Long Island Estate Guide — Nassau & Suffolk Probate, Homes, Boats & More

Long Island estates are administered in two separate Surrogate’s Courts — Nassau County Surrogate’s Court at 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, and Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court at 320 Center Drive, Riverhead — with venue set by the decedent’s county of domicile (SCPA 205–206). What makes Long Island distinct is the asset mix: single-family homes (real property, not NYC co-op shares), boats, family businesses, and East-End second homes — and the very real distance to the Riverhead courthouse for Suffolk families.

This is the deep, local resource. If you’re a Long Island executor, surviving spouse, or heir, start here.

Verified Court Details

	Nassau County	Suffolk County
Court	Nassau County Surrogate’s Court	Suffolk County Surrogate’s Court
Address	262 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501	320 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901
Phone	516-493-3800	631-852-1745
Serves	Decedents domiciled in Nassau County	Decedents domiciled in Suffolk County
Governing law	SCPA (procedure), EPTL (substance)	SCPA (procedure), EPTL (substance)
E-filing	NYSCEF	NYSCEF

Confirm addresses and numbers with the court before filing.

Long Island Property and Asset Realities

Where a Manhattan estate is mostly co-op shares and a proprietary lease, a Long Island estate is built around real property:

• Single-family homes — the centerpiece of most LI estates. Title transfers by deed through the Nassau or Suffolk County Clerk, not by reassigning co-op shares.
• Boats and marina slips — common along the South Shore, Great South Bay, and the North Fork; each has its own title and ongoing dues.
• Family businesses — landscaping firms, contractors, restaurants, and trades that need continuity planning, valuation, and sometimes succession.
• Second / seasonal homes — Hamptons and North Fork houses (Southampton, East Hampton, Montauk, Greenport) add carrying costs, off-season security, and sometimes a second-county wrinkle.
• No TOD deeds — New York does not offer transfer-on-death deeds, so a Long Island home in the decedent’s name alone passes through the estate unless it was in joint title or a trust.

Local Filing Realities

• NYSCEF e-filing is available in both counties, so represented parties rarely need to appear in person for routine filings.
• Filing fees follow the SCPA 2402 graduated schedule by estate value (verify current amounts).
• Help centers in each courthouse assist with procedure and forms but cannot give legal advice or draft petitions.
• Timelines: an uncontested estate commonly runs 6–9 months; Suffolk’s caseload and Riverhead location can extend scheduling.

Three County-Specific Quirks

1. The Riverhead drive. Suffolk’s court is far out on the East End. A family in Babylon or Huntington may face a 60–90 minute trip each way for any in-person appearance — a reason e-filing and counsel matter more here than almost anywhere in the state.
2. Two counties, never one. “Long Island probate” is a myth as a single jurisdiction. A Nassau decedent who owned a Montauk house still files entirely in Mineola; the Suffolk property is handled within that Nassau proceeding.
3. Homeowner-heavy means real-property-heavy. Long Island’s high homeownership rate means most estates require a deed transfer and carry estate-tax cliff exposure from decades of appreciation — issues NYC renters and co-op owners face differently.

Neighborhoods and Sub-Areas

Nassau communities — Garden City, Mineola, Hempstead, Massapequa, Manhasset, Levittown, Long Beach, Great Neck — file in Mineola. Suffolk communities — Huntington, Smithtown, Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southampton, East Hampton, Montauk, Greenport — file in Riverhead. The line between them is not the LIE; it’s the county border, and it decides your courthouse.

A Worked Long Island Scenario

Consider Frank, a widower in Massapequa (Nassau), who dies with a will naming his daughter executor. His estate: a paid-off single-family home (~$750,000), a boat at a Great South Bay marina, a brokerage account, and a small HVAC business.

• His daughter files the probate petition in Nassau County Surrogate’s Court, Mineola (SCPA 1402) — domicile controls.
• She obtains letters testamentary, then deeds the home through the Nassau County Clerk, transfers the boat title, and manages the business through transition.
• Because the home, accounts, and business push the estate toward the NY estate-tax range, she checks cliff exposure (see our estate-tax guide).
• With all heirs in agreement signing waivers, the estate closes informally in roughly 7 months.

Had Frank instead been a Riverhead resident, every filing would route to Suffolk’s Riverhead court, and out-of-area family would feel the East-End distance.

Mini-FAQ for Long Island

My parent lived in Nassau but owned a Hamptons house — which court? Nassau (Mineola). Domicile sets venue under SCPA 205; the Suffolk house is administered within the Nassau proceeding.

Is there a single Long Island Surrogate’s Court? No. Nassau and Suffolk are separate courts. Use the county where the decedent was domiciled.

Do I have to drive to Riverhead for a Suffolk estate? Often not for routine filings — Suffolk is on NYSCEF — but contested matters and certain appearances do require the trip east.

How do I transfer my late parent’s Long Island house? After receiving letters from the Surrogate’s Court, the executor deeds the property through the county clerk; there are no TOD deeds in New York.

Get Help Locally

Whether your estate sits in Mineola or Riverhead, Morgan Legal Group handles Long Island probate in both Nassau and Suffolk. Book a 30-minute consult with Russel Morgan. Continue with the probate process, executor duties, and Surrogate’s Courts guides.