Municipal Court

Ocean Springs Municipal Court has jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes, municipal ordinances, traffic violations, and civil domestic protective orders. This court does not have jurisdiction of felony cases or juvenile criminal arrests, but does have jurisdiction of juveniles charged with traffic offenses (including DUI), liquor and tobacco violations, and those juveniles who have been certified as an adult or previously arrested as an adult.

All cases for defendants arrested under felony statutes will be prosecuted through the District Attorney's office of the 19^th Judicial Circuit Court of Mississippi.

Any appeals will be transferred to Jackson County Court and processed through the Jackson County Circuit Clerks' office.

HOURS OF OPERATION
Court Clerk’s Office:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Wednesdays, 8:00 a.m.-noon

Traffic Arraignment/Plea (at the Clerk’s window):
Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m.

Misdemeanor Arraignment/Plea (in Courtroom):
Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m.

Trials (in Courtroom):
Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m.

COURT APPEARANCE
Appropriate dress is required for court appearances. Shorts or revealing clothes will NOT be permitted in the courtroom. The court also DOES NOT allow cell phones, food, drink, or chewing gum in the courtroom.

If the court does not have your current address and phone number, you may not receive important information about new court dates and times, missing these court dates may cause a warrant to be issued for your arrest. It is YOUR responsibility to keep the court informed of your current address and phone number.

ARRAIGNMENT/PLEA
Your first appearance in Municipal Court is called an arraignment/plea hearing. At this time you will only enter a plea of NOT GUILTY, GUILTY, or NO CONTEST to the charges against you. No evidence or testimony will be accepted at this time.

If you plead NOT GUILTY you will be given a trial court date in the future. Your trial date is when evidence can be submitted and testimony will be heard.

If you plead GUILTY or NO CONTEST, you will need to waive your right to a trial and, if you do not have an attorney present with you, you will need to waive your right to an attorney as well. Once you have waived these rights, you will then be sentenced.

TRIAL
If you plead NOT GUILTY on your arraignment date, then you must appear on your trial date. Your trial date is when you have the opportunity to speak with the prosecutor in advance of the trial to try to work out a plea deal. If you cannot agree on a plea deal with the prosecutor, then a trial will be held.

If you are not represented by an attorney and you choose to represent yourself in court and/or at trial, you must conform to all rules of court proceedings including the rules of evidence. No court may lessen this requirement simply because you are not legally trained. In a trial, you are entitled to certain rights, including:

• The right to a copy of the charging affidavit
• The right to hear all testimony against you
• The right to cross-examine witnesses
• The right to testify on your own behalf
• The right to decline to testify without any inference drawn against you
• The right to call witnesses on your behalf. If you need to Subpoena witnesses, the Court Clerk will do so if you provide a list of witnesses and their current address at least 10 days before the trial date.

FAILURE TO APPEAR
Should you fail to appear for your arraignment/plea date, the court may reschedule your plea date, or the court may issue an arrest warrant for failure to appear.

If you fail to appear for your trial date, your trial may proceed in your absence and you may be found GUILTY or NOT GUILTY in your absence, or a warrant may be issued for your arrest for failure to appear.

PAYMENTS
The Ocean Springs Municipal Court accepts the following forms of payment for fines and fees:

• Cash
• Credit/Debit Card (with a 3% administration fee added)
• Money Order
• Cashier’s Check

We DO NOT accept personal checks for the payment of fines and fees.

You do not have to wait for your court date to plead GUILTY and make a payment on most charges. You can make payments online at https://oceansprings-ms.gov/pay-your-bills-online, or you may come in person with ID to the Court Clerk’s office to make a payment.

You may also choose to set up a payment plan for your outstanding fines and fees. This must be done in person with ID in the Court Clerk’s office.  Ocean Springs Municipal Court payment plans are set at $75 a month with the first payment due on the date you set up the payment plan and each subsequent payment due within 30 days of your last payment.

Payments may also be mailed to the court at:

Ocean Springs Municipal Court
3810 Bienville Blvd.
Ocean Springs, MS 39564

The Ocean Springs Municipal Court also has a 24/7 drop box located inside the back lobby of the Police Department. If using the drop box, you must use one of the envelopes provided and fill out all the information on the envelope. Failure to do so may result in your payment not being processed in a timely manner, or the payment being returned to the address the court has on file for you.

If no payment is received within 90 days, your account may be sent to a collection agency for further collections. Once your balance is sent to the collection agency, the Ocean Springs Municipal Court cannot accept payments on your fines; all collection payments must be paid to the collection agency along with the collection fee.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us using the information below.

Phone: 228-875-5009
Fax: 228-230-1899
E-mail: osmc@oceansprings-ms.gov