Court Procedures

For regular court sessions, please plan to arrive well before the beginning of the session. When you arrive, you will be checked in by the Court personnel. If you plan to plead "Guilty" or "No Contest" for a single moving traffic offense and pay the fine and costs immediately or within 30 days or are eligible and plan to request Deferred Disposition or the Driving Safety Course, you will see the Clerk. If you are planning to plead "not guilty," you will see the Prosecutor. If you have multiple offenses, no insurance, or no driver's license, you will see the Judge.

All cases are called on a first-come-first-served basis. At the appropriate time, you will be called to the window, the prosecutor's office, or the Courtroom. If due to a heavy volume the Judge is not able to see a defendant during the regular court session, the defendant will be rescheduled to an overflow docket.

Unallowed Materials / Electronics

Before entering the secure areas of the Court, turn off all cell phones and pagers. You may not talk on a cell phone, play electronic games, listen to music via headphones, read newspapers, magazines, or similar materials in secure areas or the Courtroom. Do not bring food or beverages into the secure area or the Courtroom.

Children

Because of the delays caused by the heavy caseload, it is strongly suggested that you do not bring small children to Court. If you must bring small children to Court, you are expected to see that they remain quiet and well behaved. If children cannot remain quiet and well behaved, you will be asked to leave the courtroom with your children, and your case will be placed at the end of the docket or rescheduled to another day.

Juveniles

Defendants under 17 years of age must appear with a parent or legal guardian. Parents can be compelled to attend their child's court sessions. Although parents may not act as a representative of the juvenile or enter a plea for the juvenile, they will be allowed to stand before the bench and confer with the juvenile during most court proceedings.