

Prudentia, Aequitatis,
Temperantia, Fortitudo,
Gravitas, Pietas,
Dignitas, Virtus
Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings
Generally, OATH is New York City’s central, independent administrative law court. OATH has three divisions that are responsible for adjudicating City matters: the OATH Trials Division, the OATH Hearings Division and the OATH Special Education Hearings Division.
The OATH Trials Division adjudicates a wide range of issues that can be referred by any City agency, board or commission. Its caseload includes employee discipline and disability hearings for civil servants, Conflicts of Interest Board cases, proceedings related to the retention of seized vehicles by the police, City-issued license and regulatory enforcement, real estate, zoning and loft law violations, City contract disputes and human rights violations under the City Human Rights Law. OATH Trials are conducted by Administrative Law Judges (“ALJs”) who are appointed to five-year terms.
In the OATH Hearings Division, hearings are conducted on summonses issued by 25 different City enforcement agencies for alleged violations of law or City rules. These summonses are issued by the Departments of Buildings, Sanitation, Environmental Protection, Consumer and Worker Protection, Health and Mental Hygiene and the Taxi and Limousine Commission, among others. OATH hearings are conducted by Hearing Officers.
In the OATH Special Education Hearings Division adjudication occurs for disputes about special education services provided to New York City children.
Within OATH is the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution (“CCRC”), which provides mediation and restorative justice support to City government agencies and the public
Specifically,
Trials on matters including: disciplinary cases relating to the City's 370,000 civil service workforce, city contract disputes; marriage license cases; prevailing wage cases brought by the Comptroller to seek restitution of underpayments to laborers, workers and mechanics on City contracts; suspension or revocation of city-issued licenses; landlord-tenant disputes in buildings covered by the Loft Law; SRO proceedings where owners of single room occupancy buildings challenge findings of harassment; padlock proceedings to stop alleged commercial uses in residentially zoned premises; Krimstock cases where owners seek return of their cars seized during an arrest; discrimination cases; violations of the City's Campaign Finance and Conflict of Interest Laws; and paid sick leave and other Department of Consumer Affairs matters.
Hearings on matters of summonses issued by enforcement agencies, including: NYC Department of Sanitation, NYC Department of Buildings, NYC Fire Department, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, New York Police Department (NYPD), Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, NYC Business Integrity Commission, NYC Office of Technology & Innovation, NYC Department of Finance, Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement.
Special Education Hearings provide fair and neutral impartial hearings to resolve disputes between parents of students with disabilities and the New York City Department of Education (“DOE”).
Mediation in the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution which is utilized for its ability to be the conflict resource for New York City government, its agencies, employees, unions and the public they serve since 2016.