Westchester County, New York

The Law Office of Weiss & Weiss is located in the City of White Plains, the County seat of Westchester County. Westchester County is a County located in the State of New York. According to the 2010 Census, Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles and has a population of 949,113, residing in 45 municipalities.

The county is located just north of the Borough of the Bronx, New York City, and is also bordered by Long Island Sound to its south, Putnam County to the north, the State of Connecticut to the east, and Rockland County to the west, just across the Tappan Zee Bridge. Westchester became the first large scale suburban area in the world to develop. Its significance as a suburb derived mostly from the upper-middle class development of entire communities in the late 19th century, and the rapid population growth that occurred as a result.

The law offices of Weiss & Weiss are located at 1 Barker Avenue in the heart of downtown White Plains, easily accessible from the Cross-Westchester Expressway (I-287) or the Bronx River Parkway. White Plains is the commercial hub of Westchester County and is the site of the historic battle of White Plains in 1776, when troops led by General George Washington defeated the British, holding the city for the Continentals. The average daytime weekday population is estimated at 250,000, due to its large influx of daily commuters. The White Plains Metro-North station is located at Main Street, just a few blocks from the offices of Weiss & Weiss, and provides daily train service to Grand Central Station in Manhattan, as well as other stops on the Metro-North Harlem line. New York City subway connections are available along the Metro-North train route for the convenience of our clients.

White Plains, New York is comprised of approximately thirty-five separate neighborhoods in which many of our clients choose to reside. Some of the most well-known neighborhoods include Battle Hill, Bryant Gardens, Downtown White Plains, Gedney Farms, Highlands, North White Plains, Old Mamaroneck Road, Ridgeway, Saxon Woods, Secor Gardens, and Soundview. The public school system in White Plains is comprised of five elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.

In Westchester County, New York, distinctions are to be made between the post office address of a property, the town to which real estate taxes are due and payable, and the school district to be attended by children living at a particular address. For example, a client may inform us that they are considering purchasing a home located “in Scarsdale.” The Village of Scarsdale is comprised of seventeen neighborhoods as follows: Arthur Manor, Berkley in Scarsdale, Bramlee Heights, Colonial Acres, Drake Edgewood, East Heathcote, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Murdock Woods, Murray Hill, Old Scarsdale, Overhill, Quaker Ridge, Scarsdale Meadows, Secor Farms, Sherbrooke Farms and West Quaker Ridge. Notwithstanding the numerous neighborhoods within Scarsdale, there are only five elementary schools serving the Village of Scarsdale, namely Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote and Quaker Ridge. Most Scarsdale residents refer to their part of town by the name of their elementary school district. Despite the distinctions between neighborhoods and elementary schools within Scarsdale, all residents pay their real estate taxes to the Village of Scarsdale, as well as to the Scarsdale School District and the County of Westchester.

It is sometimes confusing to a person during their property search in Westchester County, New York when it is discovered that a street address with a Scarsdale zip code (10583) may actually be in the Village of Scarsdale, or could also be in a variety of other communities, such as portions of Eastchester (neighborhoods known as Garth Road, Green Knolls, Greenvale and North End), Mamaroneck (the Murdock Woods neighborhood), New Rochelle (neighborhoods known as Bloomingdale Estates, Dorchester Hills, Quaker Ridge, Scarsdale Downs, Scarsdale Park, Stratton Hills, Wilmot and Wilmot Woods), Yonkers (the Beech Hill neighborhood) and Greenburgh (the neighborhood of Edgemont).

