Citizen Complaints

To file any complaint with the Washington Township Municipal Court the event that prompted the complaint must have occurred within Washington Township. If the event that prompted the complaint occurred outside Washington Township, the complaint must be filed with the court having jurisdiction at that location.

Complaints involving an act of Domestic Violence can be reported to the Police Department 24 hours a day.
The Municipal Court is not allowed to inquire about, or provide any information regarding the person you are filing the complaint against. That information may be obtained from the Division of Motor Vehicles.

The Court is not allowed to provide any legal advice. If you are unsure about what type of complaint, or what offense you want to charge the person with, it is prudent to consult with an attorney before proceeding.

To file any complaint with the Municipal Court, you must submit a completed Affidavit. An Affidavit is a sworn statement of fact. The Affidavit describes the event in a factual manner. The Affidavit is used to determine Probable Cause.

"Probable Cause are the facts that would lead a person of reasonable caution to believe that an offense has been committed and that the person being accused committed the offense."

Criminal Complaints

Criminal complaints are heard either in the Superior Court or the Municipal Court. An offense involving property and/or damage to property is a crime, if the property has a value in excess of $200.00.

Crimes are graded from 1^st degree crimes, the highest grading, to 4^th degree crimes, depending upon the monetary value of the involved property. First to Fourth degree crimes are heard in the Superior Court located in Morristown.

An offense involving property and/or damage to property is a Disorderly Persons Offense or a Petty Disorderly Persons Offense, if the value of the involved property is $200.00 or less. Disorderly Persons Offenses and Petty Disorderly Persons Offenses are heard in the Washington Township Municipal Court. Disorderly Persons Complaints must be filed within one year of the incident. Petty Disorderly Persons Offenses must be filed within six months of the incident.

Filing a Criminal Complaint

To file a Criminal Complaint, you must have the following:

A completed Affidavit containing the following information:
• Offender Information
• Name
• Street Address
• City
• State
• Zip Code
• Incident Location
• When the offense occurred
• Where the offense occurred

  Check complaints must have the following additional information.

• Bank Name
• Account Holder
• Account Number
• Check Number
• