What You Need to Know for Appearing in the Atlanta Municipal Court — Ryan Walsh Legal (2024)

We get questions every day about how the Atlanta Municipal Court operates on a day to day basis. The Atlanta Municipal Court is the busiest courthouse in the southeast, and it is easy to get overwhelmed when you enter the courthouse. The courthouse is located at 150 Garnett Street, Atlanta Georgia 30303 on the corner of Pryor Street and Garnett Street in downtown Atlanta. The courthouse is open from 7am – 5pm Monday through Friday (excluding city holidays and days of inclement weather). There is no free parking in the area, but there is paid street parking, surface lots, and parking garages within a short walk of the Atlanta courthouse. The City of Atlanta Municipal Court has a website that can be visited by clicking here.

The most important thing you can do to prepare for court at the Atlanta Municipal Court is to verify your court date and time. You can do this in two ways.

  • Go to Find My Court Case at the Atlanta Municipal Court’s website and put in your full name or citation number: https://benchmark.atlantaga.gov/BenchmarkWeb/Home.aspx/Search If you search by citation number it should pull up your specific case. If you search by name it may bring up multiple cases by case number. The case number begins with the year the case was opened, so that may assist you in your search. You should be able to see all the cases under your name for the last 20 years.

  • You can call the Atlanta Municipal Court clerk’s office at 404-954-7914.

There are 8 Judges assigned to courtrooms in the Atlanta Municipal Court. There are also senior Judges and part-time Judges that hear cases in the City of Atlanta Municipal Court. The Judges assigned by courtroom are:

3A – Judge Ward, 3B – Judge Gaines , 5A – Judge Portis, 5B – Judge Baker, 5C – Judge Bey, 6B – Judge Gundy, 6C – Judge Graves, and 6D – Judge Jackson

Judge Ward currently handles clients who have previously failed to appear in court. Judge Gundy only handles clients who are charged with Driving under the Influence (DUI). Judge Portis only handles code violations, which are generally residential, business, and noise ordinances. The other Judges handle a combination of state law offenses (traffic and some misdemeanors) and city ordinances.

Court is held at different times each day. Court begins as early as 8am and the last court times of the day are usually at 3pm.

Some charges in the City of Atlanta are eligible for the Pre-Trial Intervention program. Completion of the Pre-Trial Intervention program assures your case will be dismissed and your record will be restricted. If you would like assistance, I can guide you through the Pre-Trial Intervention program and determine whether I believe your charges will be eligible. The City of Atlanta has a restorative board program in addition to Pre-Trial Intervention that can provide you another options to get your charge dismissed. For younger drivers, they also have a Teens Learning Control (TLC) program.

Clients often come to me after failing to appear in court. Once you fail to appear in court in the Atlanta Municipal Court, your case is taken off the calendar and a bench warrant may be issued for your arrest. If you do not address your failure to appear in thirty (30) days, the Atlanta Municipal Court sends information to the Georgia Department of Driver Services to suspend your Georgia driver’s license or your privilege to drive in the State of Georgia. At that point your case must be resolved in order to receive documentation to re-instate your driver’s license.

In order to get a court date after you fail to appear in court, you must show up at the City of Atlanta Municipal Court and speak with a clerk to get your case placed back on a calendar. It may not be that day that your case is heard. On your day of court. you will have the option to resolve your case through a plea, or ask for a trial. No matter what happens, you will receive paperwork that recalls the active bench warrant. After your case is resolved you will receive the paperwork to reinstate your driver’s license with the Department of Driver Services to lift any current suspension due to failing to appear.

The Atlanta Municipal Court is the busiest courthouse in the Southeast, handling more cases daily than any other courthouse. Navigating the court process can be difficult. If you have questions regarding a case in the city of Atlanta Municipal Court and would like to speak with an experienced Atlanta Municipal Court attorney, call me today at 678-753-6431.

What You Need to Know for Appearing in the Atlanta Municipal Court — Ryan Walsh Legal (2024)

FAQs

What does the municipal court do in Georgia? ›

COURT OVERVIEW

The Court has jurisdiction to conduct bench trials concerning criminal matters including traffic offenses, driving under the influence (DUI), ordinance violations, and limited misdemeanors that have occurred within the city limits.

