Judge of the Surrogate's Court Hon. Vincent J. Messina, Jr.
The Surrogate's Court hears cases involving the affairs of decedents, including the probate of wills and the administration of estates. It also handles adoptions.
The Surrogate's Court Help Center, under the leadership of the Honorable Nelida Malavé-Gonzalez, Surrogate of Bronx County, assists self-represented parties so they can have clear and unencumbered access to the Court.
In New York State, the Surrogate's Court maintains jurisdiction over all actions and proceedings relating to the affairs of decedents.
The court's staff has returned to work in person at the courthouse on a full-time basis. VISITING THE COURTHOUSE: Safety measures and precautions continue to be taken to protect the health of employees and court users. Please refrain from visiting the courthouse if you have flu-like or COVID-like symptoms.
Where are motions returnable? Motions are returnable to 851 Grand Concourse Bronx, New York 10451 in room 217.
Personal Service of Process in NY The most common way of effecting service upon a “natural person” is by hand delivery. Section 308 of the consolidated statutes (CPLR 308) states that personal service upon a person can be made “by delivering the summons within the state to the person to be served.” It's that simple.
If proof of service of the summons has not been filed within 60 days of the complaint's filing, the court may dismiss the action without prejudice.
Typically prepared by the process server, an affidavit of service form is often an official court form that can be obtained from the court clerk or various online sources. The document usually includes the following information: The name of the person served. The date, time, and place the person was served.