What is a Public Administrator?
There is an Office of the Public Administrator for each county in the City of New York and Long Island.
The Public Administrator's primary job is to administer estates that would otherwise remain un-
administered; to protect the decedent's property from loss or theft; make appropriate burial
arrangements when no close relative is available to make the decisions; conduct thorough
investigations to discover all assets; liquidate assets at public sale and distribute assets to heirs; pay the
decedent's bills and taxes; and to find persons entitled to inherit from the estate and to make sure that
the legal distributees receive their inheritance.
Periodically, the Public Administrators will hold auctions of estate real estate, jewelry and other
personal property. Check the website of each office for auction schedules.