Municipal Court Department

Municipal Court

Adairsville Municipal Court is a court of limited jurisdiction, given its authority by OCGA 36-32-1. The court is created and given its power of punishment by the City of Adairsville Code of Ordinances. Municipal Court has the right and power to conduct non-jury trials, receive guilty pleas and impose sentence in the manner required by law.

City Council

The jurisdiction of the Adairsville Municipal court extends to:

All misdemeanor traffic violations set forth in Title 40 of OCGA that are committed within the corporate limits of the City of Adairsville (by authority of OCGA 40-6-372 through 40-6-376 and adopted in the Code of Ordinances of the City of Adairsville);
All misdemeanor city ordinance violations committed within the corporate limits of the City of Adairsville;
Misdemeanor violations of the following laws of the State of Georgia-
- Shoplifting,
- Underage possession of alcohol,
- Furnishing alcohol to underage persons,
- Sale of alcohol to underage persons,
- Public intoxication,
- Disorderly conduct,
- Violation of Georgia Controlled Substances Act-possession of less than one ounce of marijuana;
Violations of probated sentences by subjects sentenced to probation by this court.

The Adairsville Municipal Court may only hear cases brought against adults, ages 17 and over. All charges made against juveniles, ages 16 and under, must be turned over to Juvenile Court.

The Adairsville Municipal Court does have jurisdiction over public nuisance violations under OCGA 41-2-5.

The Adairsville Municipal Court does not hear any civil disputes (other than described above under public nuisances). Those matters are dealt with in Magistrate or Probate Court of Bartow County.

Must Appear Offenses:

DUI
HIT AND RUN
SUSPENDED, CANCELLED OR REVOKED LICENSE
RACING
AGGRESSIVE DRIVING
DRIVING ON SUSPENDED TAG OR REGISTRATION
NO INSURANCE
RECKLESS DRIVING
SHOPLIFTING
VGCSA
UNDERAGE ALCOHOL-POSSESSION WHILE OPERATING A VEHICLE, PURCHASE OR SALE
CITY ORDINANCE VIOLATION (EXCLUDING DISORDERLY CONDUCT

Must Appear Offenses: (Drivers under 21 YRS of age all offenses listed above and)

ANY 4 OR MORE POINT OFFENSE
SPEEDING 24 OR MORE OVER THE LIMIT

Failure To Appear Warrants Will Be Issues On:

MUST APPEAR OFFENSES
ALL DRIVING WITHOUT VALID GEORGIA LICENSE VIOLATIONS
ALL ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS

DS 912 WILL BE ISSUED ON ALL OTHER MINOR VIOLATIONS

Soon after court a DS912 will be completed and sent to the state. The files are generated

electronically and will result in a suspension of your driver’s license that will remain in force until

citation has been paid. Once paid or otherwise cleared, a release must be generated, a certified

copy given to the defendant, a suspension withdrawal will be sent to DDS electronically and a copy

maintained in the file.

To Pay Citations:

To pay online - adairsvillepayments.com

By Phone at 1-844-854-0465 Citations may be searched by driver’s license number or citation number

Pay in person with cash or money order at:

116 Public Square

Adairsville, GA 30103

Monday – Friday 8:00 – 5:00 (excluding holidays)

770-773-3451 Ext 102

Mail money orders to:

116 Public Square

Adairsville GA 30103

Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Court's office is the official depository and custodian of court records. This office

maintains all original citations and sentencing orders of defendants and serves as the case

manager by arranging court appearances, attending court hearings, preparing the case file,

obtaining reports and test results, preparing orders for the judge's signature, attending court,

assessing fines, accepting payments and updating of records by entering conditions of sentence

for each offense.

Judge

Municipal Court Judges are required by law to receive 20 hours of training as new judges. Each

year thereafter, the judges must satisfy 12 hours of training. Training is offered several times a

year by the University Of Georgia Institute Of Continuing Judicial Education.

Prosecutors

Prosecutors are part-time and appointed by the Mayor of the City. Prosecutors are not available

by phone. All communications are conducted in open court and according to the laws and

procedures governing such communications. The Prosecutor is the legal party responsible for

presenting the case on behalf of the City against an individual accused of breaking the law. In

preparing the case, the Prosecutor will investigate the charges, conduct background review of the

accused, research test results, interview witnesses and determines a recommended sentence and

fine amount for the Judge’s consideration.

Court Appointed Attorney

In certain circumstances you may be eligible for a court appointed attorney. The Adairsville

Municipal Court follows the federal poverty guidelines when determining eligibility for a Court

Appointed Attorney.

Requests for court appointed attorney are only accepted in open court.
Your case will not be heard until the application process has been completed.
Applicants will complete an application form and will be required to provide documentation.
A $50 cash or money order application fee will be imposed to be paid to the Clerk of Court upon the return of application.
The judge will review application and make a ruling concerning appointment of an attorney.

Court Interpreter Services

A request for a language interpreter can be made at your first court appearance.
Your case will not be heard until an interpreter is made available to you.
You will not be charged for these services.

Court Rules

Basic Rules of Court Conduct

Be on time
Proceed through security checkpoint in an orderly fashion
Allow officers to check all bags, packages, and belongings for prohibited items

Prohibited Items

Weapons of any kind
Electronic equipment such as video, voice recorders or cameras (unless approved by the court)
Food, beverages, chewing gum, tobacco
Cellphones must be on silent mode in courtroom – do not answer calls inside courtroom

Dress Code (Items Prohibited)

Hats are to be removed inside the courtroom (except those worn for religious purposes)
Sunglasses
Clothing, including T-shirts depicting sex, violence, illegal drugs, profanity, or displaying gang or hate slogans
Tube or halter tops/plunging necklines/midriffs, miniskirts, short shorts
Baggy pants that fall below the natural waistline
Chains worn on clothing, with a wallet, or as a necklace