The Town of North Salem’s official site places the Town in the northeast corner of Westchester County. Town offices are at 266 Titicus Road, North Salem, NY 10560. The Town's court directory lists North Salem Justice Court at 66 June Road, North Salem, NY 10560. Local justice-court business is handled there. A divorce is not.
A North Salem resident files 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.
Gregory Salant, a partner at Harold, Salant, Strassfield & Rotbard, LLP, represents people who live in the Town in divorce and related family-law matters. Consultations are scheduled at 81 Main Street, Suite 205, in White Plains, the city where Westchester County divorce cases are heard. The firm does not keep a consultation office in the Town.
Justice Court at 66 June Road
The Town's court directory lists North Salem Justice Court at 66 June Road. It is a town justice court and may hear local matters that belong in that forum. It has no power to grant a divorce, an annulment, or a judgment of separation.
Purdys, Croton Falls, and two Harlem Line stations
The Town’s official About page describes the hamlets of Purdys and Croton Falls, and it traces their growth in the 1840s to two stations on the Harlem Railroad. The same About page describes the Titicus River Valley, mentions Balanced Rock, a glacial erratic in the Town, and names the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library among Town institutions. Those features are part of the Town’s official self-description. They do not choose a filing court. The MTA today lists Croton Falls and Purdy’s — the MTA’s spelling — on the Harlem Line.
The Town of Somers official About page also names Purdys as one of its hamlets, and the firm's Somers page notes that Purdy’s station is over the line in North Salem. A hamlet name used in more than one official description is not a substitute for the municipal line. The municipality for a particular home should be confirmed by address. Neither the station nor the hamlet name chooses the court that grants a divorce.
North Salem Central School District, at 230 June Road
North Salem Central School District lists its district and middle/high school address at 230 June Road, North Salem, NY 10560, and Pequenakonck Elementary at 173 June Road, on the district’s official contact page. The district’s official “Who We Are” page states that it serves students from Westchester and Putnam Counties in the Towns of North Salem, Southeast, Somers, and Carmel. The district for a given home should be confirmed by address. A Town line is not a reliable substitute, and the district is not confined to North Salem.
Parenting issues, if they exist, are usually resolved in the divorce itself. The court measures those issues by the best interests of the child. Evidence may include the school the child attends today. Nothing in that evidence automatically keeps the child in North Salem Central School District or requires a 50/50 calendar. The child custody and parenting time page has a fuller discussion.
Houses, accounts, and equitable distribution
Classification comes first under Domestic Relations Law § 236(B). Marital property is then divided by equitable distribution, which is not community property and does not require a one-half share for each spouse.
A house near Titicus Road, or in Purdys or Croton Falls, is sorted under those rules rather than by the hamlet printed on the mailbox. The marital residence is often a central asset, along with pensions, deferred compensation, and any closely held business; among the statutory factors is a custodial parent's need to occupy or own the marital residence. Assets that are separate are generally not divided. Commingling can change that character. An increase in the value of separate property is marital to the extent it is due to the other spouse's contributions or efforts. The high-net-worth divorce page takes up more complicated estates.
Grounds and the papers that start the case
The grounds live in Domestic Relations Law § 170. A frequently used ground is DRL § 170(7): one spouse states under oath that the marriage has been irretrievably broken for at least six months. Even then, the court holds back the judgment until money issues and any issues involving children have been resolved or decided and are written into the judgment. Other grounds sit in the same section.
Filing is done with a summons with notice or with a summons and verified complaint. Service comes next. New York does not open a divorce by a petition for dissolution.
Whether the case may be heard in New York can also turn on residence under Domestic Relations Law § 230, and that history has to be checked against the statute. The Westchester divorce page and the White Plains divorce page supply further statewide background.
An agreement already in hand, or issues still open
Spouses who have already signed a complete settlement can often submit the matter as an uncontested divorce. When the issues are resolved, that filing is often more efficient. It is not a reduced fee. Remaining disagreements may be tried.
Family Court is a separate system
Some petitions — family offense, custody, or support — can be brought in Family Court. A divorce cannot. Family Court in this county now sits at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, White Plains; 131 Warburton Avenue, 3rd floor, Yonkers; and 26 Garden Street, 3rd floor, New Rochelle. Which location hears a particular matter depends on the case. Related issues inside the divorce are often decided by Supreme Court itself.
Asking for a meeting
Call (914) 683-2500 or use the contact form to set a time with Gregory Salant. Bring confidential facts to the appointment rather than putting them in an unreviewed message. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.
If they can be gathered, helpful items include any papers already served, tax filings, account and debt statements, proof of an interest in a North Salem home, and a note of the child’s current school.
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
Can North Salem Justice Court, at 66 June Road, grant a divorce?
No. The Town's court directory lists the Justice Court at 66 June Road. It is not a matrimonial court. The action belongs in Supreme Court in White Plains.
The Town’s About page discusses Purdys and Croton Falls. Is a resident of those hamlets in a different town for filing purposes?
Not if the home is in the Town of North Salem. Confirm the municipality by address, especially near the Somers line, where official materials in both towns use the name Purdys. The divorce court remains Supreme Court in White Plains.
The MTA lists Croton Falls and Purdy’s on the Harlem Line. Does that change the filing court?
No. The stations do not select the court that grants a divorce.
If the children attend North Salem Central School District, at 230 June Road, does that decide custody?
No. The district’s own page states that it also serves students from Somers and from towns in Putnam County. Verify the district by address. Best interests of the child is the standard, and a current school can be part of the proof. Remaining in that district, or dividing time equally, is not automatic.
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