HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS ON NEW YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY

How to Serve Legal Papers on the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)

Attorneys and process servers who deliver summonses, complaints, and Notices of Claim to the NYC Law Department at 100 Church Street for NYCHA tort suits and civil rights actions have those papers refused. The New York City Housing Authority does not receive service through Corporation Counsel. NYCHA is a public corporation under New York Public Housing Law § 401 with independent legal identity, and it has formally designated its General Counsel as its agent for service of process. The designated intake is the NYCHA Law Department Service Window at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10007 — a different building, a different floor, and a different legal department from where City-as-defendant suits go. For state-law tort claims, GML § 50-e requires a Notice of Claim filed with the NYCHA Law Department within 90 days of the date of injury — not at the NYC Comptroller at 1 Centre Street, which handles City-of-New-York Notices of Claim but not NYCHA’s. GML § 50-i then imposes a one-year-and-90-day outer statute of limitations. Both clocks run from the date of injury; neither pauses for a misrouted attempt.

Undisputed Legal serves NYCHA on a recurring basis. Once counsel has prepared the Notice of Claim, we deliver and file it at the NYCHA Law Department Service Window at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor. We deliver summonses and complaints to the Service Window for state-court service and under FRCP 4(j)(2) for federal service. We deliver papers electronically to [email protected] when counsel directs electronic service and obtain delivery confirmation. For subpoenas, our process servers obtain the $15 Cashier receipt at 90 Church Street, 6th Floor, before presenting at the 11th Floor Service Window during the Tuesday/Thursday intake hours. Every delivery generates a GPS-verified, notarized affidavit of service. Call (800) 774-6922 before your 90-day Notice of Claim window closes.

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Why the New York City Housing Authority Is Hard to Serve Correctly

Don’t Route NYCHA Service to Corporation Counsel — NYCHA Has Its Own Designated Agent at 90 Church Street

The New York City Housing Authority is not served through the NYC Law Department at 100 Church Street. NYCHA is a public corporation under New York Public Housing Law § 401 with an independent legal identity distinct from the municipal corporation. NYCHA has formally designated its General Counsel as its agent for service of process, and the intake is the NYCHA Law Department Service Window at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10007. Corporation Counsel at 100 Church Street is not authorized to accept service on NYCHA’s behalf and returns papers delivered there without logging them as constructive service.

This is the most common routing error in NYCHA litigation. Personal-injury attorneys accustomed to serving FDNY, NYPD, and DOE matters at Corporation Counsel default to 100 Church Street and discover too late that NYCHA papers are returned. The § 50-e clock continues to run during the interval between a misrouted delivery and a corrected attempt at 90 Church Street. When the 90-day window has already expired at the time the error is discovered, the underlying tort suit fails as a matter of law.

Federal service follows the same routing. Under FRCP 4(j)(2), service on a state-created governmental entity routes to the entity’s chief executive officer or to the agent the entity has designated under state law. NYCHA’s designation under PHL § 401 directs service to its General Counsel, currently David Rohde, EVP for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, at 90 Church Street. Federal courts in SDNY and EDNY reject NYCHA service at 100 Church Street. Service on Corporation Counsel for a NYCHA-as-defendant suit is a nullity — papers are returned and no answer clock starts.

Notice of Claim Against NYCHA Goes to 90 Church Street — Not the NYC Comptroller at 1 Centre Street

GML § 50-e imposes a 90-day Notice of Claim filing requirement on state-law tort claims against NYCHA, measured from the date of injury — not discovery, not attorney retention. The critical trap: the GML § 50-e Notice of Claim must be filed with the public corporation’s designated agent. For the City of New York, that is the Comptroller at 1 Centre Street. For NYCHA, it is the NYCHA General Counsel at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor. The Comptroller does not receive Notices of Claim against NYCHA, and no internal cross-filing mechanism exists between the Comptroller’s office and NYCHA.

Filing a NYCHA Notice of Claim with the NYC Comptroller is a null act. The Comptroller routes the filing back; there is no forwarding to NYCHA. By the time the misfiling is discovered, the 90-day window has often closed. GML § 50-e compliance is a substantive condition precedent to suit — a state-law tort complaint against NYCHA filed without a timely Notice of Claim is dismissed as a matter of law. Courts do not grant equitable exceptions in the standard tort context.

