NYC Housing Court Filing Fees in 2026: What Every Operator Needs to Know
A complete breakdown of what it actually costs to file in NYC Housing Court — from the $45 petition fee to marshal execution costs. No surprises.
The $45 number everyone gets wrong
The filing fee for a nonpayment or holdover petition in NYC Housing Court is $45. That number surprises most people who assume housing court is expensive to access. It is not. The $45 covers the Clerk's filing fee, paid at the cashier window in the borough where your property is located. Cash, certified check, or money order only — no credit cards at most borough locations.
What people forget is that $45 is just the entry point. The full cost picture looks different.
The complete cost breakdown
Here is what a typical NYC Housing Court case actually costs from start to finish:
Filing fee: $45
Process server (serving papers on respondent): $50–125
City marshal fee (if warrant is issued): $135–200
Total for uncontested case: $230–370
Attorney representation, if needed, adds $1,500–4,000 depending on complexity. For self-represented petitioners using the free DIY programs at nycourts.gov/courthelp, the out-of-pocket cost stays in the $230–370 range.
The Right to Counsel program means many respondents now have free attorneys. This has increased the importance of procedurally clean filings on the petitioner side.
Borough by borough: where to file
File in the Housing Court of the borough where the property is physically located. Filing in the wrong borough is grounds for dismissal.
Manhattan: 111 Centre Street, NY 10013 · (646) 386-5750
Brooklyn: 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn 11201 · (347) 404-9133
Queens: 89-17 Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica 11435 · (718) 262-7100
Bronx: 1118 Grand Concourse, Bronx 10456 · (718) 618-3700
Staten Island: 927 Castleton Avenue, SI 10310 · (718) 675-8458
The $45 fee is the same at all five locations.
What the DIY programs cover
New York State Courts Access to Justice Program publishes free computer programs at nycourts.gov/courthelp for:
· Nonpayment petitions (small owners with fewer than 5 apartments)
· Roommate holdover petitions
· Licensee holdover petitions
These programs walk through every required field, generate the correct forms, and automatically route to the correct borough court based on the property address. They are some of the most practical self-help legal tools published by any court system in the US.
a5u.ai organizes the documentation, timelines, and procedural steps before you reach the courthouse — so when you arrive with the DIY forms, everything is already in order.
Ready to get filing-ready?
Counsel walks you through the process and generates your documents automatically.
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