Palm Beach Municipal Court Information

The 15th Judicial Circuit is made up of five circuit court divisions and two county court divisions. The 15th Judicial Circuit covers the whole of Palm Beach County. The office of the 15th Judicial Circuit is located in the downtown area of West Palm Beach. The courthouse in the south county is located in Delray Beach. The courthouse in the north county lies in Palm Beach Gardens. The courthouse in the west county is in Belle Glade.

The 15th Judicial Circuit is a court of general jurisdiction. According to the Florida State laws, the Chief Judge presides over the 15th Judicial Circuit. There are 35 circuit judges and 19 county judges operating under this judicial circuit.

This Judicial circuit is comprised of five departments which include an administrative department along with four courts. The five departments of the 15th Judicial Circuit are:

•    Trial Court Administration Department
•    Criminal Court
•    Civil Court
•    Family Court
•    Probate Court

Trial Court Administration Department

Trial court administrative department is responsible for overseeing all judicial as well as non judicial issues arising in the 15th Judicial Circuit. This department is the operational hub. It is responsible for the security of the courts, implementing planning and designing information technology tools and systems, acts as a link between the courts, citizens of Palm Beach and the legal community, and helps to conduct research related to the court.

Criminal Court

The criminal court has two divisions, which are county criminal court and circuit criminal court. County criminal court hears and decides cases that deal with misdemeanors, and circuit criminal court decides on matters that pertain to felony cases.

Some of the felony cases heard by the circuit criminal court are sexual offenses, murder, burglary, robbery, forgery, theft, fraud cases, cases that deal with drugs, crime against property and individuals, and bounced checks in which the amount is over $150. The county criminal court hears misdemeanor cases, violations of municipal ordinances, and offenses that involve criminal traffic violations.

Civil Court

The civil court has two divisions, which are circuit civil division and county civil division. The circuit civil division hears all civil matters that involve automobile negligence, lawsuits on condominiums, product liability, foreclosure cases, professional malpractice, and real property.

The county division of the civil court exercises jurisdiction over all civil matters in which the amount in dispute is less than $15,000 along with cases that deal with small claims, traffic infractions, and cases involving disputes between landlord and tenants.

Family Court

The family court is empowered to adjudicate all domestic matters such as domestic violence cases, adoptions, cases that deal with divorce, child support, child support, rights of custody, and child visitation rights.
Juvenile court deals with cases that involve minors. Some of the issues heard by the juvenile court are child abuse and neglect cases, and juvenile delinquency cases.

Probate Court

The probate court deals with all matters that involve the appointment of trustees, guardians, validity of wills and their execution, collecting the assets of a decedent, paying taxes, liquidating liabilities, distributing property to the heirs, and so on.

For more information on the 15th Judicial Circuit, which covers Palm Beach area, individuals can contact:

Main Judicial Complex
205 North Dixie Hwy
West Palm Beach, FL 33401

North County Courthouse
3188 PGA Blvd.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

Criminal Justice Complex
3228 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406

West County Courthouse
38844 State Road 80
Belle Glade, FL 33430

South County Courthouse
200 West Atlantic Ave
Delray Beach, FL 33444

Phone: (561)355-2431 (AOC)
Website: http://15thcircuit.co.palm-beach.fl.us/web/guest/courtlocation