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Hearing Office
The Hearing and Fines Management Office of the Fourth Judicial District Court is a forum of first resort for defendants with payable citation offenses who want to contest the citation. These include Misdemeanor and Petty Misdemeanor charges for Traffic, Parking, Criminal, Community, Health, Animal Control, and Trucking offenses. The office also handles the collection of unpaid fines through Driver’s License Suspension, Revenue Recapture, wage garnishment and private collection.
NOTICE - Nov. 19, 2009 - The 4th Judicial District is still experiencing issues with its Traffic/Criminal phone line and payments that are trying to be made over the phone. Payments can also be made on our website by clicking on the online parking and traffic link. We apologize for the inconvenience. Proper service should be restored soon.
*** Effective July 1, 2009, Citations issued with multiple charges and an offense date of July 1st or after will be assessed one surcharge per incident. If you have received a multiple charge citation, instructions on how to determine your fine amount can be found by clicking on the fine amounts link below. ***
SERVICES AND QUICKLINKS
Want to know your court date? click here - You will need your case or citation number
(*This does not include Hearing Officer appointments.)
The purposes of the Hearing and Fines Management Office are to:
- Provide hearings for court users to air their concerns about their citations.
- Attain a just and equitable settlement for court users including diversion, fine adjustments, Sentence to Service in lieu of some fines or prosecution costs, and, in some cases, dismissal or suspension of fines.
- Assist court users with issues such as driver’s license suspension and car registration problems.
- Relieve the volume pressure on the courts and the judges by settling citations without the need to schedule them for court.
- To collect the fines and prosecution costs as determined by the fine schedules and the Hearing Officers.
If you wish to discuss your citation with a Hearing Officer, you may:
1. Appear on a walk-in basis at the Hennepin County Government Center, Street Level Northwest Corner, 300 South 6th Street, Minneapolis, MN, or;
2. Schedule an appointment to meet a Hearing Officer at one of the suburban or downtown locations.
The Hearing and Fines Management Office has several convenient locations to meet with a Hearing Officer that offer free parking:
Brookdale (by appointment only)
6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Suite 200
Brooklyn Center, MN 55430-2181 |
Ridgedale (by appointment only)
12601 Ridgedale Drive, Suite 300
Minnetonka, MN 55305-0744 |
Southdale (by appointment only)
7009 York Avenue South, Suite 214
Edina, MN 55435-0654 |
For an appointment at one of these convenient locations or at our downtown location, please call 612-348-2040 to schedule your hearing.
Citation Fine Schedule & Payment Information
Find the fine amounts for common traffic, parking, driver license, and equipment violations. Citation fines may be paid with a Visa or Mastercard over the telephone at 612-348-2040 or online from your checking or savings account by electronic check at PAY ONLINE.
NEWS AND NOTICES
"Stop on Red" Traffic Ruling Update (February 2008)
As a result of the recent Minnesota Supreme Court's decision in the State v. Daniel Kuhlman matter, the City of Minneapolis has dismissed all pending "Stop on Red" citations effective May 7, 2007. If you have a pending "Stop on Red" citation, there is nothing you need to do with the citation because it has been "dismissed."
On October 1, 2007, Judge Mark S. Wernick issued another Order (pdf) granting the Defendant-Claimants' motions (see the State of Minnesota v. the "Stop on Red" Claimants et al. MACDL Amicus Memo (pdf)and the Plaintiff’s Response to Defendant’s Motion to Reopen a Paid or Diverted Stop on Red Citations (pdf)) and ordered that the City of Minneapolis decertify the convictions and refund all fines, surcharges and law library fees. As a result, all Stop on Red Motions to Reopen will be granted by the Hennepin County District Court in accordance with Judge Wernick's October 1, 2007, Order, without any court appearance required. However, as soon as a settlement takes effect in a pending federal class action case (Shapira v. City of Minneapolis, et al.), the Hennepin County District Court will deny motions to reopen and refer those motions to the administrator of the federal class action case. It is unknown when the settlement in the federal class action case will take effect (see the Stop on Red Motion to Reopen Standing Order).
If you were not a Defendant-Claimant in the above case and would like to Reopen your Stop on Red citation, you must file a Motion to Reopen. These forms and instructions can be found at the below links.
Minneapolis -Stop on Red Motion to Reopen Form (pdf)
Minneapolis -Stop on Red Motion to Reopen Form (word)
Walk-in counter and telephone services are closed to the public on Wednesday afternoons from 1:30-4:30 p.m. All court appearances and trials will continue as scheduled on Wednesday afternoons. (more) |
Send an email via our contact form
(Please include a citation number if possible.)
Violations Bureau
612-348-2040 (phone)
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