Cortland County
Criminal defense in Cortland County
A misdemeanor and a felony do not go to the same courthouse here, and only one of the two can try a felony at all. Knowing which building you are headed to is the first useful thing to establish.
Free first conversation. If you have a date on paperwork, mention it when you call.
Two courthouses, three streets apart, doing different jobs
Cortland is small enough that people assume there is one court. There are two in the city, plus fifteen town justice courts across the county, and the split between them is not about size. It is about authority.
| Court | What it can do | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Cortland City Court | Misdemeanors and lesser offenses. Arraigns people accused of felonies | 25 Court Street, Cortland 13045 |
| Cortland County Court | Exclusive authority over felony trials. Also hears criminal appeals from the town and village courts | 46 Greenbush Street, Suite 105, Cortland 13045 |
| Town justice courts | Misdemeanors and violations arising in that town. Fifteen of them | Across the county. Several sit once or twice a month |
Court addresses, phone numbers and hours from the New York State Unified Court System, verified August 2026. Both courts are open 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM, Monday to Friday.
The practical version: a felony charge does not stay where it starts. It can be arraigned in the city court or in the town court covering the place it happened, but the only court in this county that can conduct a felony trial is County Court on Greenbush Street. If your charge is a felony, expect the case to move.
Cortland is the 6th Judicial District, not the 5th
Onondaga County, ten miles up the road, sits in the Fifth Judicial District. Cortland County sits in the Sixth. That sounds like administrative trivia and it is not entirely: it is a different administrative structure with its own filings, its own help center and its own procedures, and advice written for Syracuse does not automatically transfer.
It is one reason we keep a separate Cortland County court list rather than a single Central New York page. The counties are neighbors and they are not interchangeable.
The appeal route runs through County Court too
If you are convicted in one of the town or village courts here, the appeal goes to Cortland County Court, which acts as the appellate court for criminal matters coming out of them. That surprises people who expect an appeal to leave the county entirely.
What matters more than the destination is the clock. Appeal deadlines are short and they are not forgiving of the fact that nobody told you. If you have been convicted and you are thinking about an appeal, that is a call to make this week.
What the rural calendar does to a case
Several of the fifteen town courts sit once or twice a month. In a busier county a missed or adjourned date costs you a two weeks; here it can cost considerably longer, because the next available date is the next time that court sits at all.
Two consequences worth knowing. A charge can hang over you for longer than the seriousness of it suggests. And the gap is usable, which is the more useful half: it is time to gather what supports your position rather than time spent waiting for a hearing.
The same geography drives the traffic side of this, which we cover on Cortland County traffic tickets.
If you have just been charged
- Read the address on the paperwork, not the court's name. Five of the fifteen town courts sit somewhere other than their namesake town, and two pairs share a building. Turning up at the wrong one counts as failing to appear.
- Say as little as possible to anybody but a lawyer. This is the advice everybody gives and ignores, and it is still right.
- Do not miss the date. In a court that sits monthly, a missed appearance is a much larger problem than in one that sits daily.
- Call before the date, not after it. Almost everything that can be done is easier before a first appearance than after one.
What we handle
Misdemeanors and felonies in the Cortland County courts, alongside traffic matters, injury claims and uncontested divorce from the same office. The general picture of how we approach a criminal charge is on our criminal defense page, and DWI and DWAI has its own, because the DMV consequences run separately from the court ones.
If your matter is something this firm does not handle, we will tell you on the first call rather than after an appointment.
Questions from Cortland County
Which court will my Cortland County case be in?
It depends on where the offense happened and how serious it is. Something inside the city limits goes to Cortland City Court; something in a town goes to that town justice court. A felony can be arraigned in either, but only County Court can try one, so it moves.
Why are there two courthouses in Cortland?
They do different jobs. Cortland City Court at 25 Court Street handles misdemeanors and lesser offenses and arraigns people accused of felonies. Cortland County Court at 46 Greenbush Street has exclusive authority over felony trials. A serious case starts at one and finishes at the other.
What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony here?
Practically, it decides which building you end up in and what you are exposed to. Misdemeanors are tried in the city, town and village courts. Felonies can only be tried in County Court. The charge on the paperwork is what governs, and it can change in either direction.
Can I appeal a conviction from a town court?
Yes, and it goes to Cortland County Court, which acts as the appellate court for criminal matters from the town and village courts in this county. The deadlines to file are short and unforgiving, so a conviction you intend to appeal is a same-week phone call, not a next-month one.
How long does it take to get a first appearance in a rural town court?
Longer than people expect. Several Cortland County town courts sit once or twice a month, so the gap between charge and first appearance can be weeks. That is time to prepare rather than time to wait, and it is why the first call matters more than the calendar suggests.
Is Cortland County Court the same as Cortlandville Town Court?
No, and the names cause real confusion. Cortland County Court sits at 46 Greenbush Street and tries felonies. Cortlandville Town Court is a town justice court covering the surrounding town and sits at 3577 Terrace Road. Read the address on your paperwork rather than the name.
Charged in Cortland County?
The first conversation is free. Have the paperwork with you if you can, because the court named on it decides most of what happens next.
Sources
NYS Unified Court System — Cortland City Court ·NYS Unified Court System — Cortland County Court ·Town & Village Justice Courts
Court addresses, phone numbers, hours and the division of authority between the courts verified against the state's own pages in August 2026. This page describes how the courts are organized and is not advice about your charge.
Related: Cortland County ·every court in the county ·our Cortland office ·Onondaga County criminal defense