At one point or another, you may find yourself dealing with some sort of legal issue, often due to a speeding ticket or some other type of minor infraction. However, as a result of this legal issue, you may end up in Colorado Springs Municipal Court. Yet, even though people in the area may have heard of this court, many do not know actually what this court is or what types of cases are heard there.
Here, we will go over everything you need to know about Colorado Springs Municipal Court. Specifically, the types of cases it hears, why you would have to go there, and how a Colorado Springs criminal defense attorney can help if you have been summoned to appear in front of this court.
The Colorado Springs Municipal Court is located in the Robert M. Isaac Municipal Court Building, 224 East Kiowa Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado. The court hours are Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. However, if you have any questions or would like further information about the court itself, you can visit their website, call 719-385-5922 or email the court at MunicipalCourtViolations@ColoradoSprings.Gov. Keep in mind that it will often take the court staff 24 hours to return your emails or phone messages.
On the other hand, if you are required to be at the courthouse for an appearance, you will want to make sure you leave yourself ample time to get through security. This is because, before you can head to your specific location, you will need to first walk through a security scanner. Once through, you will enter the double doors into the court lobby, where you will be greeted by a court employee who can help you find where you need to go. In addition, you can also use the scrolling monitors located in the lobby to help you find the courtroom in which you are scheduled to appear. However, please note that you must check in with the clerk once you arrive in the courtroom. They will let you know what to do from there.
Generally, those who commit a minor criminal offense will be summoned to Municipal Court. These minor offenses include writing shoplifting, petty disorderly conduct, motor vehicle infractions, or a simple assault.
In addition, you will also know you need to go to Colorado Springs Municipal Court if you received a summons written by a Colorado Springs Police Officer, it had a blue horizontal color bar at the bottom, and it indicated you need to appear at 224 East Kiowa. If any of these details are present, you will know that you have received a Municipal Court Charge.
If you have been summoned by the Colorado Springs Municipal Court, you may want to retain an experienced criminal defense attorney to represent you as soon as possible. These attorneys can not only investigate your incident and gather the necessary evidence needed to defend your case, but they can also advise you on potential plea deals and help you understand what this legal process involves. Additionally, your attorney may be able to go to court for you on more minor cases which saves you from having to take off work or deal with the added stress of attending court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Municipal courts will often deal with violations of the city laws that are committed within the city limits. Typically, these laws tend to deal with traffic offenses, shoplifting offenses, and minor offenses, which may even include dog leash violations. Yet, even though these courts are not state courts and often have limited jurisdiction, they are still able to solve most legal issues before escalating them to a higher level.
However, depending on the circumstances of your case, you may have a right to a jury trial to explain your side of the story in these Municipal Courts, and you may also be able to appeal a Municipal Court decision to the state level court.
To reschedule a court date in Colorado Springs Municipal Court, you will need to go to Room 108 at the Violations Bureau before the appearance time and date listed on the citation. Remember, you will not be able to call or email the court to reschedule this date, as you will have to be there in person to sign for your next appearance date. In circumstances where you are a parent of a minor, you must also appear alongside them to reschedule this court date. If you have an attorney, your attorney can handle all of the rescheduling for you, or they can appear in court on your behalf so you do not have to attend.
Although there are many things you can find online, when it comes to the specifics of a Colorado Springs Municipal court case, this information may not be as readily available on the internet. For instance, access to certain case documents and files is not usually available through the Colorado Judicial Branch site. In addition, copies of legal filings may also not be available on the site.
Instead, to obtain access to specific information regarding a case, you may need to contact or visit the court in which the action was filed or hire an attorney to do so for you. Municipal courts in Colorado do not have the same accessibility to files that the state courts have.