City Marshals are appointed by the Mayor for five year terms. A Marshal must live in the City at the time of appointment and during his or her term of office. By law, no more than 83 City Marshals shall be appointed by a mayor. Marshals primarily enforce orders from Civil Court cases, including collecting on judgments, towing, seizing utility meters and carrying out evictions. Marshals collectively perform approximately 25,000 evictions per year. Marshals are regulated by DOI but, unlike the City Sheriff, they are not City employees. Marshals collect fees, which are set by statute, from the private litigants whose judgments they enforce, and they also retain five percent of any money they collect on judgments. Marshals must pay an annual assessment to the City consisting of $1,500 plus 4.5% of their gross income.

In September 2003, Mayor Bloomberg appointed 15 new members to the Mayor's Committee on City Marshals, which was established by state law and an Executive Order issued in 1980. The Committee establishes qualification criteria for Marshal candidates and identifies and recommends Marshal candidates for appointment and reappointment by the Mayor. The Mayor may appoint as Marshals only those candidates recommended by this committee.