Henderson Municipal Court

Q: What cases does Henderson Muni Court handle?

Henderson Muni Court (HMC) has jurisdiction over any misdemeanor offenses - including traffic tickets - that police claim occurred within the incorporated limit of the city of Henderson. HMC does not handle any gross misdemeanor or felony cases - those are under the jurisdiction of Henderson Justice Court. Both courts share the same building. Defendants have the right to a criminal bench trial. (And any verdicts may be appealed to the Clark County Eighth Judicial District Court in Las Vegas.) But nearly all cases are settled through a negotiated plea bargain. The harshest penalties misdemeanors carry are $1,000 in fines and/or 6 months in jail at the Henderson Detention Center. But jail is rare for first-time offenses. Instead, judges typically impose fines and a type of alternative sentencing:

Q: Can I find my case online?

Yes. People can perform a Henderson Municipal Court case search here . People will need to enter their date of birth and case number.

Q: Can I pay my fines online?

Yes. Henderson Municipal Court accepts payments here . Payment options are Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.

Q: Does the court accept payment plans?

For traffic tickets, defendants can elect to pay $100 per month. But there is a $50 set up fee. Pay here. Parking citations must be paid in full. Pay here. For non-traffic criminal charges, judges are usually willing to allow defendants to pay monthly installments. But courts determine the details and schedule on a case-by-case basis.

Q: What if I do not have the money to pay a fine?

In most cases, HMC judges permit defendants to perform community service in lieu of paying criminal fines. One hour of work takes $10 off from the amount owed. Defendants can ask the judge in court to let them do community service.

Q: What happens if I miss a court appearance?

Judges punish court date no-shows by issuing a bench warrant for their arrest. (With traffic tickets, there should be a 30-day grace period between missing court and a warrant getting issued.) People can check if they have an active warrant in Henderson Municipal Court here. Anyone with a warrant is advised to retain a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney right away. The attorney can immediately file a motion to quash the warrant. And the attorney can usually appear at the warrant hearing without the defendant having to appear.

Q: Is there free parking?

Yes. There is a free parking deck adjacent to the court at 235 Water Street.

Q: What if I do not live in Nevada?

All out-of-state defendants would do well to hire a local attorney to handle the case on their behalf. The attorney makes all court appearances (in most cases). And the attorney can fight to get the charge reduced or dismissed. Out-of-state defendants may be tempted just to pay the fine to get the case closed. But it is worth the extra time and effort to fight the charge in attempt to keep a clean record.

Q: What if I do not speak English?

To reserve an interpreter, call the court at (702) 267-3300.

Henderson Municipal Court -- Key Information You Need to Know

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Henderson Municipal Court is located in the Justice Facility at 243 Water Street, Henderson, NV 89015, in the same building as the Henderson Jail and across the street from City Hall. The phone number is (702) 267-3300.

Business hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:45 AM to 5 PM. The courtrooms are all located on the third floor.

Below our Nevada criminal defense attorneys answer faqs about Henderson Muni Court.

1. What cases does Henderson Muni Court handle?

Henderson Muni Court (HMC) has jurisdiction over any misdemeanor offenses – including traffic tickets – that occurred within the incorporated limit of the city of Henderson. HMC does not handle any gross misdemeanor or felony cases – those are under the jurisdiction of Henderson Justice Court. Both courts share the same building.

Defendants have the right to a criminal bench trial. (And any verdicts may be appealed to the Clark County Eighth Judicial District Court in Las Vegas.) But nearly all cases are settled through a negotiated plea bargain.

The harshest penalties misdemeanors carry are $1,000 in fines and/or 6 months in jail at the Henderson Detention Center. But jail is rare for first-time offenses. Instead, judges typically impose fines and a type of alternative sentencing:

1.1. Alternative Sentencing

People charged with a 4-point-or-less moving violation usually have the option to do Traffic School. This should reduce the traffic citation to only a parking citation. Parking citations carry no demerit point penalties with the DMV.

