What to Expect at Court

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Before You Arrive

  • Verify your court date and time. Consider how you would like to plea (not guilty, guilty, or no contest).
  • For adult initial appearances, do not arrive any earlier than 8:30 a.m. The court is first come, first serve. For juvenile court, please arrive at the time on the citation.
  • We can provide a work excuse if you have to miss work. We can also provide a school excuse if one is needed.
  • If you have a conflict that cannot be moved, we will provide one continuance.

Checking in When Your Arrive

  • Municipal Court is located in Wauwatosa City Hall (7725 W North Avenue). There is free parking behind the building. The court is located on the second floor in the Common Council room.
  • Sign in on the sheet and wait for your name to be called.

Court Procedures

  • Meet with the City Attorney before appearing before the Judge. Many cases are resolved via an agreement with the City Attorney. The City Attorney recommends an amount of the forfeiture, but that can be modified by the Judge. The City Attorney may agree to a point reduction; the Judge will not consider point reductions.
  • The judge will review all agreements and may accept it, reject it, or modify the forfeiture amount.
  • You will check out with the court clerk who will provide you with payment information. If you need a work or school excuse, please request it from the clerk.

Initial Appearance with the Judge

  • When the judge calls your name, come to the podium.
  • You’ll be asked to enter a plea. Most people plead “guilty” or “no contest” if they reach an agreement with the City Attorney.
  • If you plead “not guilty,” the case will be set for a trial or pre-trial conference.

Plea Options: No Contest, Guilty, Not Guilty

No contest means that you are not going to fight the citation and will permit the Court to enter a finding of guilty. This finding cannot be used against you in a civil case.

Guilty means that you admit guilt that you committed the citation. The court will review facts of your case, find you guilty, and give an appropriate consequence. This might be fines, community service hours, online classes, or points off of your driver’s license. However, driver’s license points are set by state law and not the judge.

A not guilty plea means that you will be contesting the forfeiture. The matter will be set for a pre-trial conference with the City Attorney and then scheduled for trial.

Your Rights

You can:

  • Ask procedural questions before your plea
  • Ask that your case be set for another date
  • Consult your own attorney at your own expense
  • Have a right to a trial before the Judge if you cannot reach an agreement with the City Attorney
  • Appeal to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court (for citations that go to trial)

Municipal Court Process

Municipal Court Proceedings

Municipal Court is held in Wauwatosa during the day. The ticket (citation) you received from the police officer indicates the date and time that you are to appear in Municipal Court. You only need to attend court if you wish to contest the citation or if you wish to discuss it with the city’s prosecuting attorney.

 

Meeting with the Prosecutor

On a specific court date, the prosecutor is available to meet and discuss your citation. There will be a sign-up sheet for meeting with the prosecutor.

We do not have any records of the citation available in advance of the specified court date, so you will need to wait until that date to discuss the matter with the prosecutor.

When you meet with the prosecutor, who is a Special Assistant City Attorney, he or she will review your citation and depending on the circumstances, may impose a resolution to you. Whether you accept the proposal or reject it, you will be guided to the municipal courtroom. The judge must approve all agreements. If an agreement is not reached, then you will see the judge in order to state a plea of guilty, not guilty, or no contest.

 

How Matters Proceed

Shortly after the municipal court judge arrives, the judge will announce to everyone in the courtroom how matters will proceed in the courtroom that day.