Municipal Court

About

As a division of the 39th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri, Seligman 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.

Responsibilities

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

Appearing in Court

Court is held at 2 pm on the scheduled date (consult the Court Calendar page). 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.

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 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.  

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 City Hall between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, the address is: 29144 Main Street, Seligman, MO 65745

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 Seligman 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 Missouri Courts Make a Payment webpage.

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 Missouri Courts website. Below are instructions on how to track your case:

• Enter your case number or name.
• Select “Track This Case” for desired cases.
• Provide your email and/or mobile phone number
• Enter special characters in verification box
• Select “Track This Case”

Court Dockets

Wondering when your Court date is?  We encourage you to look at the Missouri Courts Court Dockets webpage to view 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.

Know Your Rights

Review the flyer in the "Related Documents" section below, that will inform you of your rights in court.