Supervised visitation across Erie County

Erie County is the population center of Western New York — roughly 950,000 residents anchored by Buffalo and ringed by first-ring suburbs like Cheektowaga, Amherst, and Tonawanda, with the Southtowns stretching toward Hamburg and Orchard Park. Family court for the whole county runs through downtown Buffalo.

TruVisit New York supervisors meet Erie County families at locations close to where the child lives. We don't charge travel fees and we don't make suburban families drive downtown for every visit.

The Erie County courts

Custody and visitation petitions for Erie County families are heard in the Erie County Family Court in downtown Buffalo. Custody issues raised within a divorce are heard in the Supreme Court, Erie County. Our session reports are formatted in the objective, non-editorial, timestamped style these courts expect.

Erie County communities we serve

  • Buffalo — all city neighborhoods
  • Cheektowaga & Depew
  • Amherst, Williamsville & Clarence
  • The Tonawandas & Kenmore
  • West Seneca & Lackawanna
  • Hamburg, Orchard Park & the Southtowns
  • Lancaster & Alden

How an Erie County custody case typically moves

  1. Petition filed — a custody or visitation petition is filed in the Erie County Family Court (petitions are generally filed in the county where the child lives), or custody is raised within a divorce in Supreme Court.
  2. Service and first appearance — the other parent is served and both parties appear before a judge or court attorney-referee.
  3. Attorney for the Child — the court may appoint an Attorney for the Child (AFC) to represent the child in the case.
  4. Temporary orders — interim custody and parenting-time arrangements while the case is pending. Supervised visitation is often ordered at this stage.
  5. Fact-finding — testimony and evidence in contested cases; the court may order forensic or other evaluations.
  6. Final order — decided on the best interests of the child.
  7. Modification — either parent can later petition to change the order based on a change in circumstances.

Where supervised visitation enters the process

  • At temporary orders — interim supervised parenting time while the case is pending
  • In the final custody and visitation order — longer-term supervised parenting time
  • By modification petition — adding or stepping down supervision in an existing order
  • In family offense proceedings — alongside an order of protection
  • By stipulation — the parents agree to supervision and the court so-orders it

For procedural detail, see our how to request supervised visitation in New York guide.

Winter scheduling is built into every Erie County case Lake-effect snow is a fact of life in Western New York. We plan indoor venue rotations from November through March and keep rescheduling flexible, so a storm doesn't cost a parent a month of visits.

Pricing for Erie County families

Same flat rate across the entire county: $150 one-time intake, $65/hour for supervised sessions or monitored exchange. Two-hour minimum. No travel fees. No monthly case management fee. Reports delivered within 24 hours.

How to start an Erie County case

  1. Submit our online inquiry form.
  2. Intake call (20–30 min) — court order review, $150 intake fee, supervisor assignment.
  3. First session coordinated with both parties at an Erie County location of mutual convenience.
  4. Visit happens; report delivered within 24 hours.