Montclair Township Municipal Court

Montclair Township Municipal Court cases in Essex County, Montclair, NJ

Montclair Township Municipal Court in Montclair, New Jersey, is a municipal court within the state judiciary. It serves as the local forum for low-level criminal and quasi-criminal matters, enforcing state motor-vehicle laws and municipal ordinances, and conducting first appearances for indictable offenses before transfer to the Superior Court of New Jersey (Essex Vicinage). Common matters include traffic and parking violations (including DWI/DUI), disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses (e.g., simple assault, harassment, shoplifting under statutory thresholds), municipal ordinance violations (noise, property maintenance, health and housing codes), and regulatory violations (fish and game, weights and measures). It does not adjudicate civil lawsuits or family-law cases, which are handled in Superior Court.

Montclair Township Municipal Court Contact and Location Information

Services and Case Types Handled in Montclair Township Municipal Court

Montclair Township Municipal Court serves the public by handling:
- Traffic and parking matters (including DUI/DWI), and driver's license/suspension issues.
- Municipal ordinance and code violations (noise, property, health, housing).
- Disorderly and petty-disorderly offenses (e.g., simple assault, harassment, minor theft).
- Certain regulatory violations (e.g., fish/game, boating).

Core services:
- Case intake and filings (tickets, citizen complaints) and case scheduling.
- Court hearings: arraignments, pretrial conferences, motions, trials, and sentencings.
- Bench trials only; no jury services (jury matters are in Superior Court).
- Payments of fines/fees, payment plans, and compliance monitoring.
- Warrants for failure to appear; probation-type compliance in municipal matters.
- Public defender applications for eligible defendants; interpreter and ADA accommodations.
- Emergency temporary restraining orders when the Superior Court is unavailable (final restraining orders are in Superior Court).
- Records, dispositions, certifications, and general case information per statewide rules.