People charged with non-traffic ticket offenses are often ordered to take an online education class and/or counseling instead of going to jail. Currently, HMC offers these courses:

Alcoholics Narcotics Gamblers Anonymous Support Group
Anger Management
Coroner’s DUI Programs
Domestic Battery Counseling
DUI School
First Offender
High School Diploma/High School Equivalency
Parenting Class
Substance Abuse Counseling
Traffic Safety School
Victim Impact Panel

HMC also provides specialty programs that aim to rehabilitate certain defendants. If they complete the program, they may be able to get their charges reduced or dismissed. Two of these programs are:

- ABC Court (Assistance in Breaking the Cycle)
- Veterans’ Court

2. Can I find my case online?

Yes. People can perform a Henderson Municipal Court case search here. People will need to enter their date of birth and case number.

3. Can I pay my fines online?

Yes. HMC accepts payments here. Payment options are Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.

4. Can I pay by installments?

For traffic tickets, defendants can elect to pay $100 per month. But there is a $50 set up fee. Pay here.

Parking citations must be paid in full. Pay here.

For non-traffic criminal charges, judges are usually willing to allow defendants to pay monthly installments. But courts determine the details and schedule on a case-by-case basis. Make a fine payment here.

5. What if I do not have the money to pay a fine?

In most cases, HMC judges permit defendants to perform community service in lieu of paying criminal fines. One hour of work takes $10 off from the amount owed. Defendants can ask the judge in the courtroom to let them do community service.

Learn more about HMC’s Community Service program.

6. What happens if I miss an appearance?

Judges punish court date no-shows by issuing a bench warrant for their arrest. (With traffic tickets, there should be a 30-day grace period between missing court and a warrant getting issued.)

People can check if they have an active warrant in Henderson Municipal Court here. Anyone with a warrant is advised to retain a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney right away. The attorney can immediately file a motion to quash the warrant. And the attorney can usually appear at the warrant hearing without the defendant having to appear.

7. Will a public defender be assigned to me?

HMC judges will appoint defendants a public defender if two things are true:

Prosecutors are seeking jail time, and
The defendant cannot afford to pay for a private attorney

Note that many private criminal defense attorneys offer affordable rates and payment plans. Defendants usually get better deals from prosecutors if they have a private attorney aggressively working on their case.

Another pro of having private counsel is that defendants usually never have to appear before a judge unless the case goes to trial.

8. Is there free parking?

Yes. There is a free parking deck adjacent to the Justice Center at 235 Water Street.

9. What if I do not live in Nevada?

All out-of-state defendants would do well to hire a local attorney to handle the case on their behalf. The attorney makes all court appearances so defendants never have to appear in person (in most cases). And the attorney can fight to get the charge reduced or dismissed.

Out-of-state defendants may be tempted just to pay the fine to get the case closed. But it is worth the extra time and effort to fight the charge in attempt to keep a clean record.

10. What if I do not speak English?

To reserve an interpreter, call the court at (702) 267-3300.

11. What should I wear?

Business casual is the safest bet. Prohibited are tank tops, bare midriffs, halter tops, shorts, and anything too revealing.

12. Can I get my Municipal Court records sealed?

Yes, but there is a waiting period to seal convictions. Dismissed charges can be sealed right away.

Nevada conviction	Record sealing waiting period
Most misdemeanors	1 year after the case closes
Misdemeanor battery (NRS 200.481), harassment (NRS 200.571), stalking (NRS 200.575), or violation of a protection order (NRS 33.100)	2 years after the case closes
Misdemeanor DUI and battery domestic violence	7 years after the case closes

The record seal process is not easy. It is time- and paperwork-intensive. Defendants are encouraged to hire a Nevada criminal defense lawyer to manage the process from start to finish.

13. Are there any COVID 19 procedures?

Everyone entering the courthouse must wear masks due to coronavirus. And if people are too till to attend court, they should try to inform the court ahead of time by calling the clerk at (702) 267-3300.

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