Back to Homepage

Appearance & Plea

You are required to respond to your citation by making an “appearance” in Court. You must "appear" on or before the Court Date shown on your citation.

THE ASHLAND MUNICIPAL COURT WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO COVID-19 HEALTH CONCERNS.
IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A CITATION TO APPEAR IN THE ASHLAND MUNICIPAL COURT, PLEASE CALL THE COURT AT (541)482-5214. YOU MUST SPEAK DIRECTLY WITH A CLERK TO ENTER YOUR PLEA, DISCUSS OPTIONS OR TO REQUEST A POSTPONEMENT.
DEFENDANT’S MUST CALL DURING NORMAL OPERATING HOURS MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 8AM-5PM and THURSDAY 8AM-NOON, AND SPEAK TO A CLERK. IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO LEAVE A VOICE MAIL DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF PHONE CALLS. THE COURT CANNOT GUARANTEE CALLS WILL BE RETURNED BEFORE THE APPEARANCE DATE ON YOUR CITATION.
ALL CRIMINAL CASES WILL BE CONTINUED VIRTUALLY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. COURT STAFF WILL PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION PRIOR TO YOUR COURT DATE. TRAFFIC OR MUNICIPAL CODE VIOLATIONS WILL CONTINUE TO BE HANDLED BY TELEPHONE OR EMAIL.
DEFENDANTS MAY ALSO RESPOND TO CITATIONS BY LETTER TO THE COURT (OPTIONS 1-3 ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CITATION). WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS SHOULD BE EMAILED TO: ASHLANDCOURT@ASHLAND.OR.US.

Due to recent staffing transitions, Ashland Municipal Court will be closing early on Wednesdays and closed all day on Thursdays until further notice. Please note, the Ashland Police Department is unable to assist with court matters.

How to Appear

In Person: You may appear in person at the front counter during office hours. Traffic violations may be handled by a clerk on or perhaps prior to your court date. The Judge is available for plea Tuesday mornings at 9 am. Please contact the clerk to schedule an appearance. All misdemeanor and code violations must appear before the Judge on the date listed on your citation or listed on your release paperwork from the jail.

Writing: You may enter your plea in writing for traffic violations. Your written appearance must be received by the Court on or before your Court Date.

Failure to Appear

If you fail to make your appearance by the Court Date shown on your citation, the Court will enter a conviction against you on the charges(s) on your citation, impose the presumptive fine(s) shown on your citation, additional fees for failure to appear, and, if appropriate, forward notice of the conviction(s) to the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles. In addition, if your fines are not paid within the time allowed, the Court will impose additional fees and refer your fines to a collection agency and/or take action against your driving privileges.

Entry of Plea

When you make your appearance in Court, you must enter a plea to each of the charges against you. You may enter a plea of "Guilty", “No Contest” or “Not Guilty”. If you fail to enter a plea, the Court will enter a plea of “Guilty” on your behalf.

Plea of "Guilty": Admits what you are accused of doing and authorizes the Judge to sentence you. You may explain any circumstances you want to the Judge to consider in passing sentence.

Plea of "No Contest": You do not contest the accusation and authorize the court to sentence you the same as on a guilty plea. You may explain any circumstances you want to the Judge to consider in passing sentence, but if you deny guilty, the Judge will enter a "Not Guilty" plea for you and your case will be set for trial at a later date.

Plea of “Not Guilty”: Denies that you did what you are accused of doing and requests that your case be set for trial at a later date.

NOTICE: By pleading "Not Guilty", you waive your eligibility to participate in traffic school or any other court programs.

Types of Trial

Court Trial (Traffic & Code Violations): If you request an in-person trial, the Court will mail notice of your trial date to you. If you will be represented by an attorney at the trial, your attorney must notify the Court in writing at least 10 days prior to your trial date.

Trial by Affidavit (Traffic & Code Violations): The Court Clerk will give you an Affidavit form to complete and return to the Court. The Court will also request an Affidavit from the Officer(s) involved in your citation. Your affidavit or written statement must be returned to the Court by the due date listed on the Affidavit form, or your Trial will proceed without your statement. After the due date has passed, the Judge will review both Affidavits. The Court will notify you of the Judge's decision by mail.

Jury Trial (Misdemeanor Cases Only): if you request a Jury Trial, the Court will notify your attorney of the trial date. Your case will be heard by a jury of 6 and the presiding Judge.

Trial Schedules

Traffic & AMC Code Violation Trials are generally held twice per month on Tuesdays at 1:30 pm, unless otherwise noted.

Jury Trials are to be announced.