What is the Ptit program in Atlanta? ›

PRE-TRIAL INTERVENTION TRAFFIC PROGRAM

The program empowers you to take control of your situation by actively pursuing a resolution rather than waiting for a judicial sentence.

How do I find my case in the Municipal Court of Atlanta? ›

The Atlanta Municipal Court's website can be searched by your full name or citation number: https://court.atlantaga.gov/find-my-case/. If you need to know your courtroom location at Atlanta Municipal Court, you can find that information by clicking the 'case number' by your name.

How do I change my court date in Atlanta Municipal Court? ›

If you need to reschedule your court date, the request must be submitted no later than ten (10) days prior to your arraignment. Reset request forms can be completed in person at the Court or downloaded online and mailed in.

What cases are most common in municipal courts? ›

Common offenses handled in municipal court may include the following:
  • Possession of drug paraphernalia.
  • Minor in possession of tobacco or alcohol.
  • Reckless damage or destruction.
  • Violation of Fish and Game laws.
  • Violation of boating regulations.
  • Violation of Parks and Forests.
  • Violations of local laws.

What is the jurisdiction of the Atlanta Municipal Court? ›

Atlanta Municipal Court has jurisdiction in Fulton County and DeKalb County.

What is a pretrial diversion program in Georgia? ›

Pre-trial diversion is an alternative to traditional court prosecution. It allows some first offenders, and low-level offenders with minor criminal histories to complete programming which will impact their future decision-making and provide the necessary counseling to address issues directly related to their charges.

What is the Atlanta Economic Justice Program? ›

The Atlanta Economic Justice Program (AEJP) works for economic and social justice. Through training, grassroots organizing and leadership development, we help build a culture of activism. We work with communities to build coalitions and resist injustice.

Does Georgia have PTI? ›

Georgia established the Pretrial Intervention and Diversion Program under O.C.G.A. §15-18-80 to provide an alternative to prosecuting offenders in the criminal justice system.

Can you look up court cases in Georgia? ›

The Judicial Council of Georgia provides online access to court records via the E-Access platform maintained by the Administrative Office of the Courts. Interested parties can generally obtain civil court records by selecting the county of interest and searching through the available files.

How to look up a local court case? ›

There are three ways to look at court case records:
  1. Go to the courthouse and ask to look at paper case records.
  2. Go to the courthouse and look at electronic case records.
  3. If your court offers it, look at electronic case records over the internet. This is called “remote access.”

How do I find my traffic court date in Fulton County? ›

To obtain your court date information, call (404) 612-5344 or (404) 612-5345.

How long do you go to jail for failure to appear in Georgia? ›

The willful failure of any person to appear in accordance with the written promise contained on the citation and complaint and served upon such person shall constitute an offense which shall be punishable by a fine in an amount not to exceed $200.00 or by confinement in jail for a period not to exceed three days.

Can I just pay my ticket and not go to court in Georgia? ›

If your citation does not require a mandatory court appearance, you can resolve the case before your scheduled court date by accepting the penalty and paying the fine. Keep in mind that accepting the penalty is pleading guilty to the citation.

Can you reschedule a court date if you miss it in Georgia? ›

Can I change my court date? To change a court date, you must contact your local court. All requests to change a court date should be made at least 5 days prior to your court date.

What is the purpose of a municipal charter in Georgia? ›

The charter establishes the government structure of the city and defines boundaries, specific powers, functions, essential procedures and legal control.

What are the 7 types of courts in Georgia? ›

The Georgia court system has seven classes of trial-level courts: the superior, state-wide business, state, juvenile, probate, magistrate, and municipal courts. There are two appellate-level courts: the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. The superior court exercises broad civil and criminal jurisdiction.

Can you appeal a municipal court ruling in Georgia? ›

§ 36-32-1 et al.). Decisions in municipal court may be appealed to the superior court and from there to the Court of Appeals or possibly the Supreme Court (O.C.G.A. § 5-4-1 et al.).

How many municipal courts are in GA? ›

Georgia Municipal Courts

The jurisdiction of municipal courts varies throughout the state. There are 370 municipal courts with 352 active judges.

References

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