What Is A Municipal Court In Ohio?

Ohio has over 100 municipal courts, including some of our local courts:  Wadsworth Municipal Court, Medina Municipal Court, Wayne County Municipal Court, Barberton Municipal Court, Akron Municipal Court, and Stow Municipal Court.  So, what is a municipal court in Ohio?

Municipal courts handle civil cases involving less than $15,000, misdemeanor criminal and traffic cases, housing code violations, and landlord-tenant cases.  Jury trials in municipal court consist of eight jurors.  In civil jury trials, at least six of the eight jurors must agree in order to reach a verdict.  In criminal jury trials, all eight jurors must agree to a verdict of guilty or not guilty.  If the required number of jurors do not agree on a verdict, the municipal court judge declares a mistrial.

Municipal courts serve the valuable function of being closer and often more accessible than courts of common pleas.  Municipal courts usually have a smaller jurisdiction than courts of common pleas in the same county, especially in larger counties.  This usually means that the municipal courthouse is closer than the court of common pleas.  Filing fees are usually much lower in municipal courts than their common pleas counterpart.  Small claims court usually has a more relaxed method of gathering information, which means that people representing themselves are less likely to be caught off guard by strict application of the rules of evidence.  Finally, cases are usually handled in a quicker fashion in municipal court, as the procedures in common pleas court are geared towards more complicated matters that will likely require more time to prepare.

Read some of my other related articles: pitfalls in Ohio agreed sentences; misdemeanors versus felonies in Ohio; emergency aid exception, good faith exception, hot pursuit and getting credit for your time in jail in Ohio.  My record of success speaks for itself.  I have successfully defended individuals for both misdemeanor and felony offenses, as set forth in the case highlights section.

Attorney Gigiano’s office is a Wadsworth general practice attorney in Medina County, Ohio.  If you have questions about this or other questions you need answered by an experienced Wadsworth trial attorney in Medina County, Wooster general practice attorney near Orrville or Akron general practice attorney near Barberton, please call Attorney Daniel F. Gigiano at 330-336-3330.  Attorney Gigiano has tried over thirty-five jury trials to a verdict, many of them in Medina County, Summit County and Wayne County.  As a result of his hard work and dedication, the attorney reviews of Daniel Gigiano are well-received in numerous websites, and his work is documented in several articles and links.