Long Island's Premier Criminal & DWI Defense Law Firm
Arrested on Long Island but You Live in New York City
If you were arrested on Long Island and live in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan or Staten Island, your case stays where the arrest happened — it does not move to a court near you. About one in six of the people this firm represents travels out from the five boroughs, so the practical questions come up constantly: which building, how do I get there, and do I have to be there at all.
Being arrested on Long Island when you live in the city creates a set of problems that has nothing to do with the charge itself: a courthouse you have never been to, a 9:30 a.m. call time, and a trip that can run three hours each way. This page is about those problems. The law on whether you personally have to be in the room is further down, and it is more favourable than most people are told — but only in specific situations, and only if someone asks for it in advance.
Arrested on Long Island: which court your case is actually in
This is the first thing to get right. People arrested on Long Island are routinely sent to the wrong building by a search engine, and showing up at the wrong courthouse is treated the same as not showing up.
| Where you were arrested | Court | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Anywhere in Nassau County | Nassau County District Court, First District | 99 Main Street, Hempstead |
| Suffolk — Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip or Smithtown | Suffolk County District Court, First District | 400 Carleton Avenue, Central Islip |
| Suffolk — East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton or Southold | That town’s justice court | Varies by town |
| City of Glen Cove or City of Long Beach | That city court | Glen Cove or Long Beach |
The East End catches people out. Suffolk County District Court covers only the five western towns. The Suffolk court system’s own history page states the First District “encompasses the towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip, and Smithtown,” and that the five eastern towns still operate their own town justice courts. If you were arrested in Montauk, Riverhead or the Hamptons, do not drive to Central Islip — check the court named on your appearance ticket.
Not sure which court has your case?
Read us the top of your appearance ticket and we will tell you in a minute. Call 516-939-1529.
Do you have to be there for every court date?
Not always — but the rules are narrower than most people are told, and they change depending on which stage of the case you are at. There is no single form that excuses you from the whole case. Each stage has its own statute, and almost every one of them leaves the decision with the judge.
| Stage of the case | Can your lawyer handle it without you? | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Arraignment, where the case began on a desk appearance ticket or summons | Sometimes — the court may permit it “for good cause shown” | CPL 170.10(1)(b) |
| Arraignment after a custodial arrest | No — that exception does not apply | CPL 170.10(1) |
| Arraignment where you ask to appear by video | Court may allow it. If it is granted on that basis alone, the only securing order available is release on your own recognizance | CPL 182.20(1)(b)(iv) |
| Calendar calls and conferences | Often — these can be done electronically | CPL 182.20(1)(c) |
| Entering a plea | Yes, if the court permits and you sign a written authorization | CPL 340.20(2)(a) |
| Trial of a misdemeanor | Only with a written waiver — and the prosecutor can object and block it | CPL 340.50(2) |
| Sentencing on a misdemeanor or violation | Court may excuse you; the waiver has to recite the maximum sentence | CPL 380.40(2) |
| Any felony arraignment or felony trial | No | CPL 180.10, CPL 260.20 |
Two things worth knowing that rarely appear on other firms’ pages. First, the remote-appearance rules in CPL Article 182 were broadened effective July 8, 2025 and now reach every county — but the article carries a repeal date of September 1, 2028, so this is current law, not permanent law. Second, the consent to appear electronically has to come from you personally: under the court rule adopted with it, that decision “shall be made by the defendant rather than defense counsel.”
If you drive for a living, read the travel pages carefully. Every fast route from the five boroughs to either courthouse runs on a parkway, and the Belt, Cross Island, Southern State, Northern State and Meadowbrook are all closed to commercial vehicles. Your phone will route a work van straight onto them, under bridges built low on purpose. The truck-legal routes are the Long Island Expressway to Exit 56 for Central Islip, and Hempstead Turnpike (Route 24), which becomes Fulton Avenue a block from the Hempstead courthouse.
Getting to court from your borough
Each of these pages covers the trains, the driving route, the parking and the realistic departure time for a 9:30 a.m. calendar call.
