The local court in your community is known as the municipal court. Municipal Courts in New Jersey are the courts where motor vehicle offenses, minor criminal-type offenses (such as simple assault, minor drug and alcohol offenses, or theft of property worth less than $200.00), municipal ordinance offenses (such as noise violations or building code violations) are heard. Every municipality has its own municipal court that has jurisdiction only over the cases that occur within its boundaries. It is important to take an appearance in municipal court seriously because the penalties for the various offenses can include jail time, fines, motor vehicle points and surcharges, and/or suspension of a driver’s license. Usually you receive a ticket or summons telling you that you must appear in municipal court on a specific date and time. If you fail to appear on the date and time indicated, the Court may issue a warrant for your arrest.

You can appear and request a postponement if you need time to obtain an attorney or to prepare your defense, but you must request the postponement in person from the Judge. There are several reasons that you may request a postponement, including for time to obtain the discovery. Discovery allows each party to request relevant information and documents from the other side, including police reports, photographs, laboratory results. It can take time for the other side to provide the information to you, which could result in your case being postponed for the exchange of discovery. Another reason to request a postponement is for time to consult with or to retain an attorney. Usually the municipal courts will grant one postponement request for you to retain an attorney, but it is a good idea to contact an attorney as soon as possible after receiving a ticket or summons for municipal court.