Appeal a Decision

How to Appeal a Decision of a Municipal Court

If you have been found guilty and have been sentenced by a Municipal Court judge and you want to appeal, then this page will show you how. Some reasons to file an appeal are:

You believe the facts do not support the judge’s decision; or
You believe the judge’s decision does not follow the law.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER:

The Municipal Court must receive your Notice of Municipal Court Appeal form within 20 days (including weekends and holidays) from the date you were found guilty (see Steps 1 and 3 on page 3).

There is a $100 filing fee plus a transcript fee which you must pay in advance. Both of these fees are non-refundable (see Steps 2 and 6).

If you were represented by a court appointed attorney in your Municipal Court proceeding, please consult with that person prior to filing your appeal. The assigned counsel can help you file your appeal.

Note: These materials have been prepared by the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts for use
by self-represented litigants. The guides, instructions, and forms will be periodically updated as
necessary to reflect current New Jersey statutes and court rules. The most recent version of the forms
will be available at the county courthouse, your local Municipal Court or on the Judiciary’s Internet site
njcourts.com. However, you are ultimately responsible for the content of your appeal.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU REPRESENT YOURSELF IN COURT

DECIDE WHETHER TO GET A LAWYER

The court system is often complicated and confusing. As a result, you may wish to consult with a lawyer before deciding whether to represent yourself in court. If you cannot afford a lawyer or do not know how to go about finding a lawyer, you can:

Call the New Jersey Attorney Referral Office in your county; or
Ask any of the State or County Bar Associations for the names of lawyers who may be able to represent you at a reduced price.

NOTE: If you believe you qualify for a court-appointed lawyer, ask the court staff at either the Municipal or Superior Court for more information. The court staff can give you the forms needed to apply for a court-appointed lawyer.

WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT IF YOU REPRESENT YOURSELF

While you have the right to represent yourself in court, you should not expect special treatment, help or attention from the court. The following is a list of some things court staff can and cannot do for you. Please read it carefully before asking court staff for help.

We can explain and answer questions about how the court works.
We can tell you what the requirements are to have your case considered by the court.
We can give you some information from your case file.
We can explain and answer questions about how to fill out forms
We can provide you with samples of court forms that are available.
We can provide you with guidance on how to fill out forms.
We can usually answer questions about court deadlines.
We cannot give you legal advice. Only your lawyer can give you legal advice.
We cannot tell you whether or not you should bring your case to court.
We cannot give you an opinion about what will happen if you bring your case to court.
We cannot recommend a lawyer, but we can provide you with the telephone number of a local lawyer referral service.
We cannot talk to the judge for you about what will happen in your case.
We cannot let you talk to the judge outside of court.
We cannot change an order issued by a judge.

COURT RULES ABOUT MUNICIPAL COURT APPEALS

You can get additional information on how to file a Municipal Court appeal by looking up Rule 3:23 in the Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey. Although this packet will walk you through the appeal process, you should consider reading this rule if you decide to file your own Municipal Court appeal. A copy of the rule book is available at the State Library in Trenton, law libraries, and at many of the county and municipal public libraries located throughout the State.

CHECKLIST

Please feel free to use this Checklist as you complete each of the six steps discussed in the following section. Please pay close attention to the time frames indicated in each Step.

Complete FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal) – See STEP 1
Complete FORM B (Transcript Request – Municipal Court) – See STEP 2
Contact the Municipal Court to determine what the estimated cost of the Transcript will be – See STEP 2
After completing FORM B (Transcript Request – Municipal Court), take it to the Municipal Court to order the correct number of transcripts. Please remember to bring/enclose a check to pay for the transcript – See STEP 2
Mail or deliver FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal) to the Municipal Court – See STEP 3
Mail or deliver a copy of FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal) to the Prosecuting Attorney(s) – See STEP 4
Complete FORM C (Certification of Timely Filing) – See STEP 5
Mail or deliver a copy of FORM A and the completed FORM C, along with the $100 filing fee, to the Criminal
Division Manager at the Superior Court – See STEP 6

6 STEPS FOR FILING YOUR APPEAL

STEP 1: Fill out FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal).

