Plea Explanation

There are 3 pleas to choose from:  Guilty, Not Guilty, or No Contest.

• Guilty: This plea indicates an admission of the charges against you.
• Not Guilty: This plea indicates you feel that the charge against you is not correct.  If you plead Not Guilty, the municipality must prove your guilt by a clear and convincing evidence.  In short, the facts proven by the municipality must indicate that it is highly probable that you committed the ordinance violation.
• No Contest: This plea is similar to a plea of Guilty and is treated the same as a Guilty plea.  You are not admitting your civil liability for use in other litigation, which should be expected where personal injury or property damage is involved.

By entering pleas of Guilty and No Contest, a money judgment (forfeiture) is entered against you.  You will be given an opportunity to tell the judge about any mitigating circumstances surrounding the charge.