NYC Criminal Court Summons: What to Do Next

A criminal court summons, which the court calls a "pink ticket," is issued by a police officer for violating certain laws. It orders you to come to the NYC Criminal Court on the appearance date printed on it. The court says most people who get a summons are not arrested or fingerprinted unless they fail to show identification.

It is a court case, not an administrative ticket. It is not handled by OATH, the Department of Finance (parking) or the MTA's Transit Adjudication Bureau (subway and bus Notices of Violation). Check the paper: if it names one of those agencies, see the NYC summons guide for where it goes.

The appearance date and where to go

• Unless your summons qualifies for plea by mail (below), you must report in person. You may appear up to one week before the appearance date on your summons.
• Go only to the court location printed on your summons. The summons shows the court address and hours.
• The information window opens at 8:30 a.m. and court begins at 9:30 a.m. Appear before 3:00 p.m. to make sure your case is heard.
• If the appearance date falls on a weekend or holiday, contact the court to set a new date: 646-386-4937 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or CrimMySummons@nycourts.gov.
• Lost the summons or can't read it? Look up your appearance date on MySummons.NYC. Information usually appears a number of weeks after the summons was issued.
• Each summons carries one charge. If you got several, the court hears them all at the same time.

What to bring

A copy of your summons and a valid photo ID, if possible the same ID you showed the officer who issued the summons.

Who can appear

Only you, or an attorney with the judge's permission, may answer your summons. A parent, spouse, sibling or friend cannot appear for you. You may bring your own attorney or use an attorney assigned by the summons court. If the summons was issued to a corporation, LLC or limited partnership, it must have an attorney at every appearance.

What happens at the appearance

The court describes the steps this way:

1. Check in with the clerk. A Judicial Hearing Officer will preside over your case unless you specifically ask for a judge.
2. Meet with a lawyer. You can discuss your case with a court-appointed lawyer and decide whether to plead guilty or not guilty.
3. Wait in the courtroom. Cases are called in check-in order, so be prepared to wait.
4. Plead not guilty: you are told your future trial date.
5. Plead guilty:the judge tells you the fine, which you pay at the clerk's window.

Adjournment in contemplation of dismissal (ACD)

New York's Criminal Procedure Law § 170.55 lets the court, with the consent of both the prosecution and the defendant, adjourn a case "in contemplation of dismissal" before a guilty plea or trial. If the prosecution doesn't get the case restored to the calendar within six months (one year for certain family offenses), it is deemed dismissed. The statute says an ACD is not a conviction or an admission of guilt. Whether it is offered in your case is up to the prosecution and the court; discuss it with the lawyer you meet at court.

Plea by mail: only two charges qualify

You can plead guilty and pay a fine by mail, without going to court, only if your summons is for public consumption of alcohol (Administrative Code § 10-125(b)) or public urination (Administrative Code § 16-118(6)), and only if no other summons was issued to you at the same time. Follow the court's Plea By Mail instructions on MySummons.NYC for the current amount, deadline and mailing address. Pleading guilty by mail is still a guilty plea. Every other summons needs an in-person appearance: the court says plea by web is not available.

Public urination can also be written up as a civil Notice of Violation instead: Administrative Code § 16-118 makes it both an offense with a fine (subdivision 8) and a civil penalty answered at OATH (subdivisions 9 and 10), so check which paper you got. These plea-by-mail rules apply only to a Criminal Court summons.

Paying a fine

• The court gives you 60 days to pay a fine. You can pay the same day or come back later.
• In most cases you can pay online through the court system's Summons Payment Services, using your summons number or docket number and name. Online payment must be in full, and it isn't available if you have an outstanding judgment, a warrant, or a conviction for a Vehicle and Traffic Law offense.
• If you don't pay on time, the court enters a civil judgment against you. The court warns this is a lien against your credit that can affect getting a credit card, a cellphone, a lease or a rental car.

Will it be on my record?

The court says convictions on summonses generally are not listed on a person's criminal record (RAP sheet). Your name does appear on the court's public WebCriminal system while the case is pending. The court suggests speaking to an attorney about the possible consequences of a summons conviction.

Contact the court

• NYC Criminal Court Information Line: (646) 386-4900
• Summons questions: CrimMySummons@nycourts.gov or 646-386-4937

Official sources

• NYC Criminal Court: Summons FAQs
• NYC Criminal Court: MySummons.NYC
• NYC Criminal Court: General information and locations
• NYC Administrative Code § 16-118
• NY Criminal Procedure Law § 170.55

Checked against these pages on November 2, 2026. Court procedures can change, so confirm with the court before you act.

See also: How to respond to a summons · NYC summons guide · Summons lookup