Any violation that is not a traffic violation is considered a criminal violation. Some traffic violations carry criminal penalties and are handled following the criminal court process.  These charges include, but are not limited to: speed contest, reckless driving, careless driving, and speeding 25 mph or more. Police officers schedule a specific appearance date and time when a criminal summons is written.  The date and time are written on the summons.

• Some violations are payable violations that do not require a court appearance. If the violation you have been cited for is payable, the citation will indicate so.  In such cases, payment must be received before the appearance date.
• If you decide not to pay the citation and cannot appear in court on the date specified, you may call the court at 719-336-1355 before the first appearance date to ask for a new appearance date. 
• The citation contains the date and location of the violation, followed by the code section that you have been charged with violating.  You may review the ordinance at Lamar Municipal Code. 

If you MUST appear in court or if you choose to appear in court:

• The first time you appear in court, you will be advised of your constitutional rights.
• Then once you’ve been advised, the judge will ask how you would like to plea.
• If you want to exercise your right to have a trial the judge will schedule a trial date for you to return, with any subpoenaed witnesses. The City Attorney and issuing officer will also be subpoenaed.
• If you decide not to pay the citation and cannot appear in court on the date specified, you may call the court at 719-336-1355 before the first appearance date to reschedule a new appearance date. We can extend this appearance by only two weeks.

Failure to either timely pay a traffic citation in full or appear in court when scheduled will result in the issuance of a default on your driving privilege or cancellation of your driver’s license by the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicle.

 If you are under 18 years of age, your parent(s) or guardian must appear in court with you. 

At the beginning of the first appearance session, the judge will advise you of your constitutional rights. The judge will then call each case on the docket.  You will be asked to enter a plea of “not guilty” or “guilty,” or - with the consent of court - “no contest,” you may explain to the judge what happened.  The judge may or may not accept the plea.  The judge may or may not impose a sentence at the initial appearance.  You may plea “not guilty” and set the case for court trial. 

Witnesses

You have the right to have witnesses subpoenaed to testify at trial on your behalf. Witnesses will need to appear at the scheduled trial. Please provide the court with the number of subpoenas you will need at least three weeks before the trial date. You may obtain subpoena forms from the court clerk or request that they be mailed to you.  On the subpoena forms you receive will be instructions on completing the subpoena forms and having them served.  Correct names and correct addresses will ensure that whoever you choose to serve them will be able to successfully serve the subpoenas in sufficient time.  If a witness is not placed under subpoena and does not appear in court at the time of trial, a judge is not likely to grant a continuance for that person to be properly subpoenaed.

Traffic Summons

Lamar Police officers issue traffic summons (municipal summons and complaints). The copy the officer provides contains the court address and the appearance date and time.  If that address reads LAMAR MUNICIPAL COURT AT: 102 E Parmenter St, SECOND FLOOR your summons is written into this court. Some traffic violations carry criminal penalties that are handled following the criminal court process. These charges include, but are not limited to: speed contest, reckless driving, careless driving, and speeding 25 mph or more. (Refer to criminal court information). 

Code References

If you want to read the ordinance, you may review the Lamar Municipal Code. Traffic violations are referenced in the Colorado Model Traffic Code.

For your convenience, many municipal citations are payable in advance and if paid, do not require a court appearance.  The citation indicates whether you can pay by mail or must appear.  You may choose to either appear in court on the date specified or pay the amount indicated before the appearance date.  If you are under 18 years of age, your parent(s) or guardian must also sign an Advisement Regarding a Penalty Assessment / Summons and Complaint form given to you at the time your summons is written.  If you choose to appear in court a parent or guardian must accompany you. 

Payments are considered a guilty plea and notice will be sent to the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles on traffic offenses.  Penalty points may be assessed against your driver’s license.  If your driver’s license has been issued by another state and that state has a reciprocal agreement with Colorado, they will receive the penalty points.  Accrual of too many penalty points results in the loss of your license.

Payments by mail must be by check or money order.  Payment in person can be made by cash, check, money order, VISA, and MasterCard. 

Send mail payments to:

Lamar Municipal Court
102 East Parmenter Street
Lamar, CO 81052

 ***Please write your summons number on your check or money order and make a copy for your records.