In Municipal Court your first appearance is referred to as an Arraignment. At this time you will be called upon to enter a plea (or answer) to the charge (Traffic or Misdemeanor) preferred against you. The court will not continue an Arraignment date. Court is considered a priority over other activities and you are expected to appear at your scheduled court date. (Click to view the Court Schedule)
- You may plead Guilty indicating that you admit you committed the offense and wish to waive your right to a trial; or
- No Contest indicating that you do not admit the charge but do not wish to contest the charge; or
- Not Guilty indicating to the court that you wish to contest the charge and are exercising your right to a trial.
- Should you plead Guilty or No Contest the case will proceed immediately to sentencing and you will receive your final judgment.
- Should you plead Not Guilty you will receive a trial date; depending upon the charge your trial will be scheduled for 60 – 90 days from your arraignment date.
Please be prepared to pay your obligations in full on the day of your sentencing. A payment agreement is a possibility in some circumstances; however, you will be required to complete a financial affidavit and appear for regularly scheduled collection review dockets. Failure to appear for these court event(s) will result in a contempt of court charge and a warrant may be issued for your arrest.
Failure to appear for your Arraignment may result in the issuance of a warrant for your arrest. For traffic offenses notice may be sent to the DPS, requesting suspension of your Driver’s License. An option for you to remedy your failure to appear is to attend court any Thursday at 12:30 pm for an open court docket.
Should you fail to appear for your trial, the case may be tried in your absence (TIA). If you are found guilty in your absence, a warrant may be issued for your arrest. Your judgment and a TIA letter will be mailed to the address in your court record and collection efforts will proceed.
Payment of parking and traffic tickets
Mississippi law allows for the prepayment of most traffic tickets prior to the court date. Please refer to the back of your uniform traffic citation for more information. Should you receive a payable infraction citation, and pay in full on or before the court date provided; you need not appear in court.
Payment is due in full on or before the date provided for all parking citations. If you dispute this citation, please appear on the court date provided. Failure to timely respond or appear for these payable infractions will result in a trial in your absence (TIA) and collection efforts will proceed by the court or collection agency.