- Brooklyn — Atlantic Terminal, Nostrand Avenue and East New York, and why the Central Islip trip always means changing at Jamaica
- Queens — the shortest trip of any borough, and the Jamaica fare trick that saves about $5 each way
- The Bronx — no LIRR station in the borough, so every trip runs through Grand Central Madison or Penn
- Manhattan — one-seat rides from both Penn Station and Grand Central Madison
- Staten Island — the hardest trip on this list, and the one borough where driving usually beats the train
The single most useful fact on this page. The Central Islip LIRR station is about two and a half miles from the Suffolk courthouse — not a walk. The federal bankruptcy court in the same complex and Touro Law School, which sits inside it, both publish that distance. Suffolk County Transit Route 17 connects the station to the Cohalan Court Complex, roughly every 30 minutes on weekday mornings, for $2.25. Hempstead is the opposite: the LIRR station is about two blocks from 99 Main Street and you walk it.
What Long Island courts do differently
Two structural differences matter to someone used to the city.
You can negotiate a traffic ticket here. In New York City, non-criminal traffic tickets go to the DMV Traffic Violations Bureau, where plea bargaining is not permitted. Nassau and Suffolk have Traffic and Parking Violations Agencies instead, which the Court of Appeals described in Matter of Dolce v Nassau County TPVA as “established simply as a branch of the Nassau County District Court.” There is no Traffic Violations Bureau in either county. That means a Long Island speeding ticket can often be negotiated down in a way the identical ticket in Brooklyn cannot.
The geography is spread out. New York City’s criminal court is one system with a building in every borough. Long Island is a District Court in each county plus dozens of town and village justice courts, many of which sit at night and are staffed part-time. Which building your case lands in is decided by where the arrest happened, not by convenience.
The charges that bring city residents out here
Most of these cases start with a traffic stop on a parkway or expressway.
- VTL 511 — aggravated unlicensed operation, the most common criminal charge in this firm’s caseload
- VTL 340(a) — failure to surrender a suspended license
- VTL 1192(3) — common law DWI and VTL 1192(2) — per se DWI
- PL 220.03 — criminal possession of a controlled substance
- PL 155.25 — petit larceny
- PL 265.01 — criminal possession of a weapon, which catches city residents who are licensed elsewhere or carrying something they did not think was a weapon
If your charge is not listed, the New York charge code guide covers the rest.
Arrested on Long Island: frequently asked questions
Can my case be moved to a court in my borough?
No. Criminal jurisdiction follows where the offense allegedly happened. If you were arrested on Long Island, the case is charged in Nassau or Suffolk and it stays there.
What happens if I miss a court date?
It is not automatic. Under CPL 510.50(2), unless you picked up a new charge or there is credible evidence the absence was willful, the court has to give at least 48 hours’ notice and a chance to come in voluntarily before issuing a bench warrant. That is a statutory floor, not a favor — but it is not unlimited, and a bench warrant once issued can be executed anywhere in the state, which means the next traffic stop.
I have a New York City license. Does that change anything?
Not for the criminal case. Your license is issued by the state, not the city, so suspensions and points from a Long Island case land on the same record.
Do I need a lawyer who practices out here?
These are small courthouses with a fixed set of judges, prosecutors and parts. Knowing which part your case is in and how that judge handles it is worth more on Long Island than the size of the firm’s letterhead.
What to do first if you were arrested on Long Island
Before you plan travel or call anyone, do these three things. Each of them changes what your options are.
- Read the courthouse name off your paperwork. Not the police precinct — the court. That single line decides everything else on this page.
- Note whether you were released with an appearance ticket or held and produced. If you were arrested on Long Island and given a desk appearance ticket, CPL 170.10(1)(b) gives the court room to let counsel appear for you. After a custodial arrest, it does not.
- Find out whether the charge is a felony, a misdemeanor or a violation. Every rule about who has to be in the room turns on that.
Arrested on Long Island: the short version
- The case stays in the county where the arrest happened. It does not transfer to your borough.
- Nassau goes to Hempstead. Suffolk’s five western towns go to Central Islip. The five East End towns run their own justice courts.
- Calendars are called at 9:30 a.m. Be at the door by 8:45.
- The Central Islip train station is two and a half miles from the courthouse. Hempstead’s is two blocks.
- Whether you personally have to appear depends on the stage of the case — ask before every date.
We are eight minutes from the Hempstead courthouse
The office is at 164 Jackson Street in Hempstead, two blocks from the LIRR station and around the corner from the court. Call 516-939-1529 for a free consultation.
Hochhauser Criminal & DWI Defense
Richard Hochhauser
164 Jackson Street, Hempstead, NY 11550
Tel: 516-939-1529
RH@Hochhauserlaw.com
This page provides general information about New York criminal procedure and court logistics and is not legal advice. Court schedules, fares and transit routes change — confirm details with the court or carrier before you travel. Every case turns on its own facts.
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