MUNICIPAL COURT

Welcome to the Newark Municipal Court website. The Newark Municipal Court is a non-court of record and is the Judicial Branch of City government.

The Newark Municipal Court conducts adult and juvenile court hearings and is dedicated in providing to all citizens, other departments, and entities a fair independent and impartial forum for handling fine-only cases arising within the City limits of Newark.

The Municipal Court follows the procedures set forth under Texas Law and provides all persons the right to trial by judge or jury. Although every person has the right to be represented by an attorney, most citizens who appear in the Municipal Court represent themselves.

Sessions
Effective August 16, 2010
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm - (Monday-Friday)
The Municipal Court observes the same holidays as those for City offices.

Municipal Judge: Manuel T. Valdez

Address
The City of Newark Municipal Court is located at 310 FM Road 718, Newark, Texas. We are just east of the FM 718 AND FM 3433 intersection, inside the Newark City Hall.

The mailing address is P.O. Box 156, Newark, TX 76071.
Phone: (817) 489-2201
Fax: (817) 489-5202

Things to Know...

The Newark Municipal Court does not provide or give legal advice.
If you decide to appear in person, your appearance should not be made before 48 hours following issuance of the citation. This allows the Court to process the citation and make it available at your appearance.
A telephone call does not constitute an appearance.

Jurisdiction

Cases that are filed in Municipal Court include Class C misdemeanors, traffic violations, and violations of City Ordinances.

Class C Misdemeanors

Class C misdemeanors (crimes punishable by a maximum fine of $500), include public intoxication, theft under $50, disorderly conduct, minors in possession of alcohol, possession of drug paraphernalia, etc.

Traffic Violations

Traffic violations include moving and non-moving violations, commercial vehicle violations, failure to maintain financial responsibility, no driver's license, etc.

Violations of City Ordinance

Includes violations of juvenile curfew, junked vehicles, high weeds, rubbish at a residence, current animal rabies vaccinations and animals running at large, etc.

Parking Violations

Parking violations are violations of the civil code rather than the criminal code.

New DPS Point System for Surcharge

Many motorists are unaware that in 2003 the Texas Department of Public Safety implemented a "point" surcharge system in Texas similar to those in effect for years in other states. This program, although passed in September 2003, was just implemented by municipal and justice courts throughout Texas in 2006 and 2007. This program is known as the "Driver Responsibility Law." A conviction of specific offenses will cause points to be accrued toward the driver's license, which can trigger the imposition of annual fees for a period of three years. DPS will impose an annual surcharge when a driver has accumulated a total of six points or more in a three-year period. The surcharge will be $100 for the first six points and an additional $25 for each additional point. All moving violations (speeding, ran stop sign, failure to signal lane change...) will be assessed two points. A moving violation that results in a collision will be assessed three points. A violation of Child Safety Seat laws will cause two points to be assessed against a driver.
Texas DPS Driver Responsibility Surcharge Online Services System

Traffic Safety Programs

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. In 2004, 4,767 teens ages 16 to 19 died of injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes. During 2005, nearly 400,000 motor vehicle occupants in this age group sustained nonfatal injuries severe enough to require treatment in an emergency department (Center for Disease Control 2006).

Texas Drivers Video Quiz Texans drive more than 238 billion miles every year. Do you know the rules of the road? Test your street smarts and see how you measure up with this Video Quiz.