Saddle Brook Municipal Court

The Municipal Courts are considered courts of limited jurisdiction, and have responsibility for adjudicating motor vehicle offenses, parking offenses, some criminal offenses (bad check charges, simple assault, and certain harassment offenses), municipal ordinance violations, and certain other offenses, such as weights and measures violations, as well as fish and game violations.  Municipal Courts usually only have jurisdiction over cases that occur within the boundaries of the municipality they occurred in.

 

 

COVID-19 Announcement

Municipal Court sessions will now be conducted virtually/remotely to minimize exposure to COVID-19. Accordingly, all complainants, defendants, attorneys, victims are to contact the municipal court via email at Christine.Oravetz@njcourts.gov or at (201) 843-7642 to provide your full name, e-mail address, and cell phone number within seven days of a court notice.

 

Important Links

 

Phone :  (201) 843-7642

Fax : (201) 909-2392

Violations Bureau is located at 63 Market Street, Saddle Brook, NJ

 

 

Municipal Court Employees

Honorable Martin P. Geisler

Christine Oravetz, C.M.C.A.

Virginia Pizzanelli, Violation Clerk

 

 

 

What to Expect When Appearing Before The Municipality Court

When appearing for court sessions, all litigants and members of the public should be aware of the following:

  • All persons appearing for court will be required to pass through a metal detector and will be subject to the request of all security personnel.
  • No hats are allowed in the courtroom.
  • All cell phones, pagers and electronic devices MUST be turned off while in the courtroom.
  • No photos or videos are allowed to be taken UNLESS prior consent has been granted by the Municipal Court Judge.
  • All briefcases, backpacks, purses and/or messenger bags, etc., are subject to search at any time.
  • No reading material is allowed in court.

Cases are generally heard in the following order:

  • Requests for adjournments
  • Arraignments
  • Guilty pleas with counsel
  • Guilty pleas without counsel
  • Contested matters with counsel
  • Contested matters without counsel

This process may be relaxed or changed to meet the administrative needs of the court.

Court Appearance Required 

If you have been issued a summons, and the officer has checked off the ‘court appearance required’ field on the face of the summons, or the personal injury field has been checked off, you must appear in court on the notice to appear date listed on the summons. Further, certain violations are not payable, and will require you to appear before the court.  If you are unsure whether you must appear in court or can simply pay your fine, please contact the violations bureau at 201-843-7642.

 Some examples of offenses that will require you to appear before the court:

  • driving while suspended
  • driving while intoxicated (DWI)
  • failure to exhibit insurance card
  • open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle
  • driving without a license
  • talking on a phone without a hands-free device or texting while driving

 

If it is your intention to plead not guilty, you must notify the court seven (7) days prior to the court date listed on the face of your summons (notice to appear).  You may plead not guilty by calling the court office or in writing.