Serving Jersey City, Hudson County & all of New Jersey · Free Consultations · Se Habla Español
Serving Jersey City, Hudson County & all of New Jersey · Free Consultations · Se Habla Español
Jersey City Municipal Court, at the Lewis S. McRae Justice Complex, 365 Summit Avenue, hears DWI, traffic, parking, disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses, and city ordinance violations arising in Jersey City. It is open Monday–Thursday 8:30 am–7:30 pm and Friday 8:30 am–4:30 pm; the phone number is (201) 209-6700. There are no jury trials; a municipal judge decides. Convictions may be appealed to Hudson County Superior Court within 20 days.
Municipal courts in New Jersey have limited jurisdiction: Title 39 motor-vehicle offenses (including DWI), disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses under Title 2C, local ordinance violations, and certain penalty enforcement matters. Everything indictable — fourth degree and up — is processed briefly and transferred to the Hudson County Superior Court. Within that jurisdiction, Jersey City’s court is enormous: multiple courtrooms, six judges, a chief prosecutor’s office in Suite 219, a Violations Bureau for payable tickets, and evening sessions to handle the volume from the Holland Tunnel approaches, Route 440 and Journal Square.
The stakes are larger than the setting suggests. A disorderly persons conviction is a criminal record. A DWI is permanent on your driving abstract. Traffic convictions carry points and insurance surcharges. Certain municipal convictions carry immigration consequences for non-citizens, who make up a large share of Jersey City’s population. And the court’s diversion programs — conditional dismissal for first-time non-drug disorderly persons offenses, conditional discharge for drug offenses — are only available to someone who applies before pleading.
39:4-50 · bench trial · no plea bargaining
Speeding, careless, reckless, cell phone, red light
39:3-40 · jail if DWI-related
2C:12-1(a), 2C:33-4 · disorderly persons
2C:33-2 · petty disorderly persons
2C:20-11 · disorderly persons
2C:36-2, 2C:35-10(b) · conditional discharge
The criminal side of a restraining order case
Noise, open container, disorderly behavior, property codes
Warrant recall and license restoration
De novo review in Superior Court within 20 days
| Charge type | Maximum sentence | Other consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Petty disorderly persons offense | 30 days county jail, $500 | Criminal record |
| Disorderly persons offense | 6 months county jail, $1,000 | Criminal record; license suspension on drug offenses |
| DWI, first offense | Up to 30 days (0.10+), $250–$500 | Interlock, IDRC, $3,000 surcharges |
| Traffic violation | Fines under Title 39 | Points, surcharges, suspension at 12 points |
| Driving while suspended (DWI-related) | 10–90 days mandatory | 1–2 year added suspension |
| Ordinance violation | Up to $2,000 and 90 days | No criminal record |
Jersey City Municipal Court is a high-volume institution, and outcomes depend on knowing how it runs: which sessions hear which matters, how the chief prosecutor’s office handles amendments to ordinance violations, what the judges require before granting conditional dismissal, how to get a bench warrant recalled without an arrest, and how to keep an out-of-state client from having to fly in. Our office at 910 Bergen Avenue is two blocks from the courthouse. We are there several days a week, and the prosecutors know us.
We also handle the transition when a case is bigger than it looked: a disorderly persons charge that the prosecutor upgrades, or an indictable complaint that begins with a first appearance here before moving to the Brennan Courthouse. One firm follows the case through both buildings.
365 Summit Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306, in the Lewis S. McRae Justice Complex. From Journal Square PATH, take the Summit Avenue exit and walk three blocks south. Parking is limited; the court is open Monday–Thursday 8:30 am–7:30 pm and Friday 8:30 am–4:30 pm.
For a parking ticket, no. For DWI, any disorderly persons offense, driving while suspended, or a traffic charge that carries points, yes — each creates a permanent record or a license and insurance consequence that a plea at first appearance locks in.
For many traffic matters, yes; the court accepts letters of representation by email. DWI and disorderly persons cases generally require your presence for plea and sentencing, though some hearings are virtual. We tell you which dates you must attend.
A one-time diversion under N.J.S.A. 2C:43-13.1 for first-time disorderly persons offenses that are not drug charges. Complete a supervision period and the charge is dismissed with no conviction. Drug charges use conditional discharge under 2C:36A-1.
The court issues a bench warrant and notifies the MVC to suspend your license. We can usually have the warrant recalled by scheduling a new appearance promptly; the longer it waits, the more likely an arrest on the warrant during a routine stop.
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Ibrahim & Ibrahim Law Firm
910 Bergen Ave, Suite 203
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Directions · a five-minute walk from Journal Square PATH; two blocks from the courthouse complex
