Tucson Municipal Court Information

The Tucson municipal court is a court of limited jurisdiction and is responsible for hearing and settling of all ordinance violation cases pertaining to the city of Tucson. The Tucson court is also concerned with the enforcement of various sanctions within the city limits. The court consists of 16 judges and currently employs around 135 other staff members.

Jurisdiction

The Municipal Court of Tucson has absolute jurisdiction over cases of petty misdemeanors such as shoplifting, willful damage of property and sexual offenses including prostitution. Drivers indulging in reckless driving or driving under influence (DUI) are regularly brought to Tucson court.

Speeding over 20 miles an hour above the permitted limit is considered to be an offense. Parking violations and other ordinance violations come under the jurisdiction of the Tucson municipal court.

Civil violations may include illegal zoning of the neighborhood and other offenses. Driving with an expired license as well as equipment violations are considered to be civil traffic violations in the city of Tucson.

Since the municipal court is not authorized to imprison an offender, punitive measures are limited to imposition of fines only. However, the court has a variety of diverse programs which are undertaken with an aim to rectify the habitual offenders. Sanctions, community service, and fines go a long way in ensuring that the offenders are not tempted to commit misdemeanors repeatedly.

Annual Case Load of the Tucson Court System

The municipal court of Tucson handles a large number of cases each year. Statistics for the year 2007 reveal that the court processed a staggering 215,000 charges of which 2,800 charges were for orders of protection alone.

The number increased substantially in 2008 with the municipal court of Tucson hearing more than 115,000 cases out of a total of 251,000 which were processed in the given year.

You can check out more details of municipal court jurisdiction by logging in to http://www.tucsonaz.gov/courts/.

Information

All fines for violations of ordinances including traffic offenses are required to be paid to the Tucson City Court located at:

103 E. Alameda
Tucson, Arizona  85701

Fine payments are usually made in cash. However, you can call (520) 791-4216 to pay your fine via credit card.

The Tucson municipal court provides a court date search facility at http://www.tucsonaz.gov/courtcal/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/courtcal.html. This is particularly helpful when you do not know the exact date for appearing at the court. Call (520) 791-4216 for court date information if you do not have access to the Internet.

Refer to http://www.tucsonaz.gov/courts/Court_Info/Active_Warrants/active_http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/warrants.html if you discover that there is a warrant out for your arrest. What you should do after the issuance of warrant is explained in great detail within the web page.

Protection from a violent spouse or partner can be sought by calling (520)791-4971. You are entitled to an order of protection. Alternatively, you may visit the court located at 103 E. Alameda. Details of the procedure can be viewed by accessing http://www.tucsonaz.gov/courts/How_To/Order_of_Protection/order_of_http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/protection.html. You can always dial 911 for an emergency order of protection.