Certain violations require a mandatory appearance in our court.
Examples of those violations include the following:
*SOME ALCOHOL OR DRUG OFFENSES
*NO VALID LICENSE
*AGGRESSIVE DRIVING
*SUSPENDED LICENSE
*HIT AND RUN
*FLEEING/ATTEMPTING TO ELUDE
*PASSING A SCHOOL BUS
*SPEEDING IN EXCESS OF 24(OR MORE)MILES
*NO INSURANCE
*SUSPENDED REGISTRATION
If you were not cited with a violation that requires a mandatory appearance, you can pay prior to your assigned court date. Your court date is located near the bottom of your citation. To inquire about the status of your citation and the regular fine amount assigned to that violation, you can call our office.
Payment for citations must be received prior to the assigned court date.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT PERSONAL OR BUSINESS CHECKS. WE CANNOT TAKE PAYMENTS BY PHONE.
BY INTERNET:
You may pay citations that do not require mandatory appearance by midnight one day prior to your court date online at www.ticketfastpay.com. Choose "Norcross, GA" then follow instructions given. If you are having problems paying online, please contact our office prior to your assigned court date so we may assist you with processing your payment before the deadline.
* There is an additional fee for processing your citation online. *
IN PERSON:
Accepted forms of payment are cash, debit/credit card, certified check or money order. No personal or business checks can be accepted. When paying with debit/credit, you must be present and be prepared to present your valid ID. If paying with a card, the card must bear your name and match your ID. You may pay your fine in person during normal business hours. If your citations have not been paid prior to your court date, you or your attorney must appear to address those citations on your assigned court date and time.
BY MAIL:
We accept mailed payments in the form of certified checks and money orders. No personal or business checks can be accepted. If you are going to mail a payment, please write your citation number on your payment. Please allow five business days for processing your payment. Payments should be mailed and made payable to:
Norcross Municipal Court
65 Lawrenceville Street
Norcross GA, 30071
Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope to receive a copy of your receipt.
***If you fail to appear for court or if your payment does not reach the Court Services office prior to the court date, a warrant may be issued for your arrest and/or your driver's license may be suspended by the Department of Driver Services.
The full payment for all of your citations will be expected after a guilty or no contest plea, or a conviction. If you cannot pay the full amount, you will be placed on probation to make monthly payments. There is a monthly supervision fee of $49 per month while on probation. These probation fees are set by the state legislature of Georgia.
Call 770 448 2173. Please have ready the name and date of birth of the person cited and an approximation of where the traffic stop occurred. Our office can also search for citations by license
number if one was provided to the officer at the time of the traffic stop. Please wait at least 5-7 business days before inquiring about your ticket due to necessary processing of the citation.
***Please note that our jurisdiction is limited to approximately 4.5 square miles of Norcross.
If your citation was not issued in the city limits of Norcross by the Norcross Police department, we do not have access to information about your traffic citation. Your citation will have CITY OF NORCROSS POLICE DEPARTMENT written near the top of the citation if it was issued by our police department.
If your citation was written by another agency, i.e. Gwinnett County Police Department, you will need to contact that agency for information about your ticket.
Check the bottom portion of your citation or call the Court Services office.
Continuances must be requested in person by the defendant with valid ID at least 2 weeks prior to the assigned court date. We cannot accept requests for continuances the same week as your assigned court date. Only one courtesy continuance can be requested directly from the court services department. Any other continuances must be granted by the Judge at your next assigned hearing.
A link to State Code information is
www.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode .
Local ordinance information can be found at
http://library6.municode.com/default-now/home.htm?infobase=14546&doc_action=whatsnew .
Individuals detained by Norcross are transported to the Gwinnett County Detention Center. Information about the detention center and its detainees can be found at http://www.gwinnettcountysheriff.com/Introduction.htm or you can call 770-619-6500 (option 2). If a bond is set for a detainee, it can be paid at the detention center. If a person is detained on a warrant with no bond, they must wait to be seen at the next scheduled inmate preliminary court session. Results of the sessions are available after 2pm on Thursdays at 770 448 2173.
A plea of guilty or no contest (nolo contendere) by the defendant waives the right to a trial to consider the charged offenses. A plea of guilty is considered to be an admission by the defendant to the validity of the charges. If you chose to plead no contest (nolo contendere) you admit no guilt related to the violation, but allow the court to determine the sentence for the violation. You are allowed to plead no contest (nolo contendere) one time on one type violation every five years. A plea of no contest (nolo contendere) may benefit you in keeping points from being assessed on your driver's license by the Georgia Department of Driver Services for that particular offense.
Your first appearance in court is your arraignment. You will be presented with the charges made against you and will be allowed to make a plea of guilty, not guilty, or no contest (nolo contendere). If you want to speak to the Solicitor prior to seeing the Judge,
you should tell the Solicitor at your arraignment when they call your name. If you plead not guilty, you will be asked if you would like to be heard by a Judge at a bench trial or by a jury at a jury trial. If you choose to have a bench trial, you will be rescheduled for a future court date with our court. You should bring any witnesses and evidence you would like to present on that date. If you choose to have a jury trial, our court will confirm your contact information and transfer the case and any bond that you may have paid to a higher court. That court will then have jurisdiction over the matter. That higher court will contact you with information about your new court date. If your contact information changes, you should contact the higher court with any amendments that need to be made.
It is not necessary to hire an attorney to represent you;however, you may hire an attorney to represent you and have them file an entry of appearance with the court. If you are unable to afford an attorney and would like one, you may be interviewed by the Judge during your arraignment (initial court appearance) to see if you qualify under federal guidelines to have an attorney appointed for your case.
