New York City’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) is the city’s central independent administrative law court, serving as a vital component of its justice infrastructure. As the largest municipal administrative tribunal in the United States, OATH handles a wide range of matters arising from city agencies, including summonses issued by departments such as Sanitation, Buildings, Health, and Environmental Protection. Its core function is to ensure fair, impartial, and efficient adjudication of civil cases between city agencies and residents or businesses.

OATH is uniquely positioned to streamline the city’s administrative justice process while promoting transparency, accountability, and accessibility. In addition to formal hearings, the agency offers mediation services and remote hearings via phone and video conferencing, making it easier for residents to resolve disputes without unnecessary burden. OATH also conducts outreach through community events and legal education workshops, helping New Yorkers better understand their rights and responsibilities. The agency emphasizes language access and uses plain language to ensure that all individuals, regardless of background, can participate in the hearing process fairly.

Key Services:

– Administrative hearings for summonses issued by NYC government agencies
– Independent and impartial adjudication of civil violations
– Online, telephone, and video hearings for accessibility
– Mediation services to resolve disputes outside of hearings
– Legal education and community outreach programs
– Multilingual support for participants with limited English proficiency
– Transparent and publicly available decisions to support legal clarity
– Specialized tribunals for different case types, including environmental and health-related violations