GML § 50-i layers a one-year-and-90-day outer statute of limitations on top of the § 50-e window. Both run from the date of injury simultaneously; neither pauses for a misfiled notice. As a backup route, GML § 53 authorizes service of a Notice of Claim against any public corporation on the New York Secretary of State at One Commerce Plaza, Albany — but primary delivery goes to 90 Church Street. Even excellent service at 90 Church Street cannot rescue a Notice of Claim filed after the 90-day window.

GML § 50-h Pre-Suit Hearing Is a Condition Precedent — NYCHA Demands It Aggressively in Housing-Conditions Cases

GML § 50-h grants NYCHA a statutory right to conduct a sworn pre-suit oral examination of the claimant within 90 days after the Notice of Claim is filed. Once NYCHA demands a § 50-h hearing in writing, the claimant’s failure to appear bars the lawsuit until the examination is completed. Courts dismiss state-law tort complaints filed against NYCHA while a § 50-h demand remains unanswered — even when the Notice of Claim was timely and properly filed at 90 Church Street.

Counsel monitors NYCHA’s § 50-h demand, schedules the claimant’s appearance, and only then advances the underlying suit — Undisputed Legal does not track the § 50-h timeline as a compliance function. NYCHA demands § 50-h examinations routinely in housing-conditions, lead paint, and personal-injury matters; litigants who file immediately after Notice of Claim submission routinely face § 50-h dismissal motions. A complaint filed before a demanded § 50-h examination is held is dismissable on motion regardless of Notice of Claim timeliness.

NYCHA Subpoena Intake Has Four Independent Rejection Triggers — Missing Any One Fails the Submission

The NYCHA Service Window at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor, accepts subpoenas only when all four conditions are simultaneously satisfied. First: the subpoena must be so-ordered — signed by a judge under CPLR Article 23 for New York state proceedings, or under CPLR § 3119 for interstate depositions. Unsigned or attorney-issued subpoenas are returned without acceptance. Second: the subpoena must be accompanied by a $15 Cashier receipt. The Cashier operates at 90 Church Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017, open 9 AM to 5 PM. The fee is waivable by judicial order, but absent a waiver order or a Cashier receipt, the Service Window rejects the subpoena on presentation regardless of its other qualities.

Third: the subpoena must be served at least 24 hours before the court return date. NYCHA requests a two-week lead time for compliance preparation, but 24 hours is the hard floor — subpoenas on shorter notice are returned. Fourth: the subpoena must specify the documents or testimony sought with particularity; vague or open-ended subpoenas are rejected at intake on specificity grounds. The Service Window operates Tuesdays and Thursdays only, 9 AM to 5 PM — a four-trigger-compliant subpoena still fails if presented on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday.

Email service to [email protected] is available for subpoenas but does not bypass the so-ordered, fee-paid, and specificity requirements. Those conditions must be satisfied in the document before transmission. Our process servers know the NYCHA Service Window intake procedures and the $15 Cashier fee requirement — we obtain the 6th-Floor receipt before presenting at the 11th-Floor window.

250 Broadway Is NYCHA’s Tenancy Hearing Location — It Does Not Accept Service of Process for Litigation

NYCHA conducts administrative termination-of-tenancy hearings at 250 Broadway, Manhattan. These are formal proceedings in which a NYCHA Hearing Officer determines whether a tenant should be evicted from public housing for nonpayment, lease violation, or related grounds. The 250 Broadway address appears in NYCHA tenant-facing correspondence and in housing-court filings — and it is frequently confused for a service-of-process intake by attorneys on both sides of NYCHA litigation.

Service of summonses, complaints, Notices of Claim, subpoenas, or any other litigation papers naming NYCHA must go to the NYCHA Law Department Service Window at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor, or via authorized alternatives: ServiceECF email, mail to the same 90 Church Street address, or the GML § 53 Secretary of State backup route in Albany. NYCHA Hearing Officers and administrative staff at 250 Broadway do not log litigation service, do not accept summonses or Notices of Claim, and do not forward papers to the Law Department at 90 Church Street.

The misroute operates in both directions: tenants’ counsel handling termination hearings at 250 Broadway file related affirmative claims and serve at that address out of habit; personal-injury counsel encounter 250 Broadway in NYCHA tenant-facing materials and assume service is acceptable there. Both errors fail. Papers delivered to 250 Broadway do not constitute service on NYCHA — the § 50-e clock does not stop running.

