If you require the assistance of an interpreter, the Municipal Court will provide one to you at no cost.  Please notify court staff immediately if you need a foreign language or sign language interpreter.   Be sure to include in your notification any special language dialect required. 

If you have not advised the court in advance, your matter may have to be rescheduled.

The son or daughter in question, even if they are younger than 18, should contact the court themselves.

A parent may be on the phone with the son or daughter if prefered, or a parent may talk to a court staff member before (or after) the son or daughter contacts the court to enter a plea, to verify procedure, court dates, fines, etc. And should a parent choose to attend court with their son or daughter, the parent may appear before the judge with the son or daughter when their case is called.

Mediation is a process that seeks to resolve disputes through the intervention of a trained mediator, without pursuing a matter through the courts to trial and conviction. The mediator encourages discussions between the parties to help them reach an agreement. The types of complaints sent to mediation generally include citizen complaints involving disputes between individuals or groups. These are commonly referred to as “neighborhood disputes." Not all complaints can be referred to mediation. For example, motor vehicle matters cannot be resolved using the mediation process. 

An application for mediation can be completed during business hours directly with the court office or after hours through the police department. The Court Administrator or Deputy Court Administrator will review the application and schedule the case for mediation. In Evesham Municipal Court, mediation hearings are held the first Monday of every month beginning at 6 p.m.

To learn more about the mediation process, please contact or visit the Evesham Municipal Court to request a copy of “Mediation In The Municipal Courts” - an informational pamphlet prepared by the New Jersey Judiciary.

In certain types of cases, plea-bargaining is permitted in municipal courts. You may try to work out an amendment or downgrade of a traffic or criminal offense with the Prosecutor on the day of court. Any involved persons, e.g., complainants, victims, witnesses, will also have an opportunity to meet with the Prosecutor prior to an amendment or downgrade being recommended.

If you and the Prosecutor reach an agreement with regard to an amended or downgraded offense, you may be required to sign a Prosecutor’s Slip, which outlines the recommendation. You should be aware that unless and until the court accepts the amendment or downgrade in court on the record, it is not official.

The Prosecutor, who represents the interests of the State of New Jersey, is available at every court session, including the mandatory first appearance sessions.

Should you be unsure of how you wish to proceed with your case, you are permitted an opportunity to meet with the Prosecutor prior to entering a plea with the judge in open court.

Safe Corridor Zones have been established, by State Government, for various highways and roadways throughout the State of New Jersey. Signs are posted on these designated highways and roadways to notify the public. The fine may be doubled for a moving violation that occurs on a designated safe corridor zone.

If you are not sure whether your violation falls within this category, check with the court staff before remitting your payment.

In Evesham Township, Route 73 from Maple Shade to Berlin is considered “Safe Corridor Zone”.

If you do not agree with the court’s decision, you may file an appeal to the Burlington County Superior Court. An appeal must be filed within twenty (20) days of the Municipal Judge’s decision. A filing fee and a transcript deposit are required to be paid at the time of the filing of your appeal. You may obtain all necessary appeal forms and appeal instructions from the court office. The appeal does not involve a new trial. Generally, no new testimony or new witnesses may be considered.

The Superior Court reviews the transcript of the Municipal Court trial and the decision of the Municipal Court Judge, and may change the decision if there has been a mistake made regarding the facts or the law. All fines and penalties imposed by the Municipal Court Judge at the time of the Municipal Court hearing are effective immediately unless a “stay” is requested at the conclusion of the hearing in Municipal Court.

If you intend to plead not guilty to the offense charged in the summons and you want to have a hearing, you must notify the court of your intention at least seven (7) days before your “Notice To Appear” date listed on the front of your traffic summons. If you fail to notify the court in advance, it may be necessary for you to make more then one court appearance.  

(Be aware: that where the summons could have been paid through the Violations Bureau, the Municipal Judge has the discretion to impose a higher fine after a hearing and in certain cases, he or she may impose additional penalties and/or sentences including a suspension of your driving privileges, if applicable.)

A court appearance is mandatory in any traffic case involving an accident where there is personal injury. In this event, any involved person and/or witness will receive a notice to appear at every court listing except the defendant’s mandatory first appearance. This is done so that the judge may hear from all involved parties before a ruling is made.

If you are a witness or an involved person and you receive a notice to appear in court and you have any questions or scheduling conflicts, please notify the court staff immediately. If you simply fail to appear at the hearing, the case may be rescheduled specifically for your appearance.

