N.Y. CPL Law § 150.40

§ 150.40 Appearance ticket; where returnable; how and where served.\n 1. An appearance ticket must be made returnable at a date as soon as\npossible, but in no event later than twenty days from the date of\nissuance; or at the next scheduled session of the appropriate local\ncriminal court if such session is scheduled to occur more than twenty\ndays from the date of issuance; or at a later date, with the court's\npermission due to enrollment in a pre-arraignment diversion program. The\nappearance ticket shall be made returnable in a local criminal court\ndesignated in section 100.55 of this title as one with which an\ninformation for the offense in question may be filed.\n 2. An appearance ticket, other than one issued for a traffic\ninfraction relating to parking, must be served personally, except that\nan appearance ticket issued for the violation of a local zoning\nordinance or local zoning law, or of a building or sanitation code may\nbe served in any manner authorized for service under section three\nhundred eight of the civil practice law and rules.\n 3. An appearance ticket may be served anywhere in the county in which\nthe designated offense was allegedly committed or in any adjoining\ncounty, and may be served elsewhere as prescribed in subdivision four.\n 4. A police officer may, for the purpose of serving an appearance\nticket upon a person, follow him in continuous close pursuit, commencing\neither in the county in which the alleged offense was committed or in an\nadjoining county, in and through any county of the state, and may serve\nsuch appearance ticket upon him in any county in which he overtakes him.\n