Municipal Courts were created by the governing body of the municipality and have exclusive jurisdiction over actions involving violation of the municipal ordinances, adopted from the Wisconsin State Statutes. The Court Office provides information as well as maintains records of dispositions and payment of forfeitures. With the exception of juveniles, the records are open to the public.

Actual Court proceedings are generally held Tuesday afternoons in the City of Manitowoc Council Chambers, 1st floor of City Hall. Initial appearances scheduled for - traffic offenses 1:00 pm - ordinances violations 1:45 pm

Pretrials are generally held at the Manitowoc Safety Building, 900 Jay Street, Manitowoc (Police/Fire Department) on Tuesday mornings between the hours of 9:00 am – 11:00 am.

The following may assist you in answering some general questions:

1) How are cases processed in Manitowoc Municipal Court? (See Case Processing Procedure)

2) If I want to plead not guilty, is there a form I can submit instead of actually appearing in court at my Initial Court date? Yes, (See Not Guilty plea entry form, Court address, phone, and fax number).

3) I want to have a trial in Municipal Court. What do I need to know? (See Trial Procedures for more information)

How and where to make payments
If you would like to pay a fine prior to your Initial Court appearance, you may do so at the Manitowoc City Police Department, located at 910 Jay Street, Manitowoc, WI If you know your citation number, and it is after the court date, you may pay your fines at the Treasurer's Office, in City Hall during regular business hours. After hours, you may drop off your payment in the night deposit box. Please be sure to have Municipal Court and the citation number the payment applies to clearly noted.
For actual balances or additional information regarding a particular citation, you will need to speak directly with the Court Clerk during regular business hours. Please check your citation to make sure you are calling the proper Court office.
The Municipal Court is currently accepting credit card payments for traffic and ordinance violation citations through Official Payments. This service provides payment directly to Municipal Court and assesses you a fee for their service for using your personal credit card. If you’d like more INFORMATION REGARDING ON-LINE OR PHONE PAYMENTS BY USE OF CREDIT CARD, or would like to use this service, it can be utilized through the internet at www.officialpayments.com or call 1-800-2PAY TAX (1-800-272-9829). Follow the directions given respectively. If you do not have the correct citation number, you can call either the Manitowoc Municipal Court Clerk at 920-686-6920, or the Manitowoc City Police Department at 920-686-6571. Your payment will be applied to the citation upon receiving confirmation from Official Payments that the transfer has been completed. This may take up to 72 hours for processing. If you have any questions regarding this service, please contact the Manitowoc Municipal Court at 920-686-6920.

How to Reinstate a Driver's License due to non payment of fine
If your license is suspended for non-payment of a fine you must know the citation number and the Court involved. The Manitowoc Motor Vehicle office does not have this specific information. To get necessary citation information you will need to call the Madison Motor Vehicle Department. Their phone number is 608-266-2261. If you have the citation number and the Court involved, please call the Court involved. If it is the Manitowoc Municipal Court, please call during regular business hours to speak directly with the Court Clerk for the actual amount due. Once the fine or fines are paid in full, you will need paperwork from the Court involved to take to your local Motor Vehicle Department to continue the process of reinstatements.

How to enter a plea
The Manitowoc Municipal Court does not accept any plea over the phone. You may appear in person on your Initial Appearance date and time. You may have an attorney appear on your behalf, either in person on the Initial appearance date and time, or in writing, prior to the Initial Appearance date. You may enter a plea in writing, personally, prior to your initial Court appearance date. This written notice can be delivered either to the Manitowoc Municipal Court or to the Police Department. This notice must contain your full name, current address, citation number and the Court date on which are scheduled. Your plea can be no contest, guilty or not guilty.
If you plead no contest or guilty, the Court will accept your plea on the Initial Court date and give you up to 60 days, without question, to pay your fine. You will not receive any further notice, however, you must pay your fine within that 60 days to prevent any further alternative penalty.
If you plead not guilty, your plea will be entered on your initial court appearance date, and you will be assigned a pretrial time to meet with the Asst. City Attorney on a future date. You will be notified by mail of the date, time and place of that meeting.

How to ask for an extension in paying fine
Extensions are generally granted, if substantial payments are made during the allotted payment period, which is generally 60 days. If, for reasons of poverty, you are unable to pay your fine in the time allowed, you can call or stop at the Court Office to speak to the Court Clerk for specific information regarding your eligibility for an extension of time or a payment plan.