How Long Criminal Cases Take in New York
February 25, 2026 · 6 min read
How long does a criminal case take in New York? We analyzed days from arraignment to disposition across 1.28 million DCJS records to answer this question by charge type and county.
Average Case Duration by Charge
| Rank | Charge | Cases | Avg Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homicide | 4,657 | 582 |
| 2 | Sex Offense | 16,521 | 343 |
| 3 | Drug Sale | 48,027 | 307 |
| 4 | Weapons Offense | 55,361 | 294 |
| 5 | Burglary | 36,240 | 286 |
| 6 | Aggravated Unlicensed Operation | 8,198 | 271 |
| 7 | DWI / DUI | 76,003 | 270 |
| 8 | Robbery | 39,236 | 264 |
| 9 | Grand Larceny | 49,512 | 250 |
| 10 | Kidnapping | 3,532 | 245 |
| 11 | Prostitution | 2,535 | 240 |
| 12 | Drug Offense | 1,487 | 237 |
| 13 | Marijuana Offense | 6,604 | 237 |
| 14 | Traffic Offense | 2,257 | 234 |
| 15 | Corrections Violation | 3,052 | 228 |
| 16 | Endangering Welfare of a Child | 17,539 | 228 |
| 17 | Reckless Endangerment | 12,256 | 222 |
| 18 | Fraud | 1,734 | 221 |
| 19 | Disorderly Conduct | 8,412 | 218 |
| 20 | Criminal Contempt | 83,992 | 215 |
| 21 | Drug Possession | 77,568 | 213 |
| 22 | Public Lewdness | 2,663 | 213 |
| 23 | Theft of Services | 31,644 | 210 |
| 24 | Identity Theft | 6,762 | 209 |
| 25 | Tax Offense | 663 | 200 |
| 26 | Aggravated Harassment | 20,763 | 200 |
| 27 | Other Penal Law | 2,386 | 198 |
| 28 | Assault | 209,896 | 195 |
| 29 | Obstruction | 8,894 | 193 |
| 30 | Escape / Bail Jumping | 15,785 | 192 |
| 31 | Forgery | 29,660 | 191 |
| 32 | Petit Larceny | 103,157 | 191 |
| 33 | Strangulation | 44,963 | 190 |
| 34 | Menacing | 30,356 | 189 |
| 35 | Criminal Trespass | 16,275 | 188 |
| 36 | Criminal Possession of Stolen Property | 5,629 | 184 |
| 37 | Official Misconduct | 9,133 | 180 |
| 38 | Gambling | 1,107 | 159 |
Average Case Duration by County
| Rank | County | Cases | Avg Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Onondaga | 28,789 | 313 |
| 2 | Sullivan | 1,750 | 307 |
| 3 | Ontario | 3,729 | 289 |
| 4 | Columbia | 1,752 | 288 |
| 5 | Suffolk | 73,068 | 285 |
| 6 | Lewis | 390 | 277 |
| 7 | Ulster | 6,645 | 276 |
| 8 | Cortland | 3,111 | 268 |
| 9 | Putnam | 1,133 | 267 |
| 10 | Hamilton | 32 | 261 |
| 11 | Chautauqua | 12,527 | 261 |
| 12 | Nassau | 70,554 | 258 |
| 13 | Broome | 13,439 | 258 |
| 14 | Genesee | 3,500 | 258 |
| 15 | Westchester | 39,973 | 257 |
| 16 | Rockland | 4,245 | 255 |
| 17 | Rensselaer | 7,700 | 250 |
| 18 | Wayne | 1,819 | 246 |
| 19 | Steuben | 5,231 | 246 |
| 20 | Dutchess | 7,780 | 244 |
| 21 | Monroe | 34,104 | 242 |
| 22 | Jefferson | 6,194 | 241 |
| 23 | Tompkins | 3,267 | 241 |
| 24 | Orange | 16,722 | 240 |
| 25 | Tioga | 703 | 240 |
| 26 | Erie | 44,732 | 239 |
| 27 | Essex | 789 | 239 |
| 28 | Schuyler | 449 | 238 |
| 29 | Albany | 15,453 | 237 |
| 30 | Niagara | 16,629 | 235 |
| 31 | Franklin | 1,223 | 235 |
| 32 | Allegany | 802 | 234 |
| 33 | Greene | 1,116 | 234 |
| 34 | St. Lawrence | 3,558 | 234 |
| 35 | Schenectady | 11,405 | 229 |
| 36 | Cattaraugus | 4,954 | 228 |
| 37 | Livingston | 1,469 | 227 |
| 38 | Oswego | 8,036 | 227 |
| 39 | Madison | 2,970 | 226 |
| 40 | Seneca | 966 | 223 |
| 41 | Cayuga | 4,613 | 220 |
| 42 | Schoharie | 427 | 220 |
| 43 | Yates | 303 | 216 |
| 44 | Wyoming | 1,033 | 214 |
| 45 | Oneida | 15,115 | 212 |
| 46 | Bronx | 119,883 | 212 |
| 47 | New York | 152,532 | 211 |
| 48 | Chemung | 7,158 | 210 |
| 49 | Richmond | 31,788 | 209 |
| 50 | Delaware | 637 | 208 |
| 51 | Chenango | 1,975 | 208 |
| 52 | Herkimer | 1,142 | 205 |
| 53 | Orleans | 814 | 204 |
| 54 | Kings | 198,015 | 203 |
| 55 | Queens | 160,545 | 200 |
| 56 | Montgomery | 3,341 | 198 |
| 57 | Warren | 3,900 | 194 |
| 58 | Otsego | 1,935 | 194 |
| 59 | Washington | 1,189 | 192 |
| 60 | Clinton | 3,824 | 183 |
| 61 | Saratoga | 7,571 | 182 |
| 62 | Fulton | 3,258 | 162 |
Key Takeaways
- Homicide cases take the longest on average at 582 days.
- Gambling cases resolve fastest at 159 days.
- Onondaga County has the longest average case duration at 313 days.
- Fulton County is fastest at 162 days.
Source: New York DCJS Pretrial Release Data (2019–2024). Duration is measured from arraignment date to disposition date. Cases with missing or invalid dates are excluded. These are aggregate statistics and do not predict individual outcomes.
Data source: New York DCJS Pretrial Release Data. Last updated March 2026. — NewYorkCourtFile.com
Next Step
Facing criminal charges in New York? An attorney can walk you through your options.