The Municipal
Court
The Municipal Court is the judicial branch of the City of Oregon City government.
It has jurisdiction over all city and state law offenses committed within city
limits other than felonies. The court does not handle DUIs.
Contacting the Court
The Municipal Court can answer questions about the court schedule, minimum
fine amounts, and other administrative matters, but they cannot give legal
advice. If you need legal advice, you should consult an attorney. For help
in finding one, call the Oregon State Bar's Lawyer Referral Service at
(503) 684-3763 or 1 (800) 452-7636.
Court Schedule
The clerks' office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
It is closed weekends and legal holidays.
Court is in session every
Tuesday. Jury trials are held on Thursdays, beginning
at 8:30 a.m. and continuing until the judge discharges
the jury for the day. Criminal arraignments are held
at 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays only.
Traffic Tickets
Traffic tickets fall into two categories: violations and crimes. The upper
left-hand corner of the ticket includes a box, which will have been checked
by the police officer to designate which is charged.
Violation cases: The options
are listed on the back of the ticket.
Criminal cases: If the
traffic citation is a criminal matter, the person must
appear in court at the time designated at the bottom
of the ticket. If he or she does not appear, a warrant
will be issued for the person's arrest, and his or
her driver's license will be suspended.
Fines
The amount of the fine imposed by the court will depend on the severity of
the offense, whether state law requires a minimum fine for the offense,
whether there are any mitigating circumstances, and whether the person
has been convicted of prior offenses. The minimum base fine indicated on
the ticket is the amount the court may enter a default judgment for the
person who received the ticket and does not respond by the time specified
to appear in court.
If a person who receives a
ticket believes there are mitigating circumstances the
court should consider before imposing a fine, he or she
may:
Explain them to the judge
at the court appearance, or
Send a check or money order
for the full amount of bail, along with a letter explaining
the circumstances, to the court. The judge will review
the letter and may return some or all of the bail if
that appears appropriate.
