Court Sessions

Municipal Court Schedule

All Eugene Municipal Court sessions are open to the public.

Effective July 1, 2016, Municipal Court activated an automated calling feature that will remind clients of upcoming scheduled court appearances. The calls will go out between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm two days in advance of the scheduled court to the most recent telephone number provided by the client. Please call the Court at (541) 682-5400 with questions or concerns.

8:30 am Violation Arraignments

At arraignment an individual is informed about their charges and enters a plea of Not Guilty or No Contest. Defendants must check in at the front counter prior to entering the courtroom.

Minor traffic violations, bicycle, pedestrian, and animal citations as well as non-jailable ordinance violations are heard at the 8:30 am session. Examples of minor traffic violations include speeding, driving uninsured and driving while using a cell phone. Examples of non-jailable ordinance violations include minor in possession and use of marijuana in a public place.

In the courtroom, defendants are typically called in the order they checked in at the front counter. Check in for the 8:30 am court session begins at 8:00 am and closes at 9:00 am, Tuesday through Thursday except holidays and court closure days.

Defendants may appear for an 8:30 am court session prior to their scheduled court date by verifying the court has received the original citation from the Eugene Police Department. If the court has not received the original from Eugene Police Department the defendant cannot appear until their scheduled court date.

Fines will be assessed if a No Contest plea is entered. Please be prepared to pay your fine. Fines may be reduced, depending on the charge, mitigating/aggravating circumstances and your driving history. Payment plans and other alternatives for payment may be available if approved by a judge.

Reopen Request Procedure

If you have a violation citation (non-jailable offense such as a minor traffic violation, bicycle, pedestrian or animal violation) that has moved on to further action, it may be possible to "reopen" the citation and have the judge review your case. You may request that a case(s) be reopened by completing and filing a Motion to Reopen form (available HERE) and paying a $75 non-refundable fee per charge and any outstanding fees associated with the charge (ex: suspension fee) within six months after your case has been closed. A request to reopen a case must be based upon extremely compelling events that prevented you from posting the base fine or appearing at court. Examples of extremely compelling events that will be considered by the judge include medical illness, hospitalization or a family emergency. In extremely rare circumstances, the court may approve a reopen request after the six month period. After the court receives the completed Motion to Reopen form and all reopen fees have been paid, your request will be reviewed by the judge. The reason for your reopen request must be clearly written on the motion. This is the information the judge will consider in deciding whether or not to grant your reopen request. The court will send you notification of the approval or denial of your request within seven days. Please be sure the court has your correct mailing address.

Jail Arraignments

In Custody arraignments are held Monday through Friday at 11:00 am at the Lane County Adult Corrections Facility. A limited amount of public seating is available at Lane County Adult Corrections, so it is recommended that you complete the check-in process by 10:30 am

To obtain the rules regarding public access to these court sessions please contact Lane County Adult Corrections at (541) 682-4263.

10:00 am Criminal Arraignments

A criminal arraignment is a mandatory appearance before a judge. Individuals are informed of their charges and rights. The 10:00 am arraignment session is for misdemeanor crimes which include major traffic offenses and some ordinance charges or if you need to clear an outstanding warrant. The 10:00 am arraignment session is held Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).  Examples of major traffic violations are driving under the influence, reckless driving, hit and run, driving while suspended-misdemeanor, and eluding a police officer. Examples of misdemeanor ordinance charges include, but are not limited to, theft, noise disturbance, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and harassment.

At the beginning of a 10:00 am court session, all defendants are required to watch the Advice of Rights video. The video explains the rights a defendant has who is facing criminal charges filed in the Eugene Municipal Court. Charges heard during the 1:00 pm court session are jailable offenses. Applications for court appointed attorneys are available at the front counter and in the courtroom before the 10:00 am session begins.

Watch the Advice of Rights Video - English

Watch the Advice of Rights Video - Spanish

Non-Jury Trials

Non-jury trials (bench trials) are held Monday at 8:30 am and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week at 9:00 am Non-jury trials are generally scheduled within 40 days of filing a request.

Jury Trials

Jury trials are available to all defendants charged with any criminal offense. Defendants must request a jury trial when entering a "Not Guilty" plea. Jury trials are scheduled on Wednesday or Thursday only and are generally one day in duration.

Specialty Dockets / Court Sessions

Mental Health Court is held on the second and last Monday of the month at 8:30 am If either Monday is a holiday, Mental Health Court moves to the Monday a week prior to the holiday.

370 Docket is held every Thursday at 2:00 pm

Problem-Solving Docket is held every Monday at 10:30 am

Community Court is held every Wednesday at 1:00 pm (for new participants - Provider Room available) and Tuesdays at 9:30 am (for current participants) on the first floor of the Eugene Municipal Court at 338 West 11th Avenue, Eugene.

Appeal Information

If you are unhappy with the outcome/decision on your case, you may appeal the ruling to Lane County Circuit Court. When you appeal a decision on a case, the case is put on hold pending the outcome of the new trial at Circuit Court.

Appeals must be filed with Eugene Municipal Court within 30 days from the conviction date. You must notify the court in writing that you wish to appeal the conviction. Download a Notice of Appeal Form or pick one up at Eugene Municipal Court.

You must complete the form, sign it and serve a copy by mail or in person to the City Prosecutor’s office and then file the original with Eugene Municipal Court. The appeal is not valid until the Eugene Municipal Court receives it.

The City Prosecutor’s office can be served at 99 W 10th Avenue Suite 310, Eugene, OR 97401 either in person or by mail prior to the original notice being filed with Eugene Municipal Court.

Lane County Circuit Court charges a non-refundable filing fee to appeal a non-jailable offense. There is no filing fee for offenses that could carry jail time. For any questions regarding their process or requirements you may call 541-682-4020.

When your case is sent over to Lane County Circuit Court it will include any monies that have been posted to your case.

You will receive a trial notice from Lane County Circuit Court. At this point if you had a court appointed attorney at Eugene Municipal Court, you will need to reapply for a new one at Lane County Circuit Court. Please contact Lane County Circuit Court for their procedures on legal counsel and appearing for trial.

Once your case has been heard at Lane County Circuit Court, the case at Eugene Municipal Court will be updated to reflect any changes, if applicable. If you are due a refund after your appeal is heard, it will come from Lane County Circuit Court.