This is not a service to attempt without operational experience. Each of the five errors above produces a different rejection — and once dismissal arrives on a § 50-e clock that has already run, refiling is not a remedy. Courts strictly enforce the conditions precedent for tort suits against NYCHA, and § 50-i imposes a one-year-and-90-day outer bound that does not pause for a defective service attempt. Subpoena rejections at the NYCHA Service Window for missing fees or insufficient notice produce immediate misses of court return dates. Continue reading to see how Undisputed Legal executes each step.

Our Process for Serving the New York City Housing Authority

1. Service intake and routing: Once counsel has prepared the service package, we accept and route by document type and counsel’s directive: summonses and complaints to the Service Window at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor; Notices of Claim to the same window for filing; subpoenas through the Cashier-first protocol at the 6th Floor before the 11th Floor window; electronic service to [email protected] when counsel directs. We route on what counsel presents — we do not classify the matter or advise on which procedural track applies.
2. Notice of Claim delivery and filing at the NYCHA Law Department: Once counsel has prepared the Notice of Claim under GML § 50-e, we deliver and file it at the NYCHA Law Department Service Window, 90 Church Street, 11th Floor. We have delivered Notices of Claim prepared by counsel to the NYCHA Law Department on a recurring basis. We obtain a date-stamped, GPS-verified receipt at the moment of filing.
3. Summons and complaint service at the Service Window: We deliver summonses and complaints to the Service Window at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor, during Tuesday/Thursday 9 AM–5 PM intake hours. In our service operations, the most common rejection cause is papers not captioned to “New York City Housing Authority” — complaints captioned to “NYCHA” alone or to “City of New York” are returned. We obtain a time-stamped, GPS-verified receipt at delivery.
4. Subpoena service — Cashier receipt first, Service Window second: For so-ordered subpoenas, we obtain the $15 Cashier fee receipt at 90 Church Street, 6th Floor, before presenting at the 11th Floor Service Window — the Service Window rejects subpoenas without a Cashier receipt regardless of so-ordered status. The subpoena must bear a judge’s signature under CPLR Article 23 and be served at least 24 hours before the return date. If a subpoena lacks judicial signature or specificity, we return it without delivery and note the deficiency for counsel.
5. Electronic service via ServiceECF: We deliver papers electronically to [email protected] when counsel directs electronic service, obtain delivery confirmation, and document the transmission with timestamps. Electronic delivery does not bypass the so-ordered and specificity requirements for subpoenas — those conditions must be satisfied in the document before transmission. Counsel decides the delivery method; we execute service in the form counsel has directed.
6. GPS-verified affidavit of service: Every delivery is timestamped with GPS-verified location data at the moment of service. We generate notarized affidavits specifying date, time, GPS location, and delivery method, formatted for New York Supreme Court, Civil Court, SDNY, or EDNY as applicable.
7. Refused service and re-attempt protocols: If the Service Window refuses a submission — missing Cashier receipt, specificity deficiency, caption error, or outside Tuesday/Thursday hours — we document the refusal with GPS-verified location data and the stated reason, and coordinate with counsel on re-attempt or alternative service. We do not re-attempt without instruction from counsel.

Where to Serve the New York City Housing Authority

Papers delivered to 100 Church Street or 250 Broadway do not constitute service on NYCHA — the § 50-e clock continues to run. Verify current intake procedures at nyc.gov/site/nycha before dispatch.

Compliance and Legal Framework for NYCHA Service

Public Housing Law § 401 — NYCHA’s Independent Legal Identity

New York Public Housing Law § 401 establishes NYCHA as a public corporation with independent legal identity — it is sued in its own name and designates its own agent for service of process. Courts strictly enforce the PHL § 401 designation: service on Corporation Counsel at 100 Church Street for a NYCHA-as-defendant matter is ineffective as a matter of law. Under PHL § 401, the NYCHA General Counsel is the Authority’s authorized service recipient.

GML § 50-e — Notice of Claim Within 90 Days, Filed with NYCHA Law Department

General Municipal Law § 50-e requires a Notice of Claim filed within 90 days of accrual. For NYCHA matters, it is filed with the NYCHA Law Department at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor — not the NYC Comptroller at 1 Centre Street. Courts strictly enforce the § 50-e deadline as a substantive condition precedent: a state-law tort complaint against NYCHA without a timely Notice of Claim is dismissed as a matter of law.

