What Cases are Handled in Municipal Court
Criminal Citations
Criminal charges, both traffic and non-traffic, which are misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenses under state statute and city ordinance. These types for cases will be scheduled for an arraignment hearing upon being filed with the court. You will not be notified by mail of your court date. The court date information is printed on the front of your ticket when it is given to you by the officer. If you need to look your court date up online please use the "Find my Court Date" link on the Municipal Court homepage or call the court office at 360-262-9231 extension 1.
For more information regarding criminal citations please go to the Criminal Procedures link.
Traffic Infractions
The legislature has decriminalized many traffic offenses. These offenses are now called infractions and are civil cases. The court is required to forward all committed traffic tickets to the Department of Licensing and they will appear on your driving record. Please read your ticket carefully as it has instructions on how to respond. You have 30 days to respond to the court. Here are the types of responses:
Mitigation Hearing Request
A mitigation hearing is where you admit you have committed the violation but wish to explain the circumstances and/or ask for a reduction of the fine amount. To request a mitigation hearing please check the appropriate box and mail to the court office. The Judge, depending on the explanation and your record, may adjust the penalty. However, the Judge will not dismiss your ticket. You will be notified by mail of when your hearing has been scheduled.
Mitigation by Written Statement
If you wish to submit a written statement instead of appearing for a hearing, please fill out the form using the link on our Municipal Court homepage.
Contested Hearing Request
If you believe you did not commit the violation then select the contested hearing box on the front of your ticket and mail it back to the court. At this time the Judge will hear from you if you would like to make a statement regarding the incident and he will also hear from the officer who issued the citation. If the officer is unable to appear in person the Judge will use the officer's affidavit which will be read in to the court record. It will be at the Judge's discretion if your ticket is dismissed or not. You will be notified by mail when your hearing has been scheduled.
Contested Hearing by Written Statement
If you wish to submit a written statement instead of appearing for a hearing, please fill out the form using the link on our Municipal Court homepage.
May I have an attorney present at an infraction hearing?
Yes, you may, at your own expense, have a lawyer appear and represent you at your hearing. If you are to be represented by counsel, the lawyer is required to file a notice of appearance with the court and the city prosecutor prior to the hearing date.
Deferred Findings
A deferred finding is available only for traffic infractions. Every person is provided one deferred finding every seven (7) years in the state of Washington. A deferred finding is granted at the discretion of the Judge and not all defendants may be eligible. Drivers with a CDL endorsement or who committed infractions in a commercial vehicle are not eligible for a deferred finding.
If the Judge grants a deferred finding there is a non-refundable administrative fee of $150 which must be paid in full within the time frame set by the Judge, usually six (6) to twelve (12) months. During this time you must not receive any criminal or traffic violations. If you satisfy both conditions at the end of the set time period your ticket will be dismissed and will not appear on your driving record.
If you violate any of the conditions you will owe the full amount of the original penalty on the ticket and the court will be required to notify the Department of Licensing and the citation will appear as committed on your driving record.
If you would like to request a Deferred Finding please select the Mitigation Hearing box on the front of your ticket and mail it back to the court. When you appear for your hearing you can ask the Judge to consider your case for a deferral.
Payments
If you do not wish to have any type of hearing or deferment, you may just pay your ticket as a response. You can make a payment by mail, over the phone, using the online payment link on the webpage, in person at the court window, or after-hours using the drop box at the front of City Hall. If you choose via mail or after-hours please make sure you include your full name, date of birth, and ticket number with your payment.
If you need time to pay your fine amount please contact the court office at 360-262-9231 extension 1 and speak to the clerk. We do grant payment plans.
Parking Citations
Response and Payments
Similar to a traffic infraction you must respond to the court within 30 days of the date of issuance if you wish to request a hearing. Please call the court office at 360-262-9231 extension 1 to request a hearing date. If you wish to pay your citation without a hearing you may do so by check, cash, by telephone or online. For after hours payments there is a drop-box at the front of City Hall, please make sure to label your payment with your full name, date of birth, and citation number.
Do parking tickets show on my driving record?
Parking infractions do not appear on your driving record. However, failure to pay your tickets may result in them being sent to a collection agency.
What if I have previously sold the vehicle which has been cited?
If you received a notice from the municipal court for failure to pay a parking citation but you have sold the vehicle which was cited, you will need to submit a copy of the Department of Licensing Seller's Report to the court that includes the new owner's information.
