The phone number for the NYC marshal handling your eviction is printed directly on the Notice of Eviction, next to the marshal’s name and office address.1Department of Investigation. Marshals Evictions Frequently Asked Questions There is no single citywide eviction hotline, because each of New York City’s marshals runs an independent private office. If you don’t have the notice in front of you, every active marshal’s direct number is published on the NYC Department of Investigation’s website.2Department of Investigation. Marshals List
Check Your Notice of Eviction First
The fastest way to reach the marshal is the paperwork you already have. When a marshal schedules an eviction, the Notice of Eviction delivered to the premises lists the marshal’s full name, office address, and direct telephone number.1Department of Investigation. Marshals Evictions Frequently Asked Questions Calling that number is the right move if you want to confirm the scheduled date, ask whether a court stay has been entered, or ask about the status of your case.
City marshals are private businesspeople appointed by the Mayor, not salaried city employees, so hours and staffing vary from one office to the next.3Department of Investigation. NYC Marshals If you don’t reach someone on the first try, try again during standard business hours before assuming the line is wrong.
If what you have is a Warrant of Eviction rather than a Notice of Eviction, the warrant itself may name the marshal or sheriff assigned to enforce it. The notice, though, is the document that controls the schedule and is the one to look at first.
Use the DOI Marshals List If You Lost the Notice
When the notice is lost, damaged, or never made it into your hands, the NYC Department of Investigation publishes a complete list of every active city marshal online. The page is titled “Marshals List” and lives on nyc.gov under the DOI’s offices section.2Department of Investigation. Marshals List Each entry gives the marshal’s badge number, office phone number, fax number, and street address. Marshals operate out of offices in all five boroughs.
To use the list, match the marshal’s name from your court paperwork to the corresponding entry. If you don’t know which marshal was assigned, check the Warrant of Eviction issued by the court, or contact the clerk’s office at the Housing Court where your case was heard. You can also call 311, though 311 operators generally point callers to the DOI list or to legal aid rather than looking up individual case assignments.4NYC311. Eviction Prevention and Homebase
What to Have Ready Before You Dial
Marshal offices carry heavy caseloads, and staff will need specific identifiers to pull your file. Have these in front of you before you call:
- The case index number from your Housing Court or Civil Court documents. This is the unique file identifier and it’s usually what gets you an answer fastest.
- The full street address of the unit subject to eviction, including apartment number.
- The names of every person listed as a respondent on the Warrant of Eviction.
- The date printed on the Notice of Eviction, which sets the earliest date the eviction can proceed.
Having this information ready cuts down the back-and-forth. A marshal’s office may be tracking dozens of active warrants at once, and the index number is what connects a phone call to a specific file.
Marshal or Sheriff: Make Sure You’re Calling the Right Office
Not every eviction in New York City is handled by a marshal. The NYC Sheriff’s Office also has authority to enforce eviction warrants, and the two serve different courts. Marshals primarily handle Civil Court cases; the Sheriff enforces judgments from both the Supreme Court and Civil Court.1Department of Investigation. Marshals Evictions Frequently Asked Questions Both are the only officers authorized to execute a Warrant of Eviction, and both are required by law to charge the same fees.
The practical takeaway: if your case was filed in Housing Court (a division of Civil Court), a city marshal is almost always the one assigned. If your case involved a Supreme Court proceeding, the Sheriff’s Office may be enforcing it instead. Confirm which officer is on your paperwork before spending time calling the wrong number. The Sheriff’s Office is reachable through nyc.gov or 311.
What the Marshal Can and Cannot Do on the Phone
A marshal’s office is the right place to ask about scheduling, confirm receipt of a court stay, or find out where your belongings were taken after an eviction. In a full eviction, the marshal supervises the removal of your property to a private warehouse for storage; in a “legal possession,” your belongings stay in the apartment under the landlord’s care until you retrieve them.1Department of Investigation. Marshals Evictions Frequently Asked Questions If you’re trying to identify the warehouse that received your items, the marshal’s office is the right place to ask.
What the marshal cannot do on the phone is cancel or delay your eviction on their own authority. Formal relief comes only from the court, most commonly through an Order to Show Cause asking a judge to stay the eviction.5New York Courts. NYC Housing Court Orders to Show Cause If a judge signs the order, it typically directs the marshal to halt the eviction until the motion is heard, and you then serve the signed order on the landlord as the judge specifies.
For free legal help before calling the marshal, tenants at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for a lawyer through New York City’s Right to Counsel program. Housing Court Answers can be reached at 212-962-4795, and Legal Services NYC at 917-661-4500 (Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
A Different Number for Complaints About a Marshal
Case-specific calls go to the marshal’s office. Complaints about a marshal’s conduct go somewhere else. City marshals are regulated by the Department of Investigation, which runs a dedicated unit overseeing them.3Department of Investigation. NYC Marshals If a marshal used excessive force, failed to give the required written notice, refused to postpone an eviction involving a vulnerable tenant, or handled fees improperly, you can file a complaint through DOI at nyc.gov/doi. Marshals are required by law to keep detailed records of every official action and all fees collected.6New York State Senate. New York City Civil Court Act 1609 – General Powers, Duties and Liabilities of Marshals
DOI handles oversight, not scheduling. For anything about when your eviction is happening or whether a stay was filed, call the marshal’s office directly using the number on your notice or the DOI marshals list.