Court

CITY OF TUMWATER
Municipal Court
Telephone No.: 360-754-4190

Tumwater Municipal Court hears misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor criminal cases including criminal traffic, all non-criminal traffic and non-traffic infractions, and parking tickets for violations occurring within the city limits. The court also has jurisdiction over actions brought to enforce or recover license penalties or forfeitures declared by city ordinances or state statutes. Tumwater Municipal Court handles only those citations issued by the City of Tumwater Police Department.

Court Hours: 8AM - 5:00PM Monday - Friday

Judge: Christopher J. Coker
City Prosecutor: Contract with Thurston County Prosecutor
Public Defender: Simon Stocker and Katherine Barry

Bench Warrants or Failure to Appear (FTA)
Citations
Court Schedule
Parking Tickets
Payment of Fines
Public Defender
Traffic Infractions
Traffic Deferrals

BENCH WARRANTS OR FAILURE TO APPEAR (FTA)

If a bench warrant has been issued for your arrest or you have failed to appear for a court date, please contact the Court at 360.754.4190 for instructions.

Warrant list

CITATIONS

Criminal Citations
If you receive a criminal citation from a City of Tumwater police officer or in the mail, or a summons in the mail for an arraignment hearing, your appearance in court is mandatory. You have been charged with a crime. Failure to appear will result in a bench warrant being issued for your arrest.

Court Schedule

Arraignments for those in-custody, mitigations and contested hearings are held each Monday beginning at 8:15 a.m.

Tumwater Municipal Court meets each Thursday beginning at 8:15 a.m. It usually concludes by 1:00 p.m. Court is held in the City Hall Council Chambers at 555 Israel Rd. S.W.

*Weapons are not allowed in the courtroom. If a weapon is brought to City Hall, it must be checked at the Police Department while in the courtroom.

Court Dates

PARKING TICKETS

You must respond to a parking ticket within 15 days of the date the citation was issued by either requesting a hearing or by paying the fine in full. After 15 days, the case will be referred to collections if not paid. Failure to pay could result in a hold being placed on your vehicle license tabs.

TRAFFIC INFRACTIONS (Non-criminal - Green Copy)

If you receive a green copy or electronic copy of a citation, you have been charged with an infraction. Please read the back of the citation for instructions. You must respond within 15 days of the date of the citation by either requesting a hearing or by paying the fine in full. After 15 days, a $52 penalty for failure to respond will be added. Unpaid balances will be sent to a collection agency.

TRAFFIC DEFERRALS

If you have received a traffic infraction, you may be eligible for a deferral. By successfully completing a deferral, the Court will not report your ticket to the Dept of Licensing (DOL). You may defer only one moving and one non-moving infraction each seven years.The length of deferral is one year. To complete your deferral, you must (1) pay an administrative fee ($145, plus $70 for each additional charge on your traffic ticket, school zone violations are subject to additional fees) and (2) not commit a new traffic infraction for one year.

Please note:The court does not allow deferral for the following infractions:

1. Passing a School Bus
2. Speeding in a Construction Zone
3 . Any infraction where a fatality occurred

If you possess a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) or were cited while driving a vehicle requiring a CDL endorsement, you are not qualified for a deferral.

City of Tumwater Finance Dept.

Updated: April 18, 2013