Fort Scott Municipal Court – Fort Scott, KS

Oct 26, 2021

A municipal court is a court with limited jurisdiction over criminal charges and civil matters within its area. These courts can be found at the city or county tier.

Fort Scott Municipal Court INformation

Court: Fort Scott Municipal Court
Address: “123 South Main, PO Box 151, Fort Scott, KS 66701”
Phone: 620-223-0550

City: Fort Scott
County: Bourbon
State: Kansas

What is the purpose of the Fort Scott Municipal Court?

Municipal Courts are routinely called “courts of limited jurisdiction.” Which means that they work with minor criminal charges, civil disputes, and traffic violations. Courthouses like Fort Scott Municipal Court are the first level of court for these types of cases.

In other situations, the purpose of a county court is to deal with a large number of civil disputes within the respective region. Most cases involve family law matters, accident cases, more serious criminal charges, or breaches of contract.

County courthouses have the jurisdiction to deal with misdemeanors and civil actions that can not exceed the amount of $15k, while the circuits courts handle felony matters and more expansive civil matters.

TYPES OF CASES seen IN A MUNICIPAL COURT in Fort Scott, Kansas

Municipal courts are the entry level of courts in the United States. They are usually found within the jurisdiction where they are located, but some places share municipal courts with other municipalities.

This can be done to better assist their people or to save money on overhead costs. The matters that will be heard by a municipal court vary depending on the municipality, but typically include traffic matters, low level criminal charges and code violations.

There is no set definition for what constitutes a misdemeanor crime versus a felony crime, but generally speaking felonies would require more time in jail than misdemeanors and fines may also be higher for felonies. Traffic violations usually result in points against your driver’s license as well

what is the procedure for cases in the municipal court in Fort Scott?

Municipal courts are the lowest level of the court system in the United States. They have jurisdiction over minor crimes, traffic matters, and other civil matters. Municipal courts are popularly known city courts or town courts. Cases are handled by a magistrate who is usually an attorney, judge, or retired judge. Magistrates may be appointed by the mayor or city council members to help for a specific time.

Judges administer hearings to determine:

Probable cause for an arrest
Set bail amounts and conditions of release
Conduct arraignment hearings when charges are filed against defendants by police officers
Distribute search warrants to law enforcement officers in order to seize evidence from crime scenes
start preliminary inquiries to determine if there is enough evidence to issue a charge

The common process of a Municipal Court Case

The process of a municipal courthouse case can be tricky. The next portion is an overview of the steps involved in a typical municipal court matter.

First Step: An Issuance of Summons

A summons from the court is sent when an individual has been charged with violating a local ordinance or state law. The citizen who has received the court summons will need to show up at their assigned time and location, which is usually the municipal courtroom, to answer for the charge(s) against them. If they don’t appear, they may be found guilty in absentia and could be fined up to $1000 or given a jail sentence if it’s a serious enough offense.

Step Two: Appearance before Judge or Magistrate

If someone fails to respond after being summoned by the judge, there may be a warrant issued for the individual.

Municipal Court Penalties in Fort Scott, KS

Penalties change often, which is why it’s best to speak with licensed lawyer. The information below represents common penalties, but may not be accurate for the Fort Scott Municipal Court.

A violation is a crime that has a penalty of $500 or less, while a misdemeanor can have penalties up to $1,000.00 or one year in jail. A person’s driving privileges may be suspended for six months if they receive three speeding tickets within 12 months.

The penalties for different charges in municipal courts vary depending on the severity of an crimes. For example, if you are caught with marijuana without having a prescription for it then you could be fined up to $2,000 or spend up to six months in jail.

Fort Scott Municipal Court Records

Municipal Court records from a municipal court could be difficult to find because they are not always stored in one area or system. The records that an individual might need to depend on the type of matter they have in front of the court, where it’s at in the process, and what type of information is needed by law to be available.

Questions ABOUT the Fort Scott Municipal Court

What is municipal court in Fort Scott, Kansas?

In Kansas, the municipal court is a lower level with civil and criminal matters within a town or municipality. Municipal courts thus have a small location and have limited authority as well, dealing only with petty charges and misdemeanors.

What does the municipal court handle in Fort Scott, Kansas?

Depending on the area of the municipality, a municipal court can handle a civil division (cases with less than $15,000 at issue), a traffic/criminal division, or a housing and environmental division. More serious cases/crimes are handled by higher authorities.

How many judges does the Fort Scott Municipal Court have?

The count of judges depends on the municipality’s size.

How are cases heard in municipal courts in Kansas?

A municipal court judge may be either elected or appointed to serve for a set term of years or until retirement. Judges are commonly chosen by the people with each precinct’s results evaluated based on population. Municipal judges are often not attorneys but have some legal education and must complete many hours of continuing courses every period to maintain their licenses.