South Orange Municipal Court

South Orange Municipal Court
201 South Orange Avenue
(Police Headquarters Building)
South Orange, New Jersey 07079
(973) 378-7805

Traffic/Criminal court is held each Monday and Tuesday, Holidays excepted.
Criminal session begins 12:30 P.M.
Traffic session begins 3:00 P.M.
Tuesday evenings at 5:00 P.M. Traffic/Criminal

Violations bureau is open Monday through Friday 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
The window is open for motor vehicle summons payments, partial payments made previously in court and complaints

If you wish to plead not guilty on a motor vehicle summons, you must notify the court at least seven (7) days prior to date on bottom of summons to schedule a court date. You will not be scheduled for a court session unless you contact the court prior for a court date.

Summons payments can be made on line here using a credit card for a nominal fee.

General Information
Indictable Offenses
Bench Warrants
Informal Complaints or Notices in Lieu of Complaints
Additional Information
Commonly Charged Local Supplemental Violations Bureau Schedule

General Information

Court sessions are held each Monday from 12:30 p.m. The criminal calendar continues until 3:00 p.m. when the traffic calendar is called. Court continues until the last case is heard. Tuesday sessions begin at 5 PM and both criminal and traffic matters are scheduled.   Criminal calendar consists of arraignments (first hearings or initial appearances for those charged with indictable offenses), informal hearings, Village ordinances, violations of probation, payment reviews, guilty pleas and trials with attorneys and lastly, trials without attorneys.

Bench time for the Judge includes, but is not limited to, the following: setting bail on new arrests; arraignment of defendants charged on days when court is not in session and/or on weekends; approving search warrants; granting temporary restraining orders or violations of the newly revised domestic violence act; signing commitment papers from area hospitals for persons in mental crisis; emergency duty on a rotating basis for all Essex County Municipal Courts.

The Municipal Court Administrator is charged with the responsibility of performing many functions which include the following: reviewing of old summonses and/or complaints for administrative dismissal; responding to correspondence received by the court from inmates, recipient of traffic summonses, and other sources that are court related; attending meetings and training sessions as required by the Assignment Judge or the Administrative Office of the Court; keeping current with all rules, regulations, laws and other matters pertaining to the municipal courts of the State of New Jersey; supervising the staff and the overall operation of the court including reviewing and approving monthly reports required by the Administrative Office of the Courts; creating ways to improve the efficiency and productivity of the Municipal Court which many times results in a better delivery of Justice as well as an increase in revenue; interacting with the Village President and Board of Trustees over concerns of the Village especially with respect to budget preparation; responding to community needs by encouraging visitation from area students and other community groups.

Indictable Offenses

Those individuals charged with indictable offenses, i.e. rape, murder, kidnapping, burglary, arson, theft over $200, aggravated assault, sexual assault, and others, are reviewed telephonically with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office for a determination whether those charges are to remain indictable and referred to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office for further investigation or downgraded to a disorderly persons offense, in which case, the charge(s) remain in the Municipal Court for disposition.

Bench Warrants

A bench warrant is issued for defendants who have failed to appear in court or have failed to pay fines.

Informal Complaints or Notices in Lieu of Complaints

Informal Complaints are just that, informal charges. When a complainant wishes to file charges against another individual and the circumstances dictate the need for a hearing before the Judge, without the need for formal charges being filed, the complaint will be taken as an Informal. Both parties appear before the Judge to air their sides of the story. Most times, just by having both parties before the Judge satisfies the complainant's need for "someone to listen to them" and the matter is considered closed. If a resolution cannot be affected, the complainant has two options posed by the Judge. These options are already explained to the complainant by the Court Administrator when the Informal is taken. One option is mediation, in which a neutral third party, without any power makes a decision, facilitates communication between parties in an effort to promote settlement without imposition of the mediator’s own judgement regarding the issues in dispute; the other option is the filing of a formal complaint.

Additional Information Concerning New Jersey Municipal Courts

www.njcourtsonline.com

	Statewide Violations Bureau Schedule (Payable Amounts)
	Motor Vehicle Offenses - revised Minimum Mandatory Fines and Penalties Schedule
	Directions to Court
	Municipal Court Services
	Information on New Jersey Judiciary

Commonly Charged Local Supplemental Violations Bureau Schedule

		Penalty
108-8	Overtime Parking at Meters in Lots	$25
108-8A	Meter Feeding in Lots	$29
108-10	Overnight in Lots	$29
108-16	Permit Parking only in Lots	$45
152-9	Overtime Parking on Streets	$30
152-11.1	No Overnight Parking (Between 2 A.M. - 6 A.M.)	$45
152-6	Parking Prohibited at All Times	$45
152-61	Overtime Parking at Metered on Street	$30
152-7	Parking Prohibited during Certain Hours	$29
152-8	Stopping of Standing Prohibited	$26
108-18	Handicapped Parking Parking (Mandatory Court Appearance-Contact court)