New York statute
N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law § 340.20 — The plea
Current through 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17)
Part of Article 340: Pre-trial Proceedings, New York Criminal Procedure Law.
Full text of N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law § 340.20
Statutory text current through the 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17). This publication reproduces the text of the Consolidated Laws of New York as provided by the New York State Senate's Open Legislation service (Legislative Bill Drafting Commission statutory text); it is not the official statutes of the State of New York.
340.20 The plea.
1. Except as provided in subdivisions two and three, the provisions
of article two hundred twenty, governing the kinds of pleas to
indictments which may be entered and related matters, are, to the extent
that they can be so applied, applicable to pleas to informations, and
changes of pleas thereto, in local criminal courts.
2. A plea to an information, other than one against a corporation,
must be entered in the following manner:
(a) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (b), a plea to an
information must be entered orally by the defendant in person unless the
court permits entry thereof by counsel upon the filing by him of a
written and subscribed statement by the defendant declaring that he
waives his right to plead to the information in person and authorizing
his attorney to enter a plea on his behalf as set forth in the
authorization.
(b) If the only offense or offenses charged are traffic infractions,
the procedure provided in sections eighteen hundred five, eighteen
hundred six and eighteen hundred seven of the vehicle and traffic law,
relating to pleas in such cases, is, when appropriate, applicable and
controlling.
3. A plea to an information against a corporation must be entered by
counsel.
4. When a sentence is agreed upon by the prosecutor and a defendant as
a predicate to entry of a plea of guilty, the court or the prosecutor
must orally on the record, or in writing filed with the court, state the
sentence agreed upon as a condition of such plea.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.