Phoenix Court Dockets and Records

Phoenix Municipal Court handles misdemeanor cases that occur within city limits. This makes it one of the busiest municipal courts in Arizona. Court dockets in Phoenix include traffic violations, DUI charges, shoplifting under $1,000, assault and battery, disorderly conduct, and violations of city ordinances. The court sits at 300 W. Washington Street in downtown Phoenix. The Self-Service Center provides a web portal for case searches, online payments, and document requests. Anyone can look up a court docket by case number or party name through the online system. There is no cost to search.

Phoenix Municipal Court Records

Phoenix Municipal Court has jurisdiction over misdemeanor offenses that happen in Phoenix. These include shoplifting, assault, theft under $1,000, criminal damage, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. Traffic cases make up a big part of the docket. DUI charges, reckless driving, suspended license violations, and moving violations all go through this court. Each case gets a docket that shows the charges, court dates, plea information, and the outcome. The docket serves as the official record of all court events. It tracks everything from the first filing to the final resolution. Judges use it to see the history of a case. Lawyers check it to know what has already happened. The public can view it to understand what charges were filed and how they were resolved.

The court docket tells you what happened in a case from start to finish. It shows when the case was filed. It lists each court appearance. It records what the judge decided at each hearing. If someone pleads guilty, that shows up on the docket. If the case went to trial, the verdict appears. The sentence or fine is listed too. You can track a case through its entire life by reading the docket entries in order. The Phoenix court website provides access at www.phoenix.gov/court, where the main homepage shows hours and contact information for different court divisions.

The Self-Service Center allows online case searches and payments without visiting the courthouse in person.

The online portal at www.phoenixcourt.gov gives you a way to search for cases and pay fines from home, which saves time if you just need basic docket information or want to resolve a traffic ticket. The portal runs 24 hours a day. No login is needed. Enter a case number or name and hit search. Results show up right away. You can see charges filed, amounts owed, court dates scheduled, and payment history. The system lets you pay fines with a credit card or bank account. Payments post immediately so you do not have to wait for processing. You can print receipts for your records. This saves you a trip to the courthouse if you just need to check a case or pay a fine.

You can see charges, court dates, and amounts owed. The system accepts online payments for fines and fees.

How to Search Phoenix Court Dockets

Start at the self-service portal. Enter a case number if you have one. That brings up the full docket right away. If you only have a name, use the party search option. Type the last name first, then the first name. The system searches all Phoenix Municipal Court cases. Results show up as a list of matches. Click on the case you want to see the full docket. The docket shows all charges, all court dates, all motions filed, and all orders entered by the judge. Each entry has a date and time stamp. You can see exactly when things happened in the case. This helps you understand the timeline of events from the initial charge to the final outcome.

You can search 24 hours a day. The online system does not charge a fee for viewing docket information. If you need certified copies of court documents, you have to submit a request through the clerk's office. Basic docket viewing is free though. The system covers cases filed in Phoenix Municipal Court going back many years. Older cases may have less detail, but the main docket entries are there. Recent cases have more complete information including scanned documents in some instances. Traffic tickets from the past decade usually show up with full detail. Criminal cases may have more entries because they involve multiple court appearances, motion hearings, and sometimes trials.

Call the court at 602-262-6421 if you have trouble with the online search. Staff can help you figure out the case number. They can tell you if a case exists. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Holiday schedules may vary.

County Court Connection

Phoenix is in Maricopa County. Municipal Court handles misdemeanors in Phoenix city limits. Maricopa County Superior Court handles felonies, large civil cases, family law, and probate. If a case starts in Municipal Court but gets upgraded to a felony charge, it transfers to Superior Court. The docket in Municipal Court will show the transfer, and a new docket starts in Superior Court. Felonies like aggravated assault, burglary, theft over $1,000, and serious drug crimes go straight to Superior Court from the start. They never appear in Municipal Court. Only misdemeanors that get elevated during prosecution move from one court to the other. The transfer shows up on both dockets so you can track where the case went.

Maricopa County also operates 26 Justice Court precincts that handle misdemeanors outside city limits and small civil claims. Phoenix residents might have cases in Justice Court if an incident happened in an unincorporated area of the county. Superior Court maintains its own online docket system separate from the Municipal Court portal. The statewide Public Access portal at apps.azcourts.gov/publicaccess includes both Superior Court and Justice Court cases but not Municipal Court. You need to use the city's own system for Municipal Court dockets.

Contact and Location Details

Phoenix Municipal Court is at 300 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003. The building is in downtown Phoenix near city hall. Public parking is available in nearby garages. Street parking can be hard to find during business hours. The court is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Call 602-262-6421 for general information or to ask about a specific case. Different divisions have direct phone lines. The traffic division handles moving violations and DUI cases. The criminal division deals with theft, assault, and other misdemeanor crimes. The civil division processes small claims and other civil matters. Calling the right division can save you time and get you to the staff member who knows about your case type.

The contact page at www.phoenix.gov/administration/departments/court/contact-us.html lists phone numbers for different divisions within the court.

Having the right department number saves time when you call.

If you need to file a document, bring it to the clerk's office at the Washington Street location. The clerk accepts filings during regular business hours. Some documents can be submitted online through the Self-Service Center. Check the court website to see if your document type qualifies for electronic filing. Payments can be made in person, online, or by mail. The court accepts cash, checks, money orders, and credit cards. Online payments process right away. Mail payments can take several days to post to your account. If you pay by mail, send it early to avoid late fees or missed deadlines.

Related City Courts in Maricopa County

Several other large cities in Maricopa County have their own municipal courts. Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Gilbert, Tempe, Peoria, Surprise, Avondale, Goodyear, and Buckeye all operate courts similar to Phoenix Municipal Court. Each city has its own docket system and court location. If your case is in one of those cities, you need to use that city's court portal instead of Phoenix's system.