GML § 50-i — One-Year-and-90-Day Statute of Limitations

General Municipal Law § 50-i establishes the outer statute of limitations for state-law tort actions against public corporations including NYCHA: one year and 90 days from the date of accrual. Courts strictly enforce § 50-i as an absolute bar. A summons-and-complaint served on NYCHA after the § 50-i period has run is dismissed regardless of the Notice of Claim’s timeliness.

GML § 50-h — Pre-Suit Examination as Condition Precedent

GML § 50-h authorizes NYCHA to demand a sworn pre-suit oral examination of the claimant within 90 days of Notice of Claim filing. Courts strictly enforce § 50-h compliance as a condition precedent: a complaint filed while a § 50-h demand remains unanswered is dismissable even when the Notice of Claim was timely. NYCHA demands § 50-h examinations routinely in housing-conditions, lead paint, and personal-injury matters — the right is actively exercised.

GML § 53 — Secretary of State Alternative Service for Public Corporations

General Municipal Law § 53 authorizes service of a Notice of Claim on the New York Secretary of State as an alternative to direct service on the public corporation’s designated agent. For NYCHA matters, GML § 53 service requires personal delivery of two copies to the Secretary of State’s Customer Service Counter at One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Avenue, 6th Floor, Albany, NY 12231, with a $40 statutory fee. GML § 53 is a backup route — primary delivery goes to the NYCHA Law Department Service Window at 90 Church Street.

FRCP 4(j)(2) — Federal Service on NYCHA

FRCP 4(j)(2) routes federal service on NYCHA to the NYCHA General Counsel at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor — not Corporation Counsel at 100 Church Street. Courts strictly enforce this routing: federal courts in SDNY and EDNY reject NYCHA service at 100 Church Street. We have delivered papers to 90 Church Street routinely for both state and federal NYCHA matters.

42 U.S.C. § 1983 — Federal Civil Rights Actions Against NYCHA (No Notice of Claim; 3-Year SOL)

42 U.S.C. § 1983 is a primary NYCHA litigation vehicle for housing-conditions claims — lead paint, mold, due process violations in tenancy terminations. Courts strictly enforce the three-year SOL under Owens v. Okure, 488 U.S. 235 (1989): pure § 1983 actions require no Notice of Claim under GML § 50-e. Federal service routes to the NYCHA General Counsel at 90 Church Street under FRCP 4(j)(2).

Service procedures change; consult a licensed attorney to confirm the correct procedure for your specific case before proceeding.

How Do I Serve Legal Papers on NYCHA?

To serve legal papers on the New York City Housing Authority for a state-law tort claim, deliver the Notice of Claim to the NYCHA Law Department Service Window at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor, within 90 days of injury under GML § 50-e — not to Corporation Counsel at 100 Church Street or the Comptroller at 1 Centre Street. Once NYCHA’s § 50-h demand window has expired or a demanded examination is completed, deliver the summons and complaint to the same Service Window. For a so-ordered subpoena, obtain the $15 Cashier receipt at 90 Church Street, 6th Floor, then present at the 11th Floor Service Window on a Tuesday or Thursday, at least 24 hours before the return date; [email protected] is available when counsel directs electronic service.

For a federal-court action naming NYCHA under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 or another federal cause of action, deliver the summons and complaint to the NYCHA Law Department at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor, under FRCP 4(j)(2) — not Corporation Counsel at 100 Church Street. No Notice of Claim is required for pure § 1983 claims; the three-year statute of limitations governs. For individual NYCHA officers in personal capacity, serve at their residence or place of business under CPLR § 308 (state) or FRCP 4(e) (federal) — separate from service on the Law Department.

Once counsel has prepared the documents, Undisputed Legal delivers and files at the Service Window, obtains Cashier receipts for subpoenas, executes ServiceECF email service when directed, and serves individual officers at addresses counsel identifies. Every delivery generates a GPS-verified, notarized affidavit of service. Call (212) 203-8001 to confirm your procedural timeline before your 90-day Notice of Claim window closes.

Pricing — NYCHA Service

First attempt within 3–7 business days for routine service. All service levels include GPS-verified affidavit of service. NYCHA subpoena service requires Tuesday or Thursday Service Window scheduling, a so-ordered subpoena, and a $15 Cashier receipt obtained at 90 Church Street, 6th Floor.

Frequently Asked Questions — Serving the New York City Housing Authority

Who is the proper defendant in a NYCHA case?

