How do I file a Claim with NYC?

Filing a claim against New York City starts with a Notice of Claim, which must be served on the NYC Comptroller's Office within 90 days of the date your injury occurred, as required by General Municipal Law § 50-e. The Notice must include specific details: your name and address, the nature of the claim, a description of how and where the injury happened, and the damages you're seeking. Missing that 90-day window can bar your right to sue the City entirely, though courts may grant leave to file late under limited circumstances. Once the Notice is filed, the Comptroller's Office typically schedules a hearing called a 50-h examination, where a City attorney will question you under oath about the incident before any lawsuit can proceed. Because the City's claims process involves strict procedural rules and tight deadlines, speaking with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after an injury on City property or involving a City agency is strongly advisable.

How long after an accident can you file a Claim in NY?

Filing deadlines in New York depend on who you're suing and what type of accident occurred, so it's critical to identify the correct deadline as early as possible. If your claim is against New York City or another municipal entity, you must file a Notice of Claim with the NYC Comptroller's office within 90 days of the accident under GML § 50-e, and failure to meet that deadline can bar your case entirely. For most personal injury claims against private parties, CPLR § 214-a gives you three years from the date of the accident to commence a lawsuit, though medical malpractice claims carry a shorter 2.5-year window under the same statute. Wrongful death claims have their own separate timeline under EPTL § 5-4.1, requiring a lawsuit to be filed within two years of the date of death. Because municipal claims in particular involve some of the shortest and strictest deadlines in New York law, speaking with an attorney as soon as possible after an accident gives you the best chance of preserving your rights.

NYC Paid $1.94 Billion in Injury Claims Last Year

New York City paid $1.94 billion to settle injury and property damage claims in fiscal year 2024. That is a record. It is also a 33.8% increase over the $1.45 billion paid in FY 2023.

The numbers come from the NYC Comptroller’s Office FY 2024 Annual Claims Report, which tracks every claim filed against the city and every dollar paid out. The data covers tort claims (personal injury, property damage, police misconduct) and contract or law claims handled through the city’s legal system.

For anyone injured by a city agency, a city vehicle, a city-owned property defect, or a city employee acting in the line of duty, these numbers tell a simple story: the city knows it has liability exposure, and it pays billions because of it.

The FY 2024 Numbers

The Comptroller’s data breaks the $1.94 billion into two main categories:

$1.04 billion in tort claims covering personal injury and property damage
$907.83 million in law claims covering contracts, labor disputes, and other legal obligations

Within the tort category, the payouts span a wide range of city operations. Police misconduct, roadway defects, medical negligence at city hospitals, dangerous conditions on city property, and auto accidents involving city vehicles all contributed to the total.

The city also saw a significant increase in the number of new claims filed. In FY 2024, 38,247 new tort claims were submitted, continuing a trend of rising filings that accelerated after the pandemic.

Which Agencies Pay the Most

Not all city agencies carry equal liability. A handful of departments account for the vast majority of tort payouts.

NYPD: $309.51 million. The police department leads all agencies, responsible for roughly 30% of all tort claim dollars. These payouts cover excessive force allegations, false arrest, wrongful conviction, police vehicle collisions, and civil rights violations. The NYPD also saw 9,036 new claims filed in FY 2024, a 30.7% jump from the prior year.
Department of Correction: $252.87 million. Claims against DOC include injuries sustained by inmates and staff, medical negligence in city jails, and use-of-force incidents at Rikers Island and other facilities.
Department of Education: $128.04 million. The DOE’s payouts cover injuries on school property, negligent supervision of students, and trip-and-fall incidents at school buildings. With over 1,800 school buildings citywide, the city’s exposure is enormous.
Department of Transportation: $115.27 million. DOT claims involve roadway and sidewalk defects: potholes, cracked sidewalks, missing signage, traffic signal malfunctions, and construction zone hazards. When a pothole causes a crash or a broken sidewalk causes a fall, the city bears responsibility if it had prior notice of the condition.
Health + Hospitals: $45.77 million. NYC Health + Hospitals operates 11 public hospitals and numerous clinics. Medical malpractice claims from these facilities, including surgical errors, misdiagnosis, and emergency room negligence, make up the bulk of this category.

