Monett Municipal Court

Address: 1901 E Cleveland, Monett

Phone Number: 417-235-4677
Fax Number: 417-235-4607
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday
Payment Window Hours: 8:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday
Court Sessions: Tuesdays at 4:00pm (excluding holidays)
A Spanish-speaking interpreter will be available on the LAST Tuesday court date of each month.
Court Clerk - Mechele James
Municipal Judge - Scott S Sifferman

Monett Municipal Court
Court Etiquette
Prepayable Offenses
Fine Schedule
A Not Guilty Plea
Track your Case
Court Dockets
Know Your Rights
FAQs

39th CIRCUIT COURT BARRY COUNTY, MONETT MUNICIPAL DIVISION

As a division of the 39th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri, Monett Municipal Court is committed to overseeing justice by adjudicating ordinance violations in an efficient and impartial manner. We strive to develop and increase public trust with respect, integrity, compassion and understanding toward the citizens we serve.

Among other things, the Court is responsible for:

- Initiating cases as filed by the Prosecuting Attorney
- Hearing cases presented in Court and making rulings
- Recording final dispositions on cases along with any fines/fees assessed
- Receipting in fines and court costs
- Issuing summonses and warrants
- Maintaining all court records

Court is held each Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays. For all court appearances, you may check in up to 30 minutes before your scheduled court time. Upon your arrival, please check in with the Court Clerk who will place you in line on the docket. Both the Prosecuting Attorney and the Court generally call cases in the order in which you check in; however, cases are sometimes taken out of order due to case or docket-specific reasons. Please be patient and rest assured that we work diligently to address your case as soon as possible. Also, please be aware that court may or may not begin promptly on time. The Judge may have other matters to tend to that must be completed before he takes a seat at the bench. While you are not required to have an attorney, you certainly have the right to hire legal counsel of your choice. You may phone The Missouri Bar’s Legal Resource at (573)636-3635 or visit The Missouri Bar Lawyer Search at https://missourilawyershelp.org/.

COURT ETIQUETTE
Our goal is to provide superior customer service and create a user-friendly court. In return, the Court expects all visitors to respect the Court and its employees. Here are several things you should know before you visit the Court:

- Please arrive several minutes before your scheduled appearance to allow enough time to go through security and check in with the clerk. Defendants are responsible for being on time and present in court when their cases are called. Those who are not could have a warrant issued for their arrest for failing to appear.
- It is important that visitors understand the appropriate dress code for the Court. The Court is a place of business and visitors should wear clean, well-fitted clothes. Shirt and shoes are required. Please remove hats before entering the courtroom.
- Eating and drinking and gum chewing are not allowed in the courtroom.
- All cell phones and pagers should be turned off before entering the courtroom.
- It is also important to know that all weapons, tools, aerosol sprays, and over-size bags are strictly prohibited from the building. No alcohol will be allowed on the premises. All prohibited items will be confiscated, and the violator may be appropriately charged. The Court will not store prohibited items for pickup. Leave these items at home or in your vehicle.

PREPAYABLE OFFENSES (Violations Bureau)
The Municipal Judge may designate certain types of offenses to be paid without a court appearance and the Judge has set the fine and costs to be paid for each of these violations. You must plead guilty to your offense to pay out of court. Only those violations that are listed on the Uniform Fine Schedule may be paid in advance, waiving the requirement of an appearance. From receipt of ticket please allow a minimum of 10 days for processing before attempting to pay any prepayable offense. The Court cannot order some offenses to be paid out of court by law. Please see Fine Schedule Effective 07/01/2021.

A NOT GUILTY PLEA
This plea means you do not agree that you committed the City’s ordinance violation(s) charged by the Prosecutor. If you enter this plea, the Court will set your case for a pre-trial conference with the Prosecuting Attorney OR set your case for trial. It is your choice which order is entered by the Court.

