(5)).
4. Indictment and County Court arraignment at 175 Hawley Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-280-6400.
5. Evidence, motions and plea offers. Six months is the limit for the prosecution to be ready (CPL 30.30).
6. Trial or plea, then sentencing.

Maximum terms (Penal Law § 70.00): life for class A, 25 years for B, 15 for C, 7 for D and 4 for E. A felony fine may reach $5,000, or double the person's gain (Penal Law § 80.00). Felony probation lasts three to five years. Some people whose addiction drove the crime may qualify for Judicial Diversion, a court-supervised treatment program under CPL Article 216.

The Penal Law names certain crimes as violent felonies, and they bring stricter rules.

• A set term. Instead of a range, the judge picks an exact number of years, and post-release supervision follows (Penal Law § 70.02).
• Sentence ranges. Violent class B: 5 to 25 years. Violent class C: 3.5 to 15. Violent class D: 2 to 7. Violent class E: 1.5 to 4.
• Examples. Class B covers first-degree robbery and burglary. Class C covers second-degree robbery. Class D covers second-degree assault.
• Bail. Each violent felony is on the qualifying list, so the judge can set bail or order remand (CPL 510.10(4)).
• Protection orders. When a family case ends in a felony conviction, the final order can run up to eight years beyond the sentence (CPL 530.12).
• Youthful offender. An armed felony can keep a person aged 16 to 18 from getting this softer finding (CPL 720.10).

The elected District Attorney prosecutes every crime in the county from two offices:

• 175 Hawley Street, Lockport, NY 14094 (third floor), 716-439-7085
• Municipal Building, 1925 Main Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14305, 716-286-4518

The county Public Defender represents people who can't afford a private attorney, and someone from the office should appear at arraignment.

• Main office, 80 Washburn, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-439-7071, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Niagara Falls office, 1925 Main Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14305, 716-278-1899
• North Tonawanda office, 500 Wheatfield Street, North Tonawanda, NY 14120, reached through the main number
• Family Court unit, 80 Washburn, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-439-7218
• Conflict Office, 169 Niagara Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-439-7310

A judge rules on who qualifies. Being jailed, or having income under 250% of the poverty guideline, makes approval very likely.

The state's case search is WebCrims, and the District Attorney's website links to it as well. Type at least two letters of each name, then narrow it to the county. Know what it leaves out:

• Only a set list of courts statewide feed into it.
• A case appears only while it is open and has a hearing coming up.
• Finished cases, cases stuck on a warrant, sealed files and youthful offender matters stay hidden.

If nothing turns up, call the court handling it. Tell the clerk who the case is about and when that person was born. County Court is at 175 Hawley Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-280-6400. City cases go through Lockport City Court at 716-280-6205, Niagara Falls City Court at 716-371-4100 and North Tonawanda City Court at 716-845-7240. For a traffic ticket from the Lockport city court, pay online at my.nycourts.gov.

For warrant questions, call the Sheriff's Office at 716-438-3393. In Niagara Falls, the police Warrants Division answers at 716-286-4557. Online, check the State Police wanted list and the county Probation Department's most wanted probationers. Court clerks can confirm an open warrant over the phone. Courts generally send 48 hours' warning to the person or their lawyer before issuing a bench warrant for a missed date (CPL 510.50). To clear a warrant, bring a lawyer and surrender to the issuing court, or call that court to set a new date. Felony warrants are issued by County Court at 175 Hawley Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-280-6400.

Buffalo hears the federal cases, through the Buffalo Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, 2 Niagara Square, Buffalo, NY 14202 (Robert H. Jackson U.S. Courthouse). The clerk answers at 716-551-1700 on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• A magistrate judge holds a detention hearing early on to choose between pretrial release and custody (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• The U.S. Marshals Service guards federal defendants and brings them to court. Its office is at 2 Niagara Square, Buffalo, NY 14202-3350, 716-348-5300. The Marshals have had an agreement to lodge federal prisoners at the county jail.
• U.S. Probation in the same courthouse writes reports for the judge. Call 716-551-4241.
• The Federal Public Defender is at 300 Pearl Street, Suite 200, Buffalo, NY 14202, 716-551-3341.
• Federal court records are on PACER (small per-page fee). Once a sentence is handed down, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows the prison.

The state case keeps going either way. A detainer only matters at the moment of release. Expect these steps:

1. A detainer request on Form I-247A reaches the jail from ICE.
2. It asks the jail to keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. If ICE takes custody, its Buffalo Field Office handles the case: 130 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, 716-843-7600.
4. Many detainees end up in Genesee County at the Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY 14020, 585-344-6500.
5. Find someone through the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

State rules shape the rest. Under Civil Rights Law § 28, no one coming to, staying at or leaving court as a party or witness may be civilly arrested without a judge's warrant or order. The same goes for their family. A 2018 ruling in a case against the Suffolk County Sheriff, People ex rel. Wells v DeMarco, found that state law gives New York officers no authority for civil immigration arrests. Executive Law § 170-k (2026) wiped out 287(g) agreements, and any still in place lost force on August 25, 2026. This county's Sheriff's Office was on the Attorney General's July 2026 list of 12 agencies that had one.

Once a sentence passes one year, it is served in state prison under the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). Right after sentencing, people typically stay at the county jail until DOCCS sends for them. Staff at an intake center review each person, then assign a prison that fits.

• Search the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup by DIN, or by last name and year of birth.
• For people out on parole, try the DOCCS parolee lookup.
• Profiles of each facility sit in the New York state prisons section of our site.

Under the Clean Slate Act, many old convictions are later sealed on their own. Misdemeanors wait three years and felonies eight, counted from release or sentencing (CPL 160.57).

Most cases of children aged 12 to 17 belong in Family Court, where they are called juvenile delinquency cases (Family Court Act § 301.2). Family Court sits at 775 Third Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14301, 716-371-4050, and at 175 Hawley Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 716-280-6500.

• Ages 16 and 17. A felony case begins in the Youth Part. A nonviolent one goes to Family Court. Keeping it in the Youth Part takes a motion by the prosecutor within 30 days showing "extraordinary circumstances" (CPL 722.23).
• Ages 13 to 15. A teen in this age group can be tried as a juvenile offender for murder or a few other grave felonies (CPL 1.20(42)).
• Questioning. Police must call a parent. They can question a child at home with a parent's OK, or in a room the courts approve, on video (Family Court Act § 305.2).
• Detention. Teens are never held in an adult jail.

To learn where a young person is being held, call Probation's Family Court unit at 1001 11th Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14301, 716-278-8241.

The District Attorney's victim resources page points to these local lines, run through the Sheriff's Office:

• Victim Assistance Unit, for any type of crime: 716-438-3306
• Domestic Violence Intervention Program, including help getting an order of protection: 716-438-3301
• Domestic violence and victim help in Niagara Falls: 716-286-4570
• Crisis Services hotline: 716-285-3515

Out-of-pocket costs from a crime, like hospital, therapy or burial bills, may be covered by the state Office of Victim Services. Call 800-247-8035. To hear when a state prisoner is let out, sign up with VINE at 888-846-3469 or on VINELink. When a criminal case involves family violence, the judge can add an order of protection to the release order (CPL 530.12).