Katonah, Bedford Hills, and Bedford Village are not three separate towns. They are the three hamlets of the Town of Bedford, and a divorce for a resident of any of them is filed in the same court. People who live in the Town of Bedford, including Katonah, Bedford Hills, and Bedford Village, are represented by Gregory Salant, a family and matrimonial attorney and partner at Harold, Salant, Strassfield & Rotbard, LLP. The firm’s office is at 81 Main Street, Suite 205, in White Plains, the city where Westchester County divorce cases are heard. There is no firm office in the Town of Bedford.
The material on this page is general information about New York matrimonial procedure and about the court that hears these cases. It is not tailored advice, and it is not a forecast of any particular result.
One town, three hamlets
The Town of Bedford’s official About page states that the town includes the hamlets of Bedford Village, Bedford Hills, and Katonah. The Town House and the Town Court are at 321 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, NY 10507, on the town’s official court and contact pages. Town Court assists with matters such as parking tickets, traffic infractions, and small claims. It does not grant divorces, annulments, or judgments of separation.
A Town of Bedford divorce is a case in the New York State Supreme Court for Westchester County, at the Richard J. Daronco Courthouse, 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, White Plains, NY 10601. Living in Katonah, in Bedford Hills, or in Bedford Village does not create a different filing court. This page is written for people throughout the Town of Bedford.
School district lines inside the same town
The town’s adopted comprehensive plan (April 15, 2025) states that Bedford is served by three public school districts. Bedford Central School District, with offices at 632 South Bedford Road in Bedford, serves the hamlets of Bedford Village and Bedford Hills. Katonah-Lewisboro School District serves the Bedford hamlet of Katonah; its district office is at 60 North Salem Road, Cross River, NY 10518. Byram Hills School District serves a small section of southern Bedford. The district therefore depends on the address, and it can differ from one hamlet to another.
If the spouses have children, the same Supreme Court case usually decides custody, parenting time, and child support. Best interests of the child is the standard the court applies. A child’s current school or district may be relevant evidence. Nothing in the statute automatically keeps a child in that school or district, or requires equal parenting time. Daily-life facts, including where each parent will live, how a schedule fits the school calendar, and how a shared or neighboring district affects routines, can matter in a particular case. None of those facts dictates a result. The child custody and parenting time page discusses these questions in more depth.
Katonah Station, Bedford Hills Station, and the filing court
Katonah Station and Bedford Hills Station are both stops on Metro-North’s Harlem Line, in those hamlets of the town. White Plains is also a Harlem Line stop, farther south. That may be useful for travel to the courthouse or to meetings with counsel at or near 81 Main Street, Suite 205. It does not change where the divorce is filed. No travel time is stated here, and no particular route is required.
Starting the Supreme Court case
The usual first papers are a summons with notice, or a summons and verified complaint, which must be filed and served. New York also imposes residency requirements. Whether they are satisfied depends on the facts and can be reviewed in a consultation.
Many New York cases proceed under the no-fault ground in Domestic Relations Law § 170(7). One spouse attests that the relationship has been irretrievably broken for no less than six months. The court still delays judgment until financial and parenting issues have been settled or adjudicated and are built into the judgment. Seven grounds are set out in the statute. More background is on the Westchester divorce and White Plains divorce pages.
The house and other property
During a Town of Bedford divorce, a recurring issue is who will remain in the marital residence, whether a sale or a buyout will be used, and how carrying costs (the mortgage, taxes, and similar expenses) will be paid in the interim. The answers depend on how title is held, whether either spouse made separate-property contributions, the size of the equity and the debt, and what else is in the marital estate. The law does not give either spouse an automatic right to keep the house.
New York divides marital property by equitable distribution under Domestic Relations Law § 236(B). The result is meant to be fair in light of the statutory factors. Equal shares are not required, and the state does not follow community-property rules. If a custodial parent needs to remain in or take title to the marital residence, the court may weigh that need. It is not an assurance that the custodial parent will keep the home.
Income from a professional practice or a business, as well as deferred compensation and equity awards, comes up in some Town of Bedford matters. The statute has no single dollar cutoff that makes a case “high-net-worth.” The high-net-worth divorce page covers identification, classification, and valuation of those interests.
Settling what has to be decided, or litigating it
When the couple has already agreed on, or is very close to agreeing on, every issue that has to be decided, an uncontested divorce may be available. The papers must still be submitted to Supreme Court in White Plains, which can request further information or require an appearance. Finishing an agreed case this way is often the more efficient path. It is not a discounted form of representation.
A matter is contested if parenting time, the house, other property, or support remains unsettled. In Westchester that usually means the case is started and served, the court holds a preliminary conference, the parties exchange financial disclosure, temporary relief may be sought, negotiations continue, and a trial is held in White Plains if the disputes are not resolved. Settlement occurs in some cases; a trial decides others. No typical timeline or outcome should be assumed.
Family Court, separately
A divorce, an annulment, or a judgment of separation cannot be obtained in Family Court. Westchester County Family Court currently sits at one of three addresses: 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, White Plains; 131 Warburton Avenue, 3rd floor, Yonkers; or 26 Garden Street, 3rd floor, New Rochelle. Ask the court which building would hear a particular petition. Residents of the Town of Bedford, including people in Katonah or Bedford Hills, are not assigned to one of those three on this page.
When custody or support is part of the divorce, those issues are generally decided in the Supreme Court case in White Plains. A family proceeding that is independent of the divorce may be brought in Family Court.
Scheduling time with counsel
To speak with Gregory Salant about a matter arising in the Town of Bedford, schedule a consultation or call (914) 683-2500. Please keep confidential or detailed case facts out of an unreviewed website form. Contact through this website, standing alone, does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Start with papers you have already received, any agreements or court orders already in effect, and a short list of questions. Helpful documents, if available, include recent income-tax returns, a deed or mortgage statement, pay stubs or equity-award statements, account records, and business or practice financials when those apply. Missing records should not keep you from requesting a consultation.
Schedule a consultation · (914) 683-2500
Gregory Salant, Partner, Harold, Salant, Strassfield & Rotbard, LLP
81 Main Street, Suite 205, White Plains, NY 10601
(914) 683-2500 · gsalant@haroldsalant.com
Frequently asked questions
If I live in Katonah or Bedford Hills, do I file for divorce at 321 Bedford Road?
No. Town Court, at 321 Bedford Road in Bedford Hills, does not grant divorces. A resident of Katonah, Bedford Hills, or Bedford Village files in Supreme Court, at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in White Plains.
Is Katonah its own town?
No. Katonah is a hamlet in the Town of Bedford, along with Bedford Hills and Bedford Village. The filing court is Supreme Court in White Plains for all three.
Do Katonah and Bedford Village use the same public school district?
Not necessarily. The town’s comprehensive plan states that Bedford Central School District serves Bedford Village and Bedford Hills, that Katonah-Lewisboro School District serves the hamlet of Katonah, and that Byram Hills School District serves a small section of southern Bedford. Custody and parenting time are decided under a best-interests standard, not a rule that a child must remain in a particular district.
Katonah and Bedford Hills have Harlem Line stations. Does that change where I file?
No. Both stations, and White Plains, are on the Harlem Line, which may be useful for travel. The case is still filed in Supreme Court. No travel time is stated on this page.
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