Municipal Court

City of Greenwood
Municipal Court
520 Monument Street, Municipal Building, Room 201
PO Box 40
Greenwood, S.C. 29648
864-942-8474
864-942-8477
864-942-8458

Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm

The Greenwood Municipal Court serves as the judicial arm of the City of Greenwood. The Court is authorized to hear all cases arising under state or municipal codes which occur within the city limits and the penalty for violation thereof is a fine not more than $500.00 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days unless otherwise directed by state law.

Personnel
The court is presided over by the Municipal Judge, one of whom is designated Senior Judge. All Municipal Judges are appointed by the City Council for specific terms.

Court Schedule
Court is held every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 9:00am. Court is also held on Tuesday evening at 6:00pm and Thursday evening at 7:00pm. Court sessions continue until the disposition of all pending cases. Special courts are also scheduled for cases involving Traffic Offenses and Jury Trials. All jury trials are scheduled Monday – Thursday 10:00am or 1:30pm. Failure to appear in this court may result in a bench warrant for your arrest.

Jury Duty
Jury rosters are prepared from among the registered voters of the City of Greenwood. You may be excused from jury duty if you are:

• Over the age of 65 years;
• A person that has legal custody and the duty of care for a child less than 7 years of age;
• A person who is the primary caretaker for a person 65 years of age or older;
• A severely disabled person who cannot care for themselves or be left alone, and adequate arrangements cannot be made;
• A teacher or student during school terms.

All requests to be excused should be directed to the Municipal Court 942-8458.

Obtaining A Warrant
Victims of crimes may seek an arrest warrant from Municipal Court by following these steps:

• File an incident report with the Police Department located at 520 Monument Street.
• Ensure that you have a complete Name, Date of Birth, and Address of the person you want to charge. The police will assist you in obtaining this information if you do not have it.
• Bring a copy of the incident report to the Court Office between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm, Monday – Friday.
• The Municipal Judge will make the determination as to whether or not the warrant will be issued. There is no absolute "right" to swear out a warrant.

Tickets & Bonds

Traffic Tickets
If you are issued a traffic summons by the Greenwood Police Department, you may either post the bond written on the summons at the Municipal Court Office at 520 Monument Street or appear in court at the date and time indicated. Fines are due on the day of court. Contact the Muncipal Court Office for questions regarding when and where you are to appear.

Parking Tickets
Parking tickets must be paid on or prior to the court date and time. Failure to do so, the penalty will increase to $15.00. To contest a parking ticket, you must appear in court on the date and time indicated on the parking ticket.

Payment of Bonds & Fines
The Greenwood Municipal Court accepts cashier's checks or money orders through the mail. Cash payments will only be allowed if made in person at the Court Office at 520 Monument Street. The cashier's check or money order must be made out to the CITY OF GREENWOOD.

Please include the ticket or warrant number on the check, cashier's check, or money order. You may also include a copy of the ticket with your payment.

These payments can be mailed to:
Greenwood Municipal Court
P.O. Box 40
Greenwood, SC 29648

or they can be dropped in our 24 hour drop box at the front entrance to the Municipal Building:
Greenwood Municipal Court
520 Monument Street
Greenwood, SC 29648

What are my legal rights?

1. The right to be represented by an attorney,
2. The right to a jury trial,
3. The right to a continuance of your case in order to obtain an attorney or to have witnesses subpoenaed by the court.

What happens if I fail to appear in court?
If you fail to appear for your scheduled court date, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. For certain violations, the Department of Motor Vehicle will be notified of your failure to appear and your driver's license will be suspended. If you were issued a summons to be in court as a witness and you fail to appear, a warrant will be issued for your arrest.

What happens if you can't come to court on your scheduled court date?
You must contact the arresting officer in order to secure a new court date. The arresting officer may be contacted by calling 864-942-8405. If there are problems in contacting the officer or securing the new court date then contact the Municipal Court Office at 864-942-8485.

What other courtroom policies do I need to be aware of?

• All cell phones and pagers must be turned off
• No food or drink is allowed in the courtroom
• Appropriate dress required