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NYC Marshal Services in Bay Ridge, NY
Bay Ridge Landlords Deserve Enforcement That Doesn't Create a Scene
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Eviction Marshal Serving Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Most Bay Ridge landlords who reach out have already been waiting. They filed in Kings County Housing Court, they got their judgment, and now they’re sitting on a warrant of eviction that doesn’t do anything on its own. That piece of paper only becomes real when a licensed NYC Marshal executes it — and how it gets executed matters more here than in most parts of Brooklyn.
Bay Ridge is a tight neighborhood. Many of our clients own two- or three-family row houses and live on the premises. Your tenant may know your neighbors. Your neighbors may know your tenant. A confrontational enforcement action doesn’t stay private — it travels. When the marshal who shows up handles the situation with professionalism and restraint, you get your property back without a lasting mess. That’s the outcome that actually matters.
On the debt collection side, the stakes are just as real. Bay Ridge’s commercial corridors — Third Avenue, Fifth Avenue, 86th Street — are home to hundreds of small, independently owned businesses. Arab, Italian, Greek, and Chinese-owned restaurants, contractors, and service businesses that extend credit, take on jobs, and sometimes end up holding a civil court judgment against someone who won’t pay. Enforcing that judgment through income execution or property execution isn’t just about the money. In a community this connected, it’s about doing it in a way that doesn’t blow back on you. That’s exactly what we’re built to deliver.
Licensed NYC Marshal Badge 14 Brooklyn
We were appointed NYC Marshal by the Mayor in 2016 — but our office’s history goes back to 1988, when Edward F. Guida Sr. first began serving clients across the five boroughs, including Bay Ridge and the surrounding neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Edward Jr. came into the business in 2007, worked alongside his father, managed the office through a difficult transition after his father’s passing in 2014, and was formally appointed Badge #14 two years later. The team in place today — including the office manager and staff who worked under Edward Sr. for years — has been doing this work long enough to know what Kings County Housing Court expects and what Bay Ridge landlords actually need.
There are only 28 active NYC Marshals right now, out of a possible 83. Every one of us is government-appointed, bonded at $100,000, and overseen by the NYC Department of Investigation. What separates our office isn’t the badge — it’s the 35-plus years of institutional knowledge behind it, and a genuine commitment to handling every case, from Shore Road to Fort Hamilton Parkway, the way it deserves to be handled.
Bay Ridge Eviction and Judgment Enforcement Process
Once you have a judgment or a warrant of eviction from Kings County Housing Court, the enforcement process can begin. You contact our office, provide the relevant court documents, and pay the statutory upfront fee — which runs between $55 and $125 depending on whether you’re pursuing an income execution, a property execution, or an eviction. From there, we handle service, documentation, and scheduling.
For evictions in Bay Ridge, the process now follows the requirements of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which changed the notice timeline from 72 hours to 14 days. There are also specific re-service requirements if a stay has been granted or if more than 30 days have passed since the first possible eviction date. These procedural details aren’t optional — a single misstep can invalidate months of court proceedings and force you to start over. Getting it right the first time is the whole point.
For money judgments, the approach depends on the debtor’s situation. If they’re employed, income execution — wage garnishment — is typically the most direct path. If they’re self-employed or their employer is unknown, property execution through a bank levy may be the better move. We advise on which avenue fits the specific case, because there’s no single answer that works for every debtor. We earn 5% poundage only on money actually collected, which means our incentive to pursue the right strategy is built into the fee structure itself.
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Income Execution and Property Execution Bay Ridge, NY
We handle the full range of civil enforcement for Bay Ridge clients. Income execution — also called wage garnishment — works by coordinating directly with a debtor’s employer to secure regular deductions from their paycheck, capped at 10% of gross wages per pay period under New York law. Property execution covers bank levies and seizure of personal property, and allows us to levy up to double the judgment balance from a debtor’s banking institution. Both are available for judgments from NYC Civil Court, NY State Supreme Court, and small claims court.
For Bay Ridge landlords specifically, we are authorized to execute both Legal Possession and full Eviction once a Warrant of Eviction has been issued by the court. The distinction matters: Legal Possession transfers control of the property back to the landlord without physically removing the tenant’s belongings, while a full eviction involves us overseeing the removal of property from the premises. Given the HSTPA’s updated procedural requirements — which local attorneys in Bay Ridge were still actively working through as recently as 2023 — having a marshal who understands the current rules isn’t a luxury, it’s necessary.
We also handle parking violations enforcement, including vehicle booting and towing for vehicles carrying more than $350 in parking violation judgments. Bay Ridge has had a documented, years-long problem with illegally parked commercial vehicles accumulating unpaid violations — particularly near the Gowanus Expressway corridor. That’s a service with real, local relevance here.
Do I need a NYC Marshal to evict a tenant in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn?
