Surrogate Court31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007

The Surrogate's Court and Hall of Records is a public building in the Civic Center district of New York City. It was built between 1899 and 1911 in the Beaux Arts style. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

The Surrogate's Court has an elaborate columned front made of white Maine granite. On the roof area are figurines by Henry K. Bush-Brown. They depict the different stages of life from childhood to old age. Over the colonade are statues by Philipo Martiny of famous New Yorkers such as Peter Stuyvesant.


Surrogate Court
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1-15-2007-22.jpg" target="_blank">Waqcku (public domain)

The New York Surrogate's Court has a twin marble staircase and painted ceiling in the central hall which are all inspired by the ones at the Paris Opéra Garnier. The ceiling has a design depicting the zodiac, along with symbols related to record keeping. These were the work of William de Leftwich Dodge.

The New York Surrogate Court is the court that handles all probate and estate proceedings in the State of New York. Also called Probate Court, the Surrogate Court deals with the distribution of the properties of people who passed away. The court issues the Grant of Probate or, if a person dies without a will, a Grant of Administration, so that a representative can deal with the deceased person's property. Unclaimed property of the deceased without wills is handled by the Judge of this court.

Each of New York's 62 counties has one Surrogate Judge, with New York County having two, and Kings County moving from one to two following the 2005 election. Surrogate Judges are elected countywide for 10-year terms. In some rural counties, Surrogate Judge duties are handled by the County Court Judge.

The Hall of Records is an archive of public records dating back to 1664. A display entitled Windows on the Archive showcases what New York was like from 1626 until present time.

How to reach the Surrogate's Court

The Surrogate's Court is at 31 Chambers Street. Take the J, M or Z subway trains to the Chambers Street-Brooklyn Bridge station.

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