When appearing in our court:
*TURN CELL PHONES OFF WHILE IN THE COURTROOM
*DO NOT BRING CHILDREN
*Be on time
*Throw away gum, food, and drinks before entering the courtroom
*Stand when the Judge enters and leaves the courtroom *Stand when you are speaking to the Judge
*Speak clearly when you respond to the Judge's questions.
*Always address the Judge as "Your Honor"
*Never interrupt the Judge
*If you are unsure of what you heard, wait until the Judge or other court staff member speaking at your hearing has finished talking before asking a question
*Enter and leave the courtroom quietly, so you do not disturb others
*Only approach the bench when instructed to do so.
If you are appearing in court you should dress in a manner that shows respect for the court.
Here are some things you should NOT wear:
*Hats inside the courtroom (except those worn for religious purposes)
*Sunglasses
*T-shirts depicting violence, sexual acts, profanity, or illegal drugs
*Tube or halter tops/plunging necklines/midriffs
*Ripped or torn jeans
*Miniskirts or shorts
*Baggy pants that fall below the waist
*Muscle shirts (usually worn as undergarments)
If you are not dressed properly, you will be asked
to leave the court and return at a later date. This will delay your hearing and require you to appear in court more than once.
The Municipal Court does not assess motor vehicle points on driver's license. The Municipal Court only reports convictions of moving violations to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. You must contact the Georgia Department of Driver Services directly to inquire about violations and points that are assessed for those violations and convictions. The Georgia Department of Driver Services can be contacted at 678 413 8400 or online at http://www.dds.ga.gov .
Your insurance rates are determined by your insurer. They may adjust your rates based on the moving violations on your driver's history, the amount of points assessed by the Georgia Department of Driver Services, or other factors. A no contest plea on a moving violation that is accepted by the Georgia Department of Driver Services will result in no points assessed for that particular violation. However, the violation will be on your driver's history.
The Georgia Department of Driver Services. They can be contacted at 678 413 8400 or online at http://www.dds.ga.gov.
If the payment for your fine does not reach the court office prior to your court date and you fail to appear at your assigned court time, a bench warrant can be issued for your arrest. If a bench warrant has been issued for failure to appear in court for your citation, the Department of Driver Services may have been notified to suspend your driver's license pursuant to O.C.G.A. 40-5-56 AND/OR 17-6-11.
It is your responsibility to clear your license with the Department of Driver Services. Warrants must be cleared before you can obtain the necessary authorization to clear your license with the Department of Driver Services. Failure to appear warrants may be cleared through the court office Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., except during holidays.
Failure to appear warrants may be cleared 7 days a week, 24 hours a day through the Norcross Police Department. If you are clearing your warrant through the police department, you will need to get a money order for the exact bond amount. Call 770 448 2111 first to obtain the exact amount needed to clear
your warrant.
Authorization to clear your license with the Department of Driver Services must be obtained from the court office only.
Clearing the warrant DOES NOT RE-INSTATE YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE. Neither THE POLICE DEPARTMENT NOR THE COURT OFFICE CAN CLEAR LICENSE SUSPENSIONS. You will need to re-instate with the Department of Driver Services after the court sends an electronic clearance form to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. Contact the Department of Driver Services for reinstatement information. Their website is www.dds.ga.gov.
Some warrants may require you to appear in court for a bond amount to be set. If that applies to your case, you will have to report to the Norcross Police department to turn yourself in to be seen as an inmate regarding your bench warrant. You will be transported to the Gwinnett County Detention Center. You will be scheduled to be seen at the next scheduled inmate preliminary court session. Only the Judge, the defendant, the defendant's attorney (if they choose to retain one) may be present at the preliminary court session.
Some charges require a court appearance even though a bond may be paid to clear a warrant. You will be notified if that is applicable to your charges when you pay for your warrant.
Certified copies of dispositions normally require a written request and cost $5, due on the date the disposition is requested. Certified copies of citations are normally availible the monday following the assigned court date. All certified copies must be picked up within 2 business days after they are completed. After the 2nd business day, the copy will be disposed of for the requestor's security.
In compliance with The Common Record Retention Schedule for Municipal Governments, the Municipal Court of Norcross maintains court records for a period of six (6) years(O.C.G.A. Title 40, Chapters 5, 6, 8, and 9). If the record you request meets or exceeds this period, it is no longer available.
You will need to appear at your assigned court date and time. Call 770 448 2173 to verify the court date given to you when you left the Gwinnett County Detention Center.
A principal bond paid on your behalf can be applied to your sentence at your discretion. If a bond was paid on your behalf in the form of a security bond, the security will need to be present on the assigned court date and time with valid ID if they would like to apply the money they paid to your sentence. If the security is not present on the assigned court date, they will receive a refund check within 30 days after the adjudication of the case via mail. The check will be sent to the address given at the time the bond paperwork was signed. The defendant will then be expected to pay for the citation(s) in full after being sentenced or they will be placed on probation. If the security turns in B.O.B. paperwork, the refund will be issued within 30 days after the adjudication of the case via mail. If the judge refunds any part of a principal or security bond, the refund will be issued within 30 days after the adjudication of the case via mail.
If a bond was paid on your behalf in the form of a surety bond, or if you were released on your own recognizance (O/R Bond), you will be expected to appear in court on your court date to address your charges. No actual funds were received by this court. You will need to contact your bondsman about what they require to recoup any funds.
65 Lawrenceville St., Norcross, GA 30071
770-448-2122 (First Floor City Hall) • 678-421-2027 (Second Floor Administration) • Fax: 770-242-0824
Copyright © 2013 City of Norcross
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