Shorewood Hills Municipal Court

The Village of Shorewood Hills Municipal Court convenes once per month and is located in the lower level of the Village Hall. Court begins promptly at 5:30 pm - please do not be late. It is recommended that you arrive early, as cases are seen on a first come, first serve basis. OWI-related cases will be heard beginning at approximately 6:30 pm.

For normal traffic citations, such as speeding, court appearances are not mandatory. OWI-related cases are mandatory, however. If you are unsure if your appearance is mandatory, look in the upper portion of the citation you received. There the issuing officer has checked a yes or no box, indicating whether the appearance is mandatory.

The Shorewood Hills Village Hall is located at 810 Shorewood Boulevard in the City of Madison. Shorewood Boulevard intersects with University Avenue in the 3200 block, just east of Midvale Boulevard. The Village Hall is a one story building located at the corner of Shorewood Boulevard and Locust Drive. If you need additional help with directions, please click HERE.

When you arrive for Court enter the Village Hall through the main entrance and proceed down the stairs. Upon entering the Court please remove your hat and silence your cell phone. You will be asked to sign in when you arrive. After signing in please be seated. Restrooms and water are available as needed in the hallway outside the Courtroom.

EXPLANATION OF PROCEDURES

Whether or not you have your own attorney, the Court wishes you to be aware of your legal rights. When your case is called, please step forward. The Court will advise you of the charge(s) and will explain the nature of the charge(s) if you do not understand. You will then be asked to answer the charge by entering a plea.

You have a choice of three pleas:

GUILTY: This plea means that you ADMIT the charge(s) and the Court will impose a forfeiture (explained below).

NOT GUILTY: This plea means that you wish to CONTEST or DENY the charge(s). The Court will then set your case for a Pre-Trail Conference with the Village Attorney on a date to be set later. If the case is not resolved at that time, a trial will be scheduled.

NO CONTEST: This plea means that you do NOT wish to CONTEST the charge(s). The Court will then find you guilty. By entering a plea of No Contest, you neither admit nor deny the charge(s), rather you are choosing not to dispute the allegations. The effect is the same as a guilty plea, except that you are not admitting to any civil liability which may arise from the incident.

Upon a plea of either GUILTY or NO CONTEST, you will be given an opportunity to inform the Court of any extenuating circumstances regarding the charge(s). The Court will review the record and impose a penalty (forfeiture) in accordance with the law. You will be expected to pay any forfeiture before you leave unless you request additional time to pay. The Court may then grant you a stay, allowing you a specific amount of time to pay the penalty. In addition, if you are found guilty of a traffic violation, demerit points may be assessed against your driving record by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT).

PENALTIES FOR NON-PAYMENT OF FORFEITURE

If you do not pay your forfeiture on time, the Court may:

1. Suspend your driving privileges for up to two years AND/OR

2. Commit you to the Dane County Jail for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days (if over 16 years of age).

3. Initiate a tax intercept of you Wisconsin Tax Refund.

For Underage Drinking violations, the court may suspend your driving privileges for not less than thirty (30) days and not more than two years.

Finally, please remember that you are in a Court of the law. While proceedings are, at times, somewhat informal, respect and proper decorum will be expected at all times. While you are waiting for your case to be called, please remain quiet and avoid behavior which might be disruptive.

If you have any questions prior to appearing in Court, please contact the Clerk of Courts at (608) 267-2690.