Onondaga County

Phone: (315) 435-2234

A civil action proceeding begins by filing a summons and complaint or summons with notice and paying the fee ($210) to assign an index number. Acceptable payments are cash, money order, cashier’s check, certified check or credit card (form can be found under the “Forms & Links” tab). Personal checks are not accepted for amounts exceeding $125.

Filing a summons does not automatically bring the case before a judge. A party must file an RJI ($95 filing fee) to assign a judge, request a conference, or file a motion.

A civil action file may include court orders, affidavits, summons, complaints or any document pertaining to that action and bearing the assigned index number.

Common Questions:

How do I view Civil Action files?
Files can be viewed in person in the Civil Action Department, or on the NYS Unified Court System website if the case is e-filed: Case Search.
Confidential files are not open to the public, however, indexes of these records are available for viewing. Other Civil Action cases include: orders, summons, judgments, complaints and foreclosures and are available for public viewing.

Who has access to these files?
All civil action files are open to public view – with the exception of confidential files, records sealed by court order, and matrimonial files.

Matrimonial (divorce) files are confidential; only the parties of the divorce or the attorney at time of record can access them, thus we require a notarized request mailed to us or a valid ID presented in person. The divorce file request form can be accessed via the “Forms & Links” page. If requesting by mail, you must include payment and a prepaid return envelope. Please call our Civil Actions department at (315) 435-2234 to confirm the cost of the divorce before sending in payment.