The jurisdiction of the Franklin County Municipal Court.

The jurisdiction of the Franklin County Municipal Court includes traffic offenses and other misdemeanors that occur countywide in all cities, villages and localities within Franklin County. This includes traffic tickets issued in Franklin County for violations of the Ohio Revised Code, and also traffic tickets issued in the City of Columbus for violations of the Columbus Codified Ordinances.

Traffic tickets filed in the Franklin County Municipal Court may include charges like speeding, improper passing, improper turn, disobeying a stop sign, disobeying a traffic control device, failing to maintain reasonable control over your vehicle, exceeding the speed necessary to be able stop at an assured clear distance ahead, etc.

Whether a traffic ticket is filed in the Franklin County Municipal Court as opposed to a given Mayor’s Court will depend on factors like the law enforcement agency of the officer who issued the traffic ticket, the nature of the traffic ticket, and whether the charge was for a violation of a municipal ordinance or the corresponding Ohio Revised Code.

Traffic matters pending in any Mayor’s Court in Franklin County may be transferred to the Franklin County Municipal Court. Additionally, final judgments of traffic matters in any such Mayor’s Court in Franklin County may be appealed to the Franklin County Municipal Court.

The arraignment schedule in the Franklin County Municipal Court.

Arraignments in traffic cases pending in the Franklin County Municipal Court are at 9:00 a.m. on Monday through Friday, except legal holidays. If a given traffic citation is not resolved at arraignment, then another court date and time will be set.

The Franklin County Municipal Court has numerous judges who preside over multiple courtrooms. The Clerk of Court is Lori M. Tyack. The Clerk of Court handles all court documents and payments to the court. If you have a traffic ticket pending in the Franklin County Municipal Court, then you may access information about your case by pressing the link to the court’s online portal here.

The legal process in the Franklin County Municipal Court.

The Franklin County Municipal Court is a court of record. The court has authority to conduct jury trials. However, the right to a jury trial does not extend to minor misdemeanors. Nor does the right to a jury trial extend to other violations for which the potential penalty does not include the possibility of a prison term or jail term and for which the possible fine does not exceed one thousand dollars.

As to matters pending in the Franklin County Municipal Court, there will be an arraignment during which the charges are read and a plea is entered. The plea may be “not guilty,” “guilty” or “no contest.” If the matter is not resolved with a plea agreement, then there will be a trial before the judge. The judge will make rulings on evidentiary objections and other legal matters. If the matter does not include charges for which the right to jury trial attaches, then the judge also is the finder of fact. This means that, like a jury, the judge will determine guilt or innocence. If the matter includes charges for which the right to jury trial attaches, then a defendant may elect to have a judge or a jury determine his or her guilt or innocence. If a defendant is found to be guilty, then the judge will determine the ultimate sentence or outcome of the case.

Hire a Columbus traffic attorney to represent you in your traffic ticket in the Franklin County Municipal Court.

For legal assistance with your traffic ticket in the Columbus metropolitan area, contact us at 614.695.5000 or online. Frequently a lawyer can appear in court and resolve a traffic case in the client’s absence, provided both the court and the prosecutor agree. This saves the client the aggravation of taking time off from work, fighting traffic to get to court on time, waiting for potentially hours for the case to be called, standing in long lines, and potentially having to do it all over again if the case is continued.