Municipal Court

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Hon. Dennis A. Marcou - Municipal Judge

THE COURT OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED SEPTEMBER 12TH AND 13TH!

PLEASE CALL AND LEAVE A VOICEMAIL OR SEND US AN EMAIL.
WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Court staff are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and may be reached by phone or email.

Payments may be made in person, online, by mail or put in the red drop box in the City Hall parking lot. In person payments at City Hall may be made Monday - Thursday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Treasurer's window in the lobby.

Our recommendations regarding your citation(s) are as follows:

•If you are pleading GUILTY or NO CONTEST: You may simply send payment for your fine by your court appearance date or you can do nothing and we will enter a default judgment. Either way, you do not need to appear in court. Our office will send you a letter (to the address listed on your citation) that gives you 60 days to pay and payment instructions. Monthly payment plans can be set up by calling the court office.

•If you are pleading NOT GUILTY: You must appear in court on your court date to enter your plea and have a pre-trial conference with the City Prosecutor.

Please contact our office by phone or email with any other questions. Our office is operating on limited staff and will do our best to answer your call or return your email as quickly as possible!

The Municipal Court is headed by the Municipal Judge and staffed by the Municipal Court Clerk and Judicial Assistants who ensure that traffic and ordinance citations issued by the City of La Crosse Police Department are processed for court. Court staff also monitors payments on citations, issues warrants, suspends driving privileges of delinquent payers and submits unpaid debt to debt collection agencies.

Court is held every Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. for adults. A closed court session is also held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays for juvenile defendants. Trials are also scheduled on Wednesdays.

Look Up a City Ordinance: Municipal Code
Look Up a State Statute: WI State Statutes
Information regarding 1st Offense OWI: wisconsindmv.gov/OWI

FAQs

Can I reschedule my court date?

Yes – in most cases. Initial appearances can be rescheduled by calling the court office, as long as you have not already been convicted. If you are ordered to appear in court because of delinquent payments, your court date cannot be rescheduled.
Can I take a class to get my underage drinking violation dismissed?

No. We are aware that other local courts may do this, we do not.
Do I have to come to court to contest my citation?

Yes. You will enter your plea in front of the judge and then have the opportunity to have a pre-trial conference with the city attorney. In most cases, cases can be resolved that same day. The prosecutor may find it necessary to continue your case or, where a resolution cannot be reached, will set your case for trial at a later date. If you’re not able to appear in court to contest your citation, call the court office for further instructions – an exception may be made, depending on your circumstances.
Do I need to hire an attorney to represent me?

No, it is not necessary to hire an attorney to represent you. If you do chose to hire an attorney, your attorney may represent you at your initial appearance and/or trial. Court staff cannot give legal advice!
Does Municipal Court offer public defenders?

No. Citations handled in Municipal Court are not “criminal” charges, therefore public defenders are not available.
Is the citation on my record?

The citation and report are kept in the Municipal Court office, and the Police Department. Traffic convictions and underage alcohol violations are also reported to the Wisconsin D.O.T. to be entered on your driving record. We do not publish our records online or to any other media. They are open records. If any person would like the records, they would need to contact our office or the police department directly.
When does my citation have to be paid by?

If you are not contesting your citation, please send payment by your court date. If that is not feasible, the court office will hold your citation open for one week past your court date, then find you guilty by default and send you a notice to pay by the due date on the notice (within 60 days.)

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