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Athens-Clarke
County Municipal Court Information
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Judicial > Municipal Court Updated 3/29/10
PLEASE ALLOW 5 BUSINESS DAYS FROM ISSUE DATE OF CITATION Note: Parking tickets issued by Downtown Athens Parking System (DAPS) cannot be paid through this system, but can be paid through the DAPS Web site.
what CHARGES REQUIRE A COURT APPEARANCE? The following types of cases require you to appear in court on your court date:
* - Indicates local Athens-Clarke County ordinance violations. If you are charged with any offense listed above, you must come to court. Other citations may also require a court appearance. For most state law violations, the maximum sentence is 12 months in jail or on probation and a maximum fine of $1000. For local ordinance violations, the maximum sentence is 6 months in jail or on probation and a maximum fine of $1000. All fines are subject to surcharges or add-ons as required or authorized by law. What happens if I want to plead not guilty and have a trial? At trial, the state has the burden to prove you guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. To have a trial you must attend court on your court (arraignment) date and plead not guilty. Your Municipal Court non-jury (bench) trial will be scheduled for a later date. If you change your mind and decide you do not want a trial, you may change your plea before your trial date but you must come in person to do so. If you fail to attend the trial as scheduled you will be subject to arrest and assessment of fees and court costs. If you are charged with a state misdemeanor violation, you have a right to a jury trial. If you want a jury trial your case will be transferred from Municipal Court to the State Court of Athens-Clarke County. When you request a jury trial, you will be given a written notice of your new court date (which will be an initial appearance, not a trial date) in State Court. If you are found guilty at trial, your fine could be up to $1000 plus surcharges and you could be required to serve up to 12 months (state law violations) or 6 months (local ordinance violations) in jail or on probation. If you are sentenced to probation, you may also be required to pay a monthly probation supervision fee. We will not reschedule your Municipal Court case for work or school. We will be glad to give you a written excuse to take to work or school. For any other reason, you must come to the Clerk of Municipal Court's office before your first court date to request a court date change. What happens if I FAIL TO COME TO COURT? If you fail to come to court on your court date and have not already paid your fine in full, you are subject to a late fee. If a warrant must be issued to bring you to court, you also are subject to warrant fees. Failure to Appear - Motor Vehicle Citations Failure to Appear - Other Citations, Accusations or Orders What is my right to an attorney? You have a right to be represented by a lawyer in connection with your charges in Municipal Court. You may hire an attorney of your choosing. Also, the Western Judicial Circuit Public Defender Office represents persons who cannot afford an attorney. The Public Defender Office provides representation only for certain serious offenses in Municipal Court (including DUI, Possession of Marijuana, Theft by Shoplifting, Suspended License, Fleeing/ A ttempting to Elude, Racing, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Underage Possession of Alcohol, Sale of Alcohol to Person under 21, Unlawful Use of License, Fake ID). The Public Defender represents only those persons whose income falls below a certain level. If you believe you would qualify for representation by the Public Defender, you must go to the office of the Public Defender, located at 160 East Washington Street, make application and be interviewed. A $50 Public Defender application fee may be assessed pursuant to state and local law. If you do not qualify for representation by the Public Defender, you should make arrangements to hire a lawyer. If you have not had an opportunity to hire a lawyer before your court date, you must come to court on your court date and ask the Judge for more time to hire a lawyer. how do i PLEAD GUILTY OR NOLO CONTENDERE in court? If you plead guilty or nolo contendere in court, your fine could be up to $1000 and you could be required to serve up to 12 months (state law violations) or 6 months (local ordinance violations) in jail or on probation. If you are sentenced to probation, you may also be required to pay a monthly probation supervision fee. View a list of charges that can be paid before your court date. Pleading Guilty to a Traffic Offense Pleading Nolo Contendere to a Traffic Offense A nolo contendere plea to a moving violation will be reported to Department of Driver Services (DDS) as required by law, and the nolo contendere plea will appear on your driving record. The difference between a nolo plea and a guilty plea is that a nolo plea does not result in points against your license. However, since you are allowed only one nolo plea every five years, if you plead nolo to this citation and you have another nolo on your record from the last five years, DDS will consider this nolo contendere plea a guilty plea and points may be assessed against your license. Remember: if you enter a nolo contendere plea, you can not plead nolo again to any traffic violation for the next five years. If you receive by first class mail a citation under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-20(f) for disobeying a traffic control device as recorded on an image by a traffic-control signal monitoring device (a "Camera Red Light" citation), the civil penalty is $70. This civil penalty DOES NOT APPEAR as a conviction on your criminal record and NO POINTS are assessed against your driver’s license. This penalty also may not be considered for motor vehicle insurance purposes. Your citation will notify you of a court date. Under the law, if you fail to pay the civil monetary penalty or fail to contest liability in a timely manner you give up your right to contest liability and a civil monetary penalty will be imposed which may be collected by any means allowable under the law. If you were not the driver of the vehicle shown on the recorded image, you may contest liability by:
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