2023 New York Laws › CPL - Criminal Procedure › Part 2 - The Principal Proceedings › Title H - Preliminary Proceedings in Local Criminal Court › Article 100 - Commencement of Action in Local Criminal Court or Youth Part of a Superior Court--Accusatory Instruments › 100.10 - Local Criminal Court and Youth Part of the Superior Court Accusatory Instruments; Definitions Thereof.

§  100.10  Local  criminal  court  and  youth part of the superior court
accusatory instruments; definitions thereof.
1. An "information" is a verified  written  accusation  by  a  person,
filed  with  a  local criminal court, charging one or more other persons
with the commission of one or more offenses, none of which is a  felony.
It  may  serve as a basis both for the commencement of a criminal action
and for the prosecution thereof in a local criminal court.
2. (a) A "simplified traffic information" is a written accusation by a
police officer, or other public servant authorized by law to issue same,
filed with a local criminal court,  which  charges  a  person  with  the
commission  of  one  or  more  traffic  infractions  and/or misdemeanors
relating to traffic, and which, being in  a  brief  or  simplified  form
prescribed by the commissioner of motor vehicles, designates the offense
or   offenses   charged  but  contains  no  factual  allegations  of  an
evidentiary nature supporting such charge or charges.  It  serves  as  a
basis  for  commencement of a criminal action for such traffic offenses,
alternative to the charging thereof by a regular information, and, under
circumstances prescribed in section 100.25,  it  may  serve,  either  in
whole or in part, as a basis for prosecution of such charges.
(b)  A  "simplified  parks  information"  is a written accusation by a
police officer or other public servant authorized by law to issue  same,
filed  with  a  local  criminal  court,  which charges a person with the
commission of one or more offenses, other than a  felony,  for  which  a
uniform simplified parks information may be issued pursuant to the parks
and  recreation  law  and  navigation law, and which being in a brief or
simplified form prescribed by the commissioner of parks and  recreation,
designates  the  offense  or  offenses  charged  but contains no factual
allegations of an evidentiary nature supporting such charge or  charges.
It  serves  as  a  basis  for commencement of a criminal action for such
offenses, alternative to the charging thereof by a regular  information,
and,  under  circumstances  parescribed in section 100.25, it may serve,
either in whole or in part, as a basis for prosecution of such charges.
(c) A "simplified environmental conservation information" is a written
accusation by a police officer or other public servant authorized by law
to issue same, filed with a local criminal court, which charges a person
with the commission of one or more offenses, other than  a  felony,  for
which a uniform simplified environmental conservation information may be
issued  pursuant  to the environmental conservation law, and which being
in a  brief  or  simplified  form  prescribed  by  the  commissioner  of
environmental  conservation,  designates the offense or offenses charged
but contains no factual allegations of an evidentiary nature  supporting
such  charge  or  charges.  It  serves  as a basis for commencement of a
criminal action for such offenses, alternative to the  charging  thereof
by a regular information, and, under circumstances prescribed in section
100.25,  it  may  serve,  either  in  whole  or  in part, as a basis for
prosecution of such charges.
3. A "prosecutor's information" is a written accusation by a  district
attorney, filed with a local criminal court, either (a) at the direction
of a grand jury pursuant to section 190.70, or (b) at the direction of a
local criminal court pursuant to section 180.50 or 180.70, or (c) at the
district  attorney's own instance pursuant to subdivision two of section
100.50, or (d)  at  the  direction  of  a  superior  court  pursuant  to
subdivision  one-a  of section 210.20, charging one or more persons with
the commission of one or more offenses, none of which is  a  felony.  It
serves  as  a  basis  for  the  prosecution of a criminal action, but it
commences a criminal action only where it  results  from  a  grand  jury
direction  issued in a case not previously commenced in a local criminal
court.
4. A "misdemeanor complaint" is a verified  written  accusation  by  a
person,  filed  with  a local criminal court, charging one or more other
persons with the commission of one or more offenses,  at  least  one  of
which  is  a  misdemeanor  and none of which is a felony. It serves as a
basis  for  the commencement of a criminal action, but it may serve as a
basis  for  prosecution  thereof  only  where  a  defendant  has  waived
prosecution  by  information  pursuant  to  subdivision three of section
170.65.
5. A "felony complaint" is a verified written accusation by a  person,
filed  with a local criminal court, or youth part of the superior court,
charging one or more other persons with the commission of  one  or  more
felonies.  It  serves  as  a  basis  for  the commencement of a criminal
action, but not as a basis for prosecution thereof.