This inconvenience can be avoided by communicating with the court staff.

If you face charges which carry penalties with a consequence of magnitude, e.g., fines of more then $750, jail time, license and/or registration suspension, probation, community service, etc., and you are unable to afford an attorney, you may apply for a public defender. An application for a public defender must be completed. The Judge will review your application and determine if you are eligible.

If a public defender is appointed to represent you, the court may assess an application fee up to $200. If the judge appoints the public defender, the court will then provide you with instructions for contacting the public defender to prepare for your case.

Some criminal charges are considered “indictable” offenses and are transferred from the jurisdiction of Municipal Court to Superior Court for review and consideration for indictment.    This means that the offense(s) charged are outside the scope of charges that can be handled in Municipal Court.  Evesham Municipal Court requires all persons charged, even those with “indictable” offenses, to appear in court for the mandatory first appearance date so that they may be arraigned of those charges unless an attorney enters their appearance and waives the arraignment. Arraignment means, the judge advises of the charge(s), the possible consequences of the charge(s) and the procedure for the transfer process.   

For additional information on the status of your indictable charges, you may contact the Burlington County Courthouse at (609) 265-5000 and ask for Criminal Case Management. Have your complaint number available when you call.

Attorneys are permitted to solicit business in this fashion due to certain court information listed as public record.

Some attorneys may subscribe to a service through the State that provides them with a list of all individuals that may have a pending matter. They may also contact individual municipalities to periodically review their open cases.

Either way, you are under no obligation to respond to any correspondence that you receive, unless you are interested in seeking legal counsel.

If you have a payable ticket that you failed to pay in a timely fashion, a warrant may have been issued for your arrest. In this event, you may post bail at any local Police Station in the State of New Jersey. When you present yourself to post bail, if you do not want to appear in court but want to post bail and have the original ticket and the subsequent contempt of court charge(s) paid in full, be sure to ask for a “Bail Waiver” form. The agency accepting your bail money will provide you with a Bail Waiver form for your review and signature. You should be given a copy of the signed form and a receipt for the bail money that you are posting. As soon as Evesham Municipal Court receives your bail money and Bail Waiver, we will pay off your underlying ticket, the late fee and the contempt of court charge that was assessed. You may also post bail directly at Evesham Municipal Court and/or Evesham Police Department.

If you are posting bail for a non-payable matter where your appearance is required in court, you should contact Evesham Municipal Court within five (5) business days of posting the bail (provided you did not post bail directly in Evesham) to verify your new court date. If you post bail and do not provide the court with a current address, your case may be scheduled for court and the notice may be sent to an old address. This could result in your missing another hearing, the forfeiture of your bail money and a new warrant being issued. It is important that you review the Bail Recognizance before you sign it to make certain that all of your personal information is up to date.

If you received a ticket that you never paid and/or appeared in court for, you may have an outstanding warrant for your arrest and not even know it. If a warrant is issued for your arrest for an unresolved traffic or criminal matter, or for unpaid fines for a traffic or criminal matter, the court can also suspend your driver’s license.

If a warrant for your arrest remains active for more then thirty (30) days, MVC can administratively suspend your driver’s license. You should contact the court immediately to find out what you need to do to resolve your license suspension.

Should you receive a ticket and take no action, once your “Notice to Appear” date has passed, the court will forward a “Failure To Appear” notice that either assess a late fee and provides you a second payment due date, or the notice will give you another court date.

If you fail to pay the ticket by the second due date, or you fail to appear in court on the date provided on the “Failure To Appear” notice, the court may issue a “Warrant Of Arrest” for contempt of court.

In addition, the Motor Vehicle Commission (“MVC”) may take action to suspend your driving privileges in this state.

If you are required to appear in court for a mandatory ticket, local ordinance violation and/or criminal charge, you will appear on the date and at the time listed on your ticket, summons or complaint.

During your first appearance, the Judge will review with you in open court the charge(s) pending against you, advise you of the possible consequences of the charge(s), advise you of your right to an attorney, and ask you how you wish to plead to the charge(s).

If you plead guilty the Judge will enter a finding of guilty and assess court fines, costs and other applicable penalties.

If you plead not guilty the Judge will postpone your case to permit you time to consult with an attorney and/or to prepare a defense of the charge(s) you face.