STEP 2: Fill out FORM B (Transcript Request
Municipal Court).

As part of the appeal process, you must order an original and a copy of the written record, also called a transcript, of your Municipal Court hearing. To order these transcripts, you must fill out FORM B (Transcript Request-Municipal Court) and mail or deliver it to the Municipal Court where your hearing took place.

NOTE: You will have to pay for the transcript in advance. This non-refundable fee depends on the length of your trial. Before you send or deliver the Transcript Request-Municipal Court form to the court, please call the court to get from them 1) the estimated cost of the transcript and 2) who the check should be written to. If you cannot afford to pay for the transcript, ask court staff at either the Municipal or Superior Court how you can apply to have the transcript produced at court expense.

One of the two transcripts you are required to order is for the Prosecutor and the other is for the Criminal Division Manager at the Superior Court (see STEPS 4 and 6). If you want a transcript for yourself, you should order a third copy when you place your original transcript order.

STEP 3: Mail or deliver FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal)) to the Municipal Court.

In order to let the Municipal Court Administrator of the Municipal Court in which you were originally found guilty know that you are filing an appeal, you must mail or deliver FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal) to that court. The Municipal Court must receive this form no later than 20 calendar days (this includes weekends & holidays) after the date you were found guilty. If the Municipal Court does not RECEIVE the appeal form by the 20 day deadline, your appeal will not be heard.

NOTE: Before you deliver or mail the original of FORM A to the Municipal Court, please make some extra copies. The information contained in STEPS 4 and 6 will let you know how many copies you will need. These additional copies are needed to help you complete the filing of your appeal.

If you mail FORM A instead of delivering it in person, you should send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Your post office can tell you how to do this.

STEP 4: Mail or deliver a copy of FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal) to the Prosecutor.

You must send a copy of FORM A to the Prosecutor no later than 5 days after you mailed or delivered the original copy of FORM A to the Municipal Court. If you mail the form, instead of delivering it in person, you should send it certified mail, return receipt requested.

In almost all cases the prosecuting attorney is the County Prosecutor. However, in some cases the prosecuting attorney may be a different person. To determine if the prosecuting attorney for your case may be someone other than the County Prosecutor, please refer to the sheet at the end of this packet labeled Determining the Prosecuting Attorney.

STEP 5: Fill out FORM C (Certification of Timely Filing).

Fill out the Certification of Timely Filing (FORM C) and attach it to a copy of FORM A. FORM C is your certification telling the court that you mailed the necessary papers on time and to the correct places.

STEP 6: Mail or deliver a copy of FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal) and the original of the FORM C (Certification of Timely Filing) to the Criminal Division Manager at the Superior Court.

You must send a copy of FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal) and the original of FORM C (Certification of Timely Filing) to the Criminal Division Manager at the Superior Court. The Superior Court must receive these forms no later than 5 days after the original copy of FORM A (Notice of Municipal Court Appeal) was received by the Municipal Court. If you mail the forms, you should send them in one envelope certified mail, return receipt requested.

The copy of FORM A and the original of FORM C should be mailed or delivered to the Criminal Division Manager at the County Courthouse in the county where the original Municipal Court case was heard. This address can be found in the Directory of Superior Court Clerk’s Offices-Law Division contained in this packet. If you are not sure which county you should file your appeal in, ask someone at the Municipal Court for assistance.

NOTE: A filing fee of $100 is required to file your Notice of Appeal with the Criminal Division Manager. Make the check or money order payable to the Treasurer, State of New Jersey. However, if you cannot afford to pay for filing the appeal, ask the court staff at either the Municipal or Superior Court how to apply for the waiver of the filing fee.

Appeals Form (English)

Appeals Forms (Español)