Frequently Asked Questions

Generally speaking, a pretrial conference is a court hearing where a prosecutor and a defense attorney get together and discuss whether a case is going to go to trial or whether it can be resolved through a plea agreement.

Pretrial conferences often take place in the weeks after a defendant is arraigned. The prosecutor will have provided the defense with all the relevant documents and police reports ahead of a pretrial conference so that the two can have a meaningful conversation.

If both parties reach an agreement, it is possible in some cases to resolve the case at the pre-trial conference. In such cases a judge will permit the defendant to enter a plea and will sentence the defendant at that time. In more serious cases, where additional time is needed to prepare sentencing arguments, the court will generally schedule a plea and sentencing hearing for a later date.

Traffic & Municipal Code Violations:
Appearance is not mandatory in most circumstances. You may call, submit a written plea, or appear at the counter during office hours on or before your scheduled appearance date.  

Misdemeanors:
Your appearance is required. Failure to appear will result in a warrant for your arrest. If you are unable to appear, you must submit a written continuation request to the Judge, prior to your scheduled appearance date. Your request for continuance must be approved by the Judge.
 
*Please allow at least one week for your case to be filed with the court.

The Medford Municipal Code is located online on the City's home page or by clicking here.

To clear a warrant, you must:

1. Turn yourself in to any local law enforcement agency in Jackson County, Oregon.
2. Appear at the Medford Municipal Court during one of the arraignment sessions.

Once a warrant has been issued, you are subject to arrest at any time.

If you were cited for a traffic violation and you would like more information, please visit the State of Oregon website: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/dmv/pages/form/vehiclecodebk.aspx

To ensure you do not receive a citation or collection notice for a vehicle you no longer own it is important to notify the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) so they can update their records. For more information, see the DMV’s Selling, Donating or Gifting a Vehicle webpage.

Business attire is preferred. Hats are to be removed.

• If you are a victim in a criminal case, or an unrelated party to the incident, you cannot obtain a copy of the police report or any other documentation until the case has been fully resolved in Medford Municipal Court.
• If the defendant in a case has hired an attorney, or plans on hiring an attorney, any request for discovery must be submitted to the City Prosecutor's office by the defendant's attorney.
• There are fees for obtaining a police report.

Downtown parking enforcement is operated by Diamond Parking, a private company contracted by the City of Medford to enforce parking laws. Instructions for payments are listed on the back of the citation. Pay via credit/debit card, cash, check, money order, or pay online. Participating merchants may offer a voucher to be used in lieu of payment. Ask merchant for details. The Medford Municipal Judge reviews all parking appeals. An appeal must be submitted to Diamond Parking.

Generally you will find your citation number on the top right-hand corner of your ticket.  The middle section shows what you have been charged with and the bottom section shows your court appearance date, time, and court location.

For traffic and code violations, to request a trial, you must submit a written plea of "not guilty" on or before your scheduled appearance date. You can do this by mail, email, or by clicking this link: Request a Violation Trial

The Court does not appoint representation on violation cases. If you wish to retain your own attorney, they must file a notice of representation at least 2 weeks prior to your trial date.

When someone is charged with a crime and at risk of jail time, that person has rights in the criminal justice system. You have the right to have an attorney represent you. If you can't afford to hire an attorney, the court will appoint a lawyer to represent you. To qualify for appointed counsel, you may need to complete a financial affidavit. Be honest and complete when you fill out the financial affidavit. You will be signing "under penalty of perjury," which means it is a crime to lie.

If you are unable to pay a court fine in full it is important to contact the court as soon as possible to avoid further consequences.  Some cases may be eligible for payment plans.  You may request a payment plan for a case by clicking here.

Please note, if your case has already been turned over to a collection agency you must contact them for payment arrangements.