Title 2B, Title 2B: COURT ORGANIZATION AND CIVIL CODE

2B:12-13. Powers of administrator 2B:12-13. Powers of administrator. Any process, order, warrant or judgment issued by a municipal court may be signed by the judge or be attested in the judge's name and signed by the municipal court administrator. The municipal court administrato…

2B:12-14. Officers empowered to execute process 2B:12-14. Officers empowered to execute process. Any law enforcement officer, or any other person authorized by law, may act in the service, execution and return of process, orders, warrants and judgments issued by any municipal cou…

2B:12-15. Courtrooms and equipment 2B:12-15. Courtrooms and equipment. Suitable courtrooms, chambers, offices, equipment and supplies for the municipal court, its administrator's office and its violations bureau shall be provided by the municipality or by a county that has establ…

2B:12-16 Territorial jurisdiction. 2B:12-16. Territorial jurisdiction. a. A municipal court of a single municipality shall have jurisdiction over cases arising within the territory of that municipality except as provided in section 10 of P.L.1997, c.357 (C.27:25-5.15). A joint mu…

2B:12-17. Jurisdiction of specified offenses 2B:12-17. Jurisdiction of specified offenses. A municipal court has jurisdiction over the following cases within the territorial jurisdiction of the court: a. Violations of county or municipal ordinances; b. Violations of the motor veh…

2B:12-17.1 Responsibility for notification. 4. As required pursuant to section 3 of P.L.2003, c.67 (C.4:22-57), a court adjudging guilt or liability for a violation of any provision of chapter 22 of Title 4 of the Revised Statutes, shall charge the prosecutor or other appropriate…

2B:12-17.2 Motor vehicle offenses involving death, bodily injury, Superior Court exclusive jurisdiction; prosecution guidelines. 1. a. In any matter concerning Title 39 of the Revised Statutes where death or serious bodily injury has occurred, regardless of whether the death or s…

2B:12-18. Jurisdiction of specified offenses where indictment and trial by jury are waived 2B:12-18. Jurisdiction of specified offenses where indictment and trial by jury are waived. A municipal court has jurisdiction over the following crimes occurring within the territorial jur…

2B:12-18.1 Complaints, county, State Police, Statewide, county law enforcement agency, heard in municipal court. 3. All complaints issued in the county on or after the effective date of P.L.2023, c.284 (C.2B:12-18.1 et al.) by the State Police or any Statewide law enforcement age…

2B:12-19. Authority of municipal court judge prior to indictment; notice to county prosecutor 2B:12-19. Authority of municipal court judge prior to indictment; notice to county prosecutor. a. A municipal court has authority to conduct proceedings in a criminal case within its ter…

2B:12-2. Name of court 2B:12-2. Name of court. The name of a municipal court of a single municipality shall be the "Municipal Court of (insert name of municipality)." The name of a joint municipal court shall be specified in the ordinances establishing the court. The name of a ce…

2B:12-20 Municipal housing court; jurisdiction. 2B:12-20. Municipal housing court; jurisdiction. A municipality in a county of the first class may establish, as a part of its municipal court, a full-time municipal housing court. Municipal housing courts shall have jurisdiction ov…

2B:12-21. Officials authorized to act for court 2B:12-21. Officials authorized to act for court. a. An administrator or deputy administrator of a municipal court, authorized by a judge of that court, may exercise the power of the municipal court to administer oaths for complaints…

2B:12-22. Periodic service of imprisonment 2B:12-22. Periodic service of imprisonment. A court may order that a sentence of imprisonment be served periodically on particular days, rather than consecutively. The person imprisoned shall be given credit for each day or fraction of a…

2B:12-23. Default in payment of fine; community service 2B:12-23. Default in payment of fine; community service. a. A person, sentenced by a municipal court to pay a fine, who defaults in payment may be ordered to perform community service in lieu of incarceration or other modifi…

2B:12-23.1 Penalties payable in installments; alternative penalties. 1. a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, if a municipal court finds that a person does not have the ability to pay a penalty in full on the date of the hearing or has failed to pay a pre…

2B:12-24. Costs charged to complainant in certain cases 2B:12-24. Costs charged to complainant in certain cases. In cases where the judge of a municipal court dismisses the complaint or acquits the defendant and finds that the charge was false and not made in good faith, the judg…

2B:12-25. Records and standards for municipal courts 2B:12-25. Records and standards for municipal courts. The Supreme Court may prescribe records to be maintained and reports to be filed by the municipal court and may promulgate standards for facilities and staff of municipal co…

