2B:12-1 Establishment of municipal courts.

2B:12-1. Establishment of municipal courts.

a. Every municipality shall establish a municipal court. If a municipality fails to maintain a municipal court or does not enter into an agreement pursuant to subsection b. or c. of this section, the Assignment Judge of the vicinage shall order violations occurring within its boundaries heard in any other municipal court in the county until such time as the municipality establishes and maintains a municipal court. The municipality without a municipal court shall be responsible for all administrative costs specified in the order of the Assignment Judge pending the establishment of its municipal court.

b. Two or more municipalities, by ordinance, may enter into an agreement establishing a single joint municipal court and providing for its administration. A copy of the agreement shall be filed with the Administrative Director of the Courts. As used in this act, "municipal court" includes a joint municipal court.

c. Two or more municipalities, by ordinance or resolution, may agree to provide jointly for courtrooms, chambers, equipment, supplies and employees for their municipal courts and agree to appoint judges and administrators without establishing a joint municipal court. Where municipal courts share facilities in this manner, the identities of the individual courts shall continue to be expressed in the captions of orders and process.

d. An agreement pursuant to subsection b. or c. of this section may be terminated as provided in the agreement. If the agreement makes no provision for termination, it may be terminated by any party with reasonable notices and terms as determined by the Assignment Judge of the vicinage.

e. Any county of the first class with a population of over 900,000 and a population density of less than 4,000 persons per square mile according to the 2010 federal decennial census may establish, by ordinance, a central municipal court, which shall be an inferior court of limited jurisdiction, to adjudicate cases filed by agents of the county health department, agents of the county office of consumer affairs, members of the county police department and force, county park police system, or sheriff's office, or other cases within its jurisdiction referred by the vicinage Assignment Judge pursuant to the Rules of Court, and provide for its administration. A copy of that ordinance shall be filed with the Administrative Director of the Courts. As used in this act, "municipal court" includes a central municipal court.

f. Nothing in P.L.2015, c.103 shall require a county that has established and maintained a central municipal court in accordance with subsection e. of N.J.S.2B:12-1 prior to the date of the enactment of P.L.2015, c.103 to re-establish that court.

amended 1996, c.95, s.1; 2008, c.2; 2011, c.181, s.1; 2015, c.103, s.1.