IN PERSON PAYMENTS or UTILIZING ‘PLEAD AND PAY’ or ‘PAY BY WEB’ ON A DISPOSED CASE (payment plan)
Payments may be paid with cash, money order or cashier’s check at the Municipal Court Clerk’s office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The Municipal Court address is 1901 E. Cleveland, Monett, MO 65708. Also, a payment drop box is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week at this location. Please reference the citation number and defendant’s name or include the citation with your payment. For violations listed on the Violations Bureau, the Monett Municipal Court uses the statewide case management system by order of the Missouri Supreme Court to process violations of city ordinances. You may utilize the https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1886.

TRACK YOUR CASE
Once a case has been filed with the Court by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, you may be able to utilize the Track This Case system. To set up Automatic Notifications, Reminders and Alerts about Scheduled Events and Future Payments Due for your case, you can follow these steps:

These violations can be viewed through the https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do.
- Enter your case number or name.
- Click “Track This Case” for desired cases.
- Provide your email and/or mobile phone number
- Enter special characters in verification box
- Click “Track This Case”

COURT DOCKETS
Wondering when your Court date is? Here is a link to our Court Dockets for the next several weeks. Continuances are not granted by telephone or by requesting the Clerk to do so. Due to their fluid nature, dockets can and do change frequently. https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How can I contact the court? (Fax, email mail, phone)
Court address:       1901 E. Cleveland, Monett, MO 65708
Court Fax:             (417)235-4607
Court phone:         (417)235-4677
Court email: mechele.tharp@cityofmonett.com

2. When is the court office open for payments?
The Municipal Court business hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The payment window is open 8:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Some violations can be paid online. https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1886

3. When is my court date?
Here is a link to our Court Dockets for the next several weeks. Continuances are not granted by telephone or by requesting the Clerk to do so. Due to their fluid nature, dockets can and do change frequently. https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet

4. May I ask the Court for a payment plan?
If you have a legitimate hardship in paying the fine assessed at the time you are in court, the Judge may allow an extension to pay. You will be asked to sign an agreement stating that you understand the conditions by which the Judge is allowing you extended time to pay your fine and, if you cannot pay by the due date, that you understand that you are being ordered to appear on or before the due date to show cause why you cannot pay. You will be required to provide your SSN, current address, phone number and date of birth. If you fail to pay your fine or appear on or before the due date to show cause why you cannot or have not paid, a warrant for your arrest may be issued for failing to appear.

5. Does the court accept personal checks?
No, the payment window accepts cash, money orders, or cashier's checks. You may pay some violations online with a credit or debit card at https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1886

6. I don’t have the money to pay my ticket by my court date. What do I do?
You must appear on your court date and address this with the Judge. Failure to appear may result in a warrant being issued for your arrest.

7. I have a payment due and I do not get paid until after the court office is closed. What do I do?
There is a secure payment drop box located inside the Justice Center by the Court’s office door. Place your payment in an envelope and include the following information: your name, ticket number, date of birth, social security number, or driver’s license number. Some payment plans can be paid online. To see if your payment plan is eligible, visit https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1886.

8. May I bring someone to court with me?
Yes, providing there is adequate courtroom seating available. However, it is the defendant who must appear before the Judge. If at all possible, please try to avoid bringing small children to court as the wait is usually difficult for them.

9. Do I have to have an attorney?
You may if you wish, but it is not required.

10. I asked the clerk how I should plead when I speak to the Judge. I was advised they couldn’t help me. Why?

Court personnel may provide information, but may not give legal advice.

11. What do I do on my court date?

If you are given a date and time to appear in court, you must appear and be in the courtroom when your case is called.

12. Do I have a warrant?

The Court does not publish a warrant list online. You may contact the court by telephone during business hours to receive information.

13. I received a ticket for not having proof of motor vehicle insurance and I just didn’t have it with me. What do I do?

If you have proof of vehicle insurance, you should bring it with you to your scheduled court date and time. You MUST appear before the Court with this proof for it to be taken into consideration.

14. I received a ticket that involved a traffic accident. Why can’t I just pay it?