Gadsden Municipal Court

Gadsden Municipal Court cases in Etowah County, Gadsden, AL

Gadsden Municipal Court is a municipal court serving the City of Gadsden, Alabama. As a limited-jurisdiction trial court, it handles cases arising under municipal authority that occur within the city, primarily including traffic and parking citations, misdemeanor criminal offenses, and violations of Gadsden's municipal ordinances, as well as certain state-law misdemeanors adopted by ordinance (such as DUI). The court conducts arraignments and bench trials (no jury), accepts guilty pleas, issues warrants, sets bail, and assesses fines and other authorized penalties. It does not hear civil or family law matters. Final judgments may be appealed for a trial de novo to the Etowah County Circuit Court.

Gadsden Municipal Court Contact and Location Information

Services and Case Types Handled in Gadsden Municipal Court

- Role: Administers city ordinance and misdemeanor matters arising within Gadsden.
- Case types: traffic and parking citations; misdemeanor traffic (including DUI); misdemeanor offenses (e.g., theft 4th, harassment, disorderly conduct); municipal code/property maintenance violations.
- Key services: magistrate case filings (citizen complaints); issuance of warrants and subpoenas; bond setting and warrant recall; arraignments, pretrial conferences, and bench trials; probation, compliance, and show-cause/failure-to-appear hearings; assessment of fines and restitution; payment plans and collections; records requests and docket information; continuances; interpreter and ADA accommodations.
- Protective orders: Protection-from-Abuse petitions are filed in Etowah County Circuit Court; the municipal court may impose no-contact conditions in criminal cases.
- Jury services: Municipal cases are heard by a judge; jury trials are available only on appeal in circuit court.