(a) The court shall confirm an award in a public sector arbitration proceeding upon application of a party made within one year after its delivery to the party, unless an application to vacate or modify the award upon a ground specified in section seventy-five hundred eleven of this article is made within ninety days after the delivery of the award to the party seeking to modify or vacate.
§ 7510-a.Confirmation of award for public sector arbitrations.
Article 75. Arbitration · Last amended 2023 · Last verified July 21, 2026
In one sentenceCPLR 7510-a sets a parallel confirmation rule for arbitrations between a public employer and its employee, giving the court a one-year window to confirm the award unless a party seeks to vacate or modify it within ninety days of delivery.
Full Text of CPLR 7510-a
(b) This section shall only apply to awards from an arbitration between a public employer and an employee of the public employer.
(c) For the purposes of this section, “public employer” means (i) the state of New York, (ii) a county, city, town, village or any other political subdivision or civil division of the state, (iii) a school district or any governmental entity operating a public school, college or university, (iv) a public improvement or special district, (v) a public authority, commission, or public benefit corporation, (vi) any other public corporation, agency or instrumentality or unit of government which exercises governmental powers under the laws of the state, or (vii) in the case of a county sheriff’s office in those counties where the office of sheriff is an elected position, both the county and the sheriff, shall be designated as a joint public employer for all purposes of this article.
Plain-English Summary
CPLR 7510-a carves out a public-sector variant of the confirmation rule in CPLR 7510. It applies only to an arbitration between a “public employer” — a term the section defines broadly to cover the state, counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, public authorities, and other government bodies exercising government powers — and an employee of that employer.
The mechanics track CPLR 7510 closely: a party has one year after delivery of the award to apply for confirmation, and the court confirms it unless a party has applied to vacate or modify the award, on a ground specified in CPLR 7511, within ninety days after delivery. Where the two sections differ is in giving public-sector litigants an explicit ninety-day marker for challenging the award, tied directly into the confirmation statute rather than left solely to CPLR 7511's own ninety-day rule.
The section also resolves a wrinkle unique to New York's elected sheriffs: in a county where the sheriff's office is an elected position, both the county and the sheriff count as a joint public employer for every purpose under Article 75.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CPLR 7510-a and how does it differ from CPLR 7510?
It's a public-sector version of the confirmation rule, applying only to arbitrations between a public employer and its employee, with the same one-year confirmation window tied to a ninety-day period to seek vacatur or modification.
Who counts as a “public employer” under CPLR 7510-a?
The statute lists the state of New York, counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and public colleges, public improvement or special districts, public authorities and benefit corporations, and other public bodies exercising government powers.
How does an elected county sheriff's office get treated under CPLR 7510-a?
In counties where the sheriff's office is elected, the statute treats both the county and the sheriff as a joint public employer for every purpose under Article 75.
How long do I have to confirm a public-sector arbitration award in New York?
One year after the award is delivered to the party seeking confirmation, the same window CPLR 7510 sets for private-sector awards.
Does CPLR 7510-a apply to arbitrations between two private employers?
No. CPLR 7510-a(b) limits the section to awards from an arbitration between a public employer and an employee of that public employer.
Amendment History
L 2023, ch 679, § 2, effective November 21, 2023.
Source & verification. Provision text, History, and Advisory
Committee Notes are reproduced verbatim from the Consolidated Laws of New York.
Last verified July 21, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: public sector arbitration award New Yorkconfirm public employee arbitration awardgovernment employee arbitration confirmation New York