Yes — this is one of the most common misconceptions landlords run into. Once Kings County Housing Court issues a Warrant of Eviction, you cannot carry out the eviction yourself. Only a licensed NYC Marshal or the Sheriff’s Office can legally execute that warrant. Attempting to remove a tenant on your own — changing the locks, removing belongings, cutting off utilities — is considered an illegal lockout under New York law and can expose you to significant civil and criminal liability.
In Bay Ridge, where many landlords own and live in the same two- or three-family building as their tenants, the temptation to handle things informally can be strong. But the legal consequences of a self-help eviction far outweigh the short-term frustration of going through the proper process. We handle the execution correctly, document everything, and ensure you’re protected from any procedural challenge the tenant might raise after the fact.
What's the difference between income execution and property execution in New York?
Income execution is wage garnishment — we serve the debtor directly first, giving them a chance to begin voluntary payments. If they don’t respond within 20 days, we then serve the employer, who is required by law to deduct up to 10% of the debtor’s gross wages from each paycheck until the judgment is satisfied. It’s a steady, reliable enforcement method when the debtor is employed and their employer can be identified.
Property execution works differently. Instead of targeting wages, it targets assets — most commonly bank accounts. We can levy up to double the judgment balance from a debtor’s banking institution. This approach is often more effective for Bay Ridge small business creditors dealing with self-employed debtors, independent contractors, or individuals who don’t have a traditional employer. The right choice depends on what’s known about the debtor’s financial situation, and we advise on which avenue makes the most sense before you commit.
How long does the eviction process take in Bay Ridge after I get my court judgment?
The timeline depends on several factors, but here’s a realistic picture. After the court issues a Warrant of Eviction, we must serve a 14-day notice of eviction on the tenant — a requirement that was updated by the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. That 14-day period cannot be shortened. If the tenant requests a stay of eviction from the court, the clock can reset, and the notice may need to be re-served before enforcement can proceed.
Beyond the notice period, scheduling depends on our current docket and any court-imposed delays. Bay Ridge cases run through Kings County Housing Court, which has been working through a significant post-pandemic backlog. If your case has already been in the system for a while, the enforcement phase is typically the most straightforward part — but it still requires patience and correct paperwork from the start. Cases where the notice is served incorrectly or the documentation is incomplete can be set back significantly, which is why working with an experienced marshal from the beginning matters.
What documents do I need to hire a NYC Marshal for a Bay Ridge judgment?
For an eviction, you’ll need the Warrant of Eviction issued by Kings County Housing Court, along with the underlying judgment it’s based on. Our office will guide you through the specific paperwork required to initiate service, including the affidavit requirements that apply under current HSTPA rules. Having everything in order before you reach out saves time and avoids delays.
For money judgment enforcement — whether income execution or property execution — you’ll need a certified copy of the judgment, along with an execution issued by the court clerk. If you’re pursuing income execution and you know the debtor’s employer, having that information ready helps the process move faster. For a bank levy, knowing which financial institution holds the debtor’s accounts is useful, though it’s not always required upfront. We can advise on what’s needed based on your specific case and what information you have available.
Can a NYC Marshal garnish the wages of a military member stationed at Fort Hamilton?
This is a Bay Ridge-specific question that doesn’t come up in most other neighborhoods, and it’s an important one. Active duty military members are protected under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), which places limits on certain civil enforcement actions — including wage garnishment — while a service member is on active duty. The SCRA doesn’t eliminate a creditor’s rights entirely, but it does require creditors and marshals to be aware of its protections before proceeding with income execution against an active duty service member.
Fort Hamilton is NYC’s only active military installation, and it employs roughly 573 active duty members along with hundreds of civilian and National Guard personnel. Civilian employees and National Guard members have different SCRA protections than active duty service members, so the specific status of the debtor matters. If you have a judgment against someone connected to Fort Hamilton, it’s worth raising this directly when you contact our office so the right enforcement approach can be identified from the start.
How much does it cost to hire a NYC Marshal in Bay Ridge, and who pays the fees?
Marshal fees in New York are set by state statute — they’re not negotiable and they’re the same regardless of which marshal you hire. The upfront fees for starting enforcement typically run between $55 and $125 depending on the type of execution. For income execution, you’re looking at a series of flat fees for receiving and recording the execution, serving the debtor, and — if necessary — serving the employer. For property execution, the upfront cost covers the receiving fee and a mileage advance for service.
Beyond the upfront fees, we earn 5% poundage on any money actually collected. That poundage is technically chargeable to the debtor as part of the enforcement costs, meaning our financial interest is directly tied to successful collection — not just to processing paperwork. For Bay Ridge creditors dealing with judgments in the range of the 2024 Bay Ridge Avenue nonpayment case, where a court awarded nearly $30,000 in back rent, the upfront cost is a small fraction of what’s at stake. The fee structure is designed to align our incentive with yours: collect, or earn nothing meaningful.