Auto Accident Claims Against the City

One category stands out for its direct relevance to everyday New Yorkers: auto accidents involving city vehicles.

The city paid $125.68 million to resolve 2,040 motor vehicle accident claims in FY 2024. These cases involve NYPD patrol cars, FDNY trucks, sanitation vehicles, DOT maintenance trucks, city buses, and other municipal fleet vehicles.

City vehicle drivers follow the same rules of the road as everyone else. When a sanitation truck runs a red light, when a patrol car strikes a pedestrian during a non-emergency response, when a city bus rear-ends a commuter, the city faces the same liability any driver would. The difference is the claims process.

How City Claims Work

Filing a claim against New York City is not like filing a claim against a private driver or a private landlord. There are additional procedural requirements that trip up many injured people.

The 90-day Notice of Claim. Before you can sue the city, you must file a Notice of Claim with the NYC Comptroller’s Office within 90 days of the incident under . This document describes the nature of the claim, where and when the incident occurred, and the damages sought. Missing this deadline almost always kills the case.
The hearing. After filing, the city will schedule a 50-h hearing (named after ). The city’s attorneys question you under oath about the incident. Your testimony at this hearing can make or break your case.
The shortened statute of limitations. Against the city, you have one year and 90 days from the incident to file a lawsuit. Compare that to the standard three-year statute of limitations for a personal injury case against a private party.
Prior written notice for roadway defects. For pothole and sidewalk cases against the city, you generally must prove the city had “prior written notice” of the dangerous condition. This means someone reported the defect to the city before your incident, and the city failed to fix it. The city maintains a database of reported defects, and accessing those records is a critical part of building these cases.

What These Numbers Mean for Injured New Yorkers

The $1.94 billion figure is not an abstract budget line. Each dollar represents a real person who was injured by a city agency, a city employee, or a dangerous condition on city property, and who successfully navigated the claims process to get compensation.

But the payout number also understates the problem. Many valid claims never get filed because injured people do not know about the 90-day Notice of Claim deadline. Others get rejected on procedural grounds. The Comptroller’s data only captures claims that were actually paid, not the full universe of city-caused injuries.

The year-over-year increase of 33.8% reflects several factors: rising claim values driven by medical cost inflation, an increase in new claims filed as the city returned to full activity after the pandemic, and a backlog of older claims reaching resolution.

For city agencies like the NYPD and DOC, the sustained high payouts suggest systemic issues that produce injuries year after year. For DOT, the growing totals reflect the reality that New York’s aging infrastructure creates hazards faster than the city can repair them.

The Legal Bottom Line

If you were injured by a city agency, a city vehicle, or a dangerous condition on city property, you have the right to file a claim. But you face stricter deadlines and more procedural hurdles than in a standard personal injury case.

The 90-day clock starts running from the date of your incident. Not the date you hired a lawyer. Not the date you finished medical treatment. The date of the incident itself.

New York City will pay legitimate claims. The $1.94 billion proves that. But it will also fight claims aggressively and use every procedural defense available. Getting the process right from day one matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did NYC pay in injury claims in FY 2024?

New York City paid a record $1.94 billion in total claims during fiscal year 2024. That includes $1.04 billion in tort claims covering personal injury and property damage, plus $907.83 million in contract and other law claims. The total represents a 33.8% increase over FY 2023.

Can you sue New York City for a personal injury?

Yes, but the process is different from suing a private party. You must file a Notice of Claim with the NYC Comptroller’s Office within 90 days of the incident. After that, you have one year and 90 days from the date of the incident to file a lawsuit. Missing the Notice of Claim deadline almost always bars your case entirely.

Which NYC agency pays the most in injury claims?

The NYPD leads all city agencies in tort claim payouts, accounting for $309.51 million in FY 2024. That represents roughly 30% of all tort dollars paid. The Department of Correction followed at $252.87 million, the Department of Education at $128.04 million, and the Department of Transportation at $115.27 million.