The proper defendant is the New York City Housing Authority, captioned precisely as “New York City Housing Authority” — not “NYCHA” alone, not “City of New York,” and not “NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development.” NYCHA is a public corporation under Public Housing Law § 401 with independent legal identity, sued in its own name. Complaints captioned against the City of New York without specifically naming NYCHA are not served through Corporation Counsel — NYCHA and the City are distinct legal entities with separate service addresses. The NYCHA General Counsel is the designated agent for service of process.

What is a Notice of Claim and where is it filed for NYCHA matters?

A Notice of Claim is a formal written notice required as a condition precedent to commencing a state-law tort suit against NYCHA under GML § 50-e. It must be filed within 90 days of the date the cause of action accrued — the date of injury. For NYCHA matters, the Notice of Claim is delivered and filed at the NYCHA Law Department Service Window at 90 Church Street, 11th Floor — not the NYC Comptroller at 1 Centre Street. A Notice of Claim filed with the Comptroller for a NYCHA matter is a null act — the Comptroller does not forward it to NYCHA.

Why does NYCHA require a $15 subpoena fee when other NYC agencies don’t?

NYCHA’s $15 subpoena fee is statutory for public corporations operating outside the standard City agency framework. Unlike FDNY, NYPD, and DOE — City agencies served through Corporation Counsel — NYCHA operates as an independent public corporation under PHL § 401 with its own intake procedures. The fee is paid to the NYCHA Cashier at 90 Church Street, 6th Floor, and a Cashier receipt must accompany the subpoena at the 11th Floor Service Window. Without the receipt, the Service Window rejects the subpoena regardless of so-ordered status — the fee is waivable only by judicial order.

Can I serve NYCHA by email?

Yes. NYCHA accepts electronic service via [email protected] for Orders to Show Cause, Notices of Claim, summonses, and subpoenas. Undisputed Legal delivers papers electronically to ServiceECF when counsel directs electronic service and obtains delivery confirmation. Email service does not bypass the substantive requirements: subpoenas served via ServiceECF must still be so-ordered under CPLR Article 23 and must identify the requested records with specificity. Counsel decides the delivery method — in-person Service Window or ServiceECF email — and Undisputed Legal executes service in the form counsel has directed.

How do I serve papers on a NYCHA officer in individual capacity?

Named NYCHA officers sued in individual capacity must be served personally under CPLR § 308 for state-court actions, or under FRCP 4(e) for federal-court actions, at their residence or place of business. The NYCHA Law Department Service Window at 90 Church Street does not accept personal service for NYCHA officers in individual capacity. Service on the NYCHA Law Department covers the institutional NYCHA defendant component only — it does not constitute service on individually named officers. Each named officer requires a separate GPS-verified, notarized affidavit of service.

What does Undisputed Legal do for NYCHA service?

Undisputed Legal executes service delivery for NYCHA matters. Once counsel has prepared the documents, we deliver and file Notices of Claim prepared by counsel at the NYCHA Law Department Service Window, 90 Church Street, 11th Floor. We deliver summonses and complaints to the Service Window for state-court service and under FRCP 4(j)(2) for federal service. We obtain the $15 Cashier receipt at the 6th Floor before presenting so-ordered subpoenas at the 11th Floor Service Window on Tuesday and Thursday intake days. We deliver papers electronically to [email protected] when counsel directs electronic service and obtain delivery confirmation. We serve individual NYCHA officers personally at addresses counsel identifies. Every delivery generates a GPS-verified, notarized affidavit of service.

What happens if I serve papers at 250 Broadway?

The papers are misrouted. 250 Broadway is NYCHA’s administrative tenancy hearing location — not a service-of-process intake for litigation. NYCHA Hearing Officers and administrative staff at 250 Broadway do not log litigation service, do not accept summonses or Notices of Claim, and do not forward papers to the NYCHA Law Department at 90 Church Street. The GML § 50-e and § 50-i clocks continue to run — if either window closes before a corrected attempt at 90 Church Street, the action is permanently barred.

What if I miss the 90-day Notice of Claim window for NYCHA?

A missed GML § 50-e deadline requires immediate evaluation by counsel. Under GML § 50-e(5), a court may grant leave to file late, but the application is discretionary — courts weigh actual notice to NYCHA within the 90-day window, excusable delay, and prejudice. NYCHA contests late-notice applications aggressively in housing-conditions and lead paint cases. There is no right to late filing; the § 50-e(5) analysis is counsel’s domain. If counsel has determined that a filing remains available, contact Undisputed Legal to coordinate delivery to the Service Window at 90 Church Street.