Court Dates

Court Rules

  1. Be on time. The judge may assess additional fees for appearing to court late or may refuse to hear your citation.
  2. All cell phones, pagers, beepers, and other electronic devices should be turned off. If you must have a cell phone turned on for emergency purposes, it must be placed on silent.
  3. No weapons of any kind in the courtroom.
  4. No food, beverage, or tobacco products are permitted in the courtroom.
  5. No headgear (caps, bandanas, etc.) except for religious items are permitted in the courtroom.
  6. Proper attire is required.The following clothing is not acceptable for court: shorts, tank tops, bare midriffs, halter tops, flip flops, sheer clothing, clothing with large cut outs, low cut skirts/shirts/dresses, tight pants/skirts/dresses, and low hanging baggy pants. Clothing with references to drugs, alcohol, or inappropriate language are not permitted.
  7. Please do not bring children to court. Please arrange with a friend, relative, or babysitter to watch your child(ren) while you are in court. If you must bring your child(ren) to court, please remove them from the courtroom if they become upset or noisy so that court proceedings are not interrupted nor is the audio recording affected.
  8. Stand when speaking to the judge, and speak loudly and clearly.
  9. Do not approach the bench unless instructed to do so.
  10. Do not talk to others while court is in session.
  11. Enter and leave the courtroom quietly.
  12. All persons who enter the courtroom must pass through a metal detector and are subject to search. All purses, bookbags, and other bags will be searched upon entry.

Arraignment Court

The first appearance of a defendant in court is called an arraignment. This is the opportunity for the accused to appear before the judge and plea to his/her charge(s). The initial court date given on a citation by an officer is an arraignment court date. Peachtree City Municipal Court holds all court sessions on Wednesdays.

Some citations require mandatory appearances in court. Please contact the court clerks office at least 2 business days after you receive your citation to inquire if a citation requires an appearance.

Defendants are allowed one continuance by the court office for their court dates. The continuance will go to the next available arraignment calendar. Court clerks cannot change your court time between morning or afternoon sessions. The request must be made from the defendant before 1:00 pm on the Monday before the arraignment court date in order to grant a continuance.

If a defendant wishes to contest his/her citation, he/she must appear on his/her arraignment date and enter a plea of "not guilty." The case will then be reset to a trial date.

Trial Dates

Trial dates are mandatory appearances for court. 

On a trial date, defendants will have the opportunity to state their case to the judge, ask questions of the officer, or present evidence/witnesses to the judge on their behalf.

Trials in Peachtree City Municipal Court are held before our presiding judge. If a defendant would like a jury trial, he/she must request in front of the court during his/her court appearance. The case will then be bound over to the Fayette County State Court for a jury trial.

If defendants need a witness present in court to testify upon their behalf, they must serve the individual(s) with a subpoena. The Clerk of the Court for Peachtree City Municipal Court issues the subpoena at the court office. A subpoena may be served by a the sheriff, his deputy, or a person 18 years of age or older. They may also be served by registered or certified mail or statutory overnight delivery. The return receipt for mailing constitutes proof of service. (O.C.G.A. 24-10-23)

Plea Information

There are several pleas a defendant may enter at a court appearance. 

  1. Guilty
  2. Not Guilty
  3. NOLO or Nolo Contendere

NOLO plea mean no contest. This plea means the defendant is neither admitting to guilt nor denying the charge. It is simply accepting the charge and agreeing to the fine and/or sentence. NOLO pleas may only be entered in court before the presiding judge.

Pre-Trial Intervention Program

The City of Peachtree City has a Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) Program. Any person may apply to the PTI program on their court date for their criminal charges. Acceptance into the program is at the Court's discretion. The PTI program does not cover traffic offenses.

Some factor's that will affect a defendant's ability to enter into the program include:

  1. The defendant has no record of the same or similar charges.
  2. The defendant is willing to tender a guilty plea to the offense(s), pay a fine, and comply with all conditions recommended by the prosecutor and imposed by the Court.
  3. The defendant has not been sentences previously under the City's PTI program or another similar program.
  4. The defendant pays an administrative fee of $50.00.

Failure to abide by the conditions set will result in adjudication and transmittal of the original sentence; however, compliance with the conditions will result in a dismissal of the charges.

Acceptance in the PTI program will not be granted for: 

  1. Any offense that requires a mandatory suspension of a driver's license pursuant to state law.
  2. Code Enforcement violations.
  3. The charge of Furnishing Alcohol to Minors.
  4. Alcohol beverage handling permit violations.
  5. State traffic offenses.
  6. Any other offenses over which this Court does not have jurisdiction.