A Guide to the Nassau County Courts for Divorce and Family Matters

In June 2025, Nassau County closed the Family Court in Westbury and the old Matrimonial Center on County Seat Drive and consolidated both in a new building. If you have an old address written down, throw it away. Here is where things are now.

The Family and Matrimonial Court Complex

101 County Seat Drive, Mineola, New York 11501. The Family Court occupies the first and second floors, telephone 516-493-4000. The Nassau County Matrimonial Center is on the third floor, telephone 516-493-3444, open Monday through Friday from nine to five with courtrooms opening at 9:15. All of the dedicated matrimonial parts of the Supreme Court sit here, including the Model Custody Part, along with the judicial hearing officers and special referees who hear matrimonial matters.

Supreme Court, Mineola

Non-matrimonial civil matters remain at the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, New York 11501, telephone 516-493-3000. The Nassau County Clerk, where a divorce action is filed and a judgment is entered, is at 240 Old Country Road, Mineola.

The Matrimonial Center's rules

Nassau publishes uniform rules for its matrimonial parts and a standard preliminary conference order, and they are enforced. Before the preliminary conference, the parties must submit a sworn Statement of Net Worth as of the date of commencement and a signed copy of each retainer agreement, and the completed preliminary conference order is sent to the court in advance. Adjournments of the preliminary conference are not granted without a compelling reason. Statements of Net Worth must be updated within thirty days of trial. Before any motion is made, the moving party must give the other side written notice and the other side has 48 business hours to respond in writing, which is intended to resolve discovery disputes without motion practice. Counsel and the parties must appear on motion return dates unless excused. Exhibits are tabbed and single-sided.

The Matrimonial Center also runs a matrimonial arbitration and mediation program with a list of approved neutrals, and judges refer cases to it regularly.

Parent education

Nassau judges commonly refer parents in custody cases to the P.E.A.C.E. program, a certified parent education program under Part 144 of the court rules. Attendance is at the court's discretion, and a parent who has been the victim of domestic violence cannot be required to attend.

What to expect

The preliminary conference, discovery, compliance conference, and trial sequence is the same as in Suffolk, and the contested divorce page describes it. Nassau's matrimonial parts are among the busiest in the state and the judges rely on their court attorneys and referees to move cases. Be on time, have the documents the rules require, and expect the court to hold both sides to the schedule.

Family Court in Nassau operates as it does in Suffolk: support matters before a support magistrate, custody and family offense matters before a judge or referee, an attorney for the child appointed in contested custody cases, and temporary orders of protection issued on the petition.

Call 516-928-5838 or use the contact form to schedule a free thirty-minute consultation. We represent clients in Nassau County in person and remotely.