2B:12-26. Docketing judgment 2B:12-26. Docketing judgment. A judgment of a municipal court assessing a penalty, fine or restitution may be docketed in the Superior Court by the party recovering the judgment. A judgment docketed in the Superior Court shall operate, from the time o…

2B:12-27 Employment of prosecutor by county, municipality. 14. The governing body of the county or municipality may employ an attorney-at-law as a prosecutor, under the supervision of the Attorney General or county prosecutor, who may represent the State, county or municipality i…

2B:12-3. Place of court 2B:12-3. Place of court. Courtrooms and sessions of a municipal court need not be in the municipality for which the court has jurisdiction. If the same person is serving as judge of more than one municipal court, sessions of the respective courts may be co…

2B:12-30. Automated Traffic System Fund 2B:12-30. Automated Traffic System Fund. a. The Legislature finds and declares that there is a need to improve the management, efficiency and effectiveness of municipal court operations and quality of justice by providing funds: (1) To be u…

2B:12-30.1 Automated Traffic System Statewide Modernization Fund. 1. a. There is established in the General Fund a separate, non-lapsing, dedicated account to be known as the Automated Traffic System Statewide Modernization Fund. b. Each fiscal year, the State Treasurer shall cre…

2B:12-31 Suspension of driving privileges. 2B:12-31. Suspension of driving privileges. a. (1) If a defendant charged with a disorderly persons offense, a petty disorderly persons offense, a violation of a municipal ordinance, or a violation of any other law of this State for whic…

2B:12-32 Purging of records for violators of certain municipal ordinances. 1. a. Upon a court ruling that a municipal ordinance is unconstitutional, or approving a settlement of a civil action contesting the constitutionality of a municipal ordinance and when the ruling is consid…

2B:12-33 Application of act. 2. a. This act shall apply to all rulings of unconstitutionality and all settlements dated on or after January 1, 1999. b. In any case where a ruling of unconstitutionality or a settlement occurred on or after January 1, 1999 and prior to the enactmen…

2B:12-34 Regional municipal court pilot program. 1. a. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall establish a regional municipal court pilot program in no fewer than two qualified counties and no fewer than five municipalities in each county. The pilot program shall take place…

2B:12-35 Jurisdiction of regional municipal court. 2. A regional municipal court shall have territorial and subject matter jurisdiction over all municipal court matters falling within the territorial jurisdiction of the municipal courts of the municipalities in the pilot program.…

2B:12-36 Disposition of fines, costs collected. 3. a. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, fines and costs collected by the regional municipal court shall be retained by the regional municipal court on a pro rata basis equal to the costs associated with management, admi…

2B:12-37 Judicial appointments. 4. Judicial appointments to the regional municipal court shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Article VI, Section VI, paragraph 1 of the State Constitution. Municipal court judges sitting in the municipal courts selected under section…

2B:12-38 Certain regional municipal courts to begin hearing cases. 5. Any regional municipal court established in a county that is included in the pilot program pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.2021, c.191 (C.2B:12-34), because that qualified county considered munici…

2B:12-4. Judge of municipal court; term of office appointment 2B:12-4. Judge of municipal court; term of office; appointment. a. Each judge of a municipal court shall serve for a term of three years from the date of appointment and until a successor is appointed and qualified. An…

2B:12-5 Additional municipal judges. 2B:12-5. Additional municipal judges. a. With the written consent of the Assignment Judge of the vicinage, a county or municipality may: (1) increase the number of judgeships of the municipal court, or (2) appoint one or more temporary municip…

2B:12-6. Designation of acting judges 2B:12-6. Designation of acting judges. Subject to the Rules of Court, the Assignment Judge of the vicinage may appoint an acting judge of each of the municipal courts in the vicinage to serve as judge temporarily when the judge of that court …

2B:12-7. Qualifications of judges; compensation 2B:12-7. Qualifications of judges; compensation. a. Every judge, temporary judge and acting judge of a municipal court shall be a resident of this State and an attorney-at-law admitted to practice in this State for at least five yea…

2B:12-8. Chief judge 2B:12-8. Chief judge. Where there is more than one judge of a municipal court, the county or municipality may designate one of the judges as the chief judge of the court. The chief judge shall designate the time and place of court and assign cases among the j…

2B:12-9. Presiding judge of the municipal courts 2B:12-9. Presiding judge of the municipal courts. If the Chief Justice designates a judge of the Superior Court or a judge of one of the municipal courts in a vicinage to serve as presiding judge of the municipal courts for that vi…