The Town of Greenburgh, also located in Westchester County, New York, contains six incorporated villages (Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington and Tarrytown), as well as an unincorporated portion comprised mostly of Edgemont and portions of Hartsdale. Ardsley has its own school district. Homeowners in Ardsley pay real estate taxes to the Ardsley School District, the Town of Greenburgh/Westchester County and the Village of Ardsley. Dobbs Ferry also has its own school district. Real estate taxes for Dobbs Ferry properties are paid to the following entities: the Dobbs Ferry School District, the Town of Greenburgh/Westchester County and the Village of Dobbs Ferry. Students residing in Elmsford attend schools in the Elmsford School District, as real estate taxes are paid to the Elmsford School District, the Town of Greenburgh/Westchester County and the Village of Elmsford. Hastings-on-Hudson is an incorporated village within the Town of Greenburgh with its own school district. Real estate taxes for Hastings-on-Hudson residents are paid to the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, the Hastings-on-Hudson School District and the Town of Greenburgh/Westchester County. Those students attending Irvington Union Free School District schools may live in Irvington, but could also attend school with students residing in East Irvington, portions of the unincorporated area of Greenburgh and the Pennybridge section of Tarrytown. Tarrytown is a village within the Town of Greenburgh that shares its school district with the Village of Sleepy Hollow (a portion of the Town of Mount Pleasant). Residents of Tarrytown are required to pay three real estate taxes, to the Tarrytown School District, the Village of Tarrytown and the Town of Greenburgh/Westchester County. In some cases the Town of Greenburgh collects school taxes on behalf of the school district to which they are due.

The community known as Edgemont has unique attributes. It is part of the unincorporated portion of the Town of Greenburgh and has a school district known as the Edgemont Union Free School District. Residents of Edgemont do not pay village real estate taxes, but do pay real estate taxes to the Town of Greenburgh/Westchester County and to the Edgemont School District. The neighborhoods within Edgemont are known as Central Park Avenue, Edgemont, Fort Hill, Greenridge, Longview, Northern Greenville, Southern Greenville and Cotswold. A letter addressed to an Edgemont resident requires a Scarsdale postal address and a Scarsdale zip code, 10583.

Hartsdale is a hamlet and a post office address designation within the Town of Greenburgh. Most students residing in Hartsdale attend Greenburgh Central School District schools, while some students attend the schools located in the Edgemont Union Free School District. The neighborhoods within Hartsdale are known as the Downtown Village, Manor Park, Windsor Park, Poet’s Corner, Ridge Road, Orchard Hill and College Corners.

Besides the specific examples raised herein, our firm has encountered many similar distinctions between the post office address of a property, the town to which real estate taxes are due and payable, and the school district to be attended by children living at a particular address. In Northern Westchester County, the communities of Chappaqua and Millwood are both part of the Town of New Castle. An example in Nassau County would be Merrick, New York as one of the thirty-seven hamlets within the Town of Hempstead.

When conducting real estate transactions, our attorneys perform the necessary due diligence to confirm that the school district intended to be attended by a purchaser’s child is indeed the school district for a particular address. In rare instances where a property is split between two school districts, our attorneys will confirm that the property owner may select the school district to be attended, even though real estate taxes are to be paid to both school districts. In preparing for closing, we apportion the real estate taxes between the parties to the transaction for all entities that receive real estate taxes for a particular property.

Weiss & Weiss practices in all Courts located within Westchester County, the neighboring Borough of the Bronx, and the other boroughs of New York City. Courts located in Westchester County include the local courts, known generally as Town Courts, in which landlord-tenant matters and other cases are litigated. In addition, the City of White Plains as well as Yonkers and Rye have Courts at the local level which are known as City Courts, and are similar to the Town Courts. Westchester localities close in proximity to Weiss & Weiss, such as Scarsdale, Ardsley, Bronxville, Eastchester, and Larchmont, are served by Town Courts or Village Courts.

For cases with larger monetary limits, including all foreclosure cases, matters are litigated in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Westchester, which is located at 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, White Plains, a short walk from the offices of Weiss & Weiss. The Supreme Court, despite its name, is the lowest level of trial court for the State of New York. If an appeal is made from a Supreme Court decision, it is made with the Appellate Division, Second Department, and any further appeal would be determined by the New York State Court of Appeals, the highest Court in New York State, located in the state capital of Albany, New York.

Federal lawsuits, which generally involve interpretation of federal statutes or cases where the parties are from different states, are brought in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Southern District of New York also has a courthouse located in downtown White Plains, less than one-half mile from the office of Weiss & Weiss.