Municipal Court
Decatur Municipal Court, 420 W. Trinity Place
The newly renovated municipal court facility is designed to promote safety and security as well as to be functional and effective as a courtroom.
Overview
The municipal court holds first appearance and preliminary hearings for felony and misdemeanor charges to determine if probable cause exists to bind the case over to superior or state court of DeKalb County. The municipal court holds trials for traffic charges, some misdemeanors, city ordinance and parking violations that occur within the city limits of Decatur. The judges can assign fines and incarceration if the person is found guilty.
The City Commission annually appoints municipal court judges and the city attorney. Rhathelia Stroud serves as the Chief Judge, and the associate judges are, Berryl A. Anderson, Hollie Manheimer, and Denise VanLanduyt. Substitute judges are Cinque Axam, Tyler Edgerton, Bobby Slotkin, and Tom Stubbs. Bryan Downs is the City Attorney; Larry Steele serves as the Municipal Court Solicitor.
The Court Administrator, Courtney Jackson, oversees the day-to-day operations of the municipal court. In addition there are two full-time Court Clerks and two part-time Court Clerk Assistants who prepare the court calendar, support court hearings, process paperwork after hearings, and accept payments of fines. Lori Bell and Shakeita Brown serve as Court Clerks; Martha McMillan and Pamela Oliver serve as part-time Court Clerk Assistants.
Other services provided by the court include:
- Certified court dispositions
- Record restrictions (formerly known as Expungements)
- Pay fines
- Request continuances
Court Schedule
A citation issued by the Decatur Police Department includes a court appearance date and time. You will be asked to enter a plea at that time. If the violation is not a mandatory appearance violation, you may pay the fine prior to the court date and time to avoid a court appearance. If your fine is not paid by your scheduled court session and you do not appear for your hearing, you will be penalized for failure to appear in court.
All Decatur Municipal Court hearings are open to the public and take place at:
420 W. Trinity Place
Decatur, GA 30030
map
When appearing in court, you should dress appropriately and in a manner that shows respect for the court.
Court hearings are held for traffic tickets, ordinance violations and some misdemeanors.
Hours:
Monday and Wednesday: 9 a.m.
Tuesday and Thursday: 6 p.m.
(except holidays)
Parking ticket hearings:
Parking tickets may be appealed through the online portal. To appeal parking tickets, please log onto decaturga.rmcpay.com and select the APPEAL option located in your citation information. Please note parking citations are only appealable within 15 days of issuance.
Parking tickets issued by a Decatur Police Officer may be appealed on the assigned court date written on the ticket.
First Appearance hearings and Probation Revocation hearings:
Mondays 8 a.m.
Tuesdays 5 p.m.
Wednesdays 8 a.m.
Thursdays 5 p.m.
(except holidays)
Fine Payments
If your ticket is for an offense that may be paid without going to court, your fine will be listed here. If you choose to pay your fine in advance, your options are:
- In person or by mail at Decatur Municipal Court, 420 W. Trinity Place, Decatur, GA 30030
- Online. For customer service, you may call 470-961-6107.
The court accepts these types of payment for fines or bonds:
- Cash (in-person only)
- Money order
- Certified check
- Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and debit cards with Visa or Mastercard logo, 4% service fee will be applied.)
The fee for a returned check is $30.
Probation
The municipal court contracts with a private probation service that can arrange payment plans for those who are unable to pay their fines at court. The probation service supervises court-ordered community service work and any other special conditions set by a judge at trial.
Professional Probation Services / PPS
404-373-6337
Professional Probation Website
Interpreter Services
If you are in need of language interpreter services, you must contact and inform the court as soon as possible. It is your responsibility to inform the court prior to your scheduled court date and time. Complete the online form or contact the court clerk’s office at 678-553-6655 or email municipal.court@decaturga.com.
Georgia Municipal Courts
For more general information about courts in Georgia and about municipal courts in particular visit the Council of Municipal Court Judges website (georgiacourts.org/councils/municipal). Please note that in the video, Appearing in Municipal Court, the judges talk about holding an arraignment hearing separately from trial. Decatur Municipal Court has arraignments and trials at the same hearing and does not require two separate court appearances. You may come to court just one time whether or not you choose to have a trial. All the constitutional rights mentioned in the video apply to each and every person accused in Decatur Municipal Court and all courts of the state.
