Festus Municipal Ordinance Violations

Effective January 1, 2020, ordinance violations of the City of Festus are heard in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County in Hillsboro, 23rd Judicial Circuit. Presently, cases are assigned to Division 14, Associate Circuit Judge Tim Miller. The Jefferson County Courthouse is located at 300 Main Street, Hillsboro, Missouri 63050. Cases from prior to 2020 were either dismissed and/or outstanding fines were deemed satisfied. Prior to the dissolution of the Festus municipal division, the court ordered any holds on driver’s licenses to be withdrawn and any warrants to be recalled. For more information about the Jefferson County Circuit Court, click here.

Information about Festus municipal ordinance violations is available on the Missouri Case.net website. You can search by name, ticket number, or court date. Please note that it may take several weeks for your case to appear on Case.net.

To view information about your legal rights and the municipal court process, Click Here.

To view the schedule of fines, please click here.

To Pay Your Fines – Many traffic offenses can be resolved without a court appearance. Fines can be paid in person at the office of the Jefferson Co. Circuit Clerk, 300 Main Street, Hillsboro, MO 63050. You can pay in CASH using EXACT CHANGE, or by mail (a personal check is okay if you are a Jefferson County resident or your bank is in Jefferson County). Please include your DOB, last 4 digits of your SSN, and your phone number. No Starter Checks. You can also pay by money order or cashier’s check. To pay by mail, send payment to: Jefferson Co. Circuit Clerk, P.O. Box 100, Hillsboro, MO 63050. Include your case number on all payments. Payments can be also be made by phone Mon. – Fri., 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. by calling (636) 797-6050, or after hours by calling 1 (877) 222-4668.

Online Payment – If you would like to enter a plea of guilty and pay the fine prior to your court date, search for your ticket on Case.net. If the case can be resolved without a court date, you will see a “Plead and Pay” icon. Click on the link and follow the instructions to pay your fine and conclude your case. If the “Plead and Pay” icon does not appear, you must appear in court on your court date to enter a plea on your case.

No proof of Insurance / Financial Responsibility – If you have been charged with driving without valid insurance (sometimes referred to as failure to maintain proof financial responsibility), and you had insurance for vehicle you were driving on the date of the citation, you may be able to resolve your case without appearing in court. You must provide proof that YOU were insured on DATE OF THE CITATION for the VEHICLE you were driving. If you provide such information to the prosecutor prior to your court date, your case can be dismissed. You can email proof that you were insured on the date of your citation to the prosecuting attorney, Brian Malone, at bmalone@lashlybaer.com.

If you are charged with a Festus ordinance violation, you may wish to contact a private attorney about your legal rights. The Jefferson County Court Clerks, the Festus Police Department, the Festus Municipal Prosecutor, and the Festus Prosecutor’s assistant CANNOT give you legal advice.

Attorneys – Attorneys must use the Missouri e-filing system to enter their appearance on a case. The Procedures for attorneys to obtain discovery and recommendations from the prosecuting attorney are available here.

If you have questions about an upcoming court date, contact the Jefferson County Circuit Clerk’s Office at (636) 797-5303. If you need information about a case from prior to 2020, you can contact the Prosecuting Attorney’s Assistant at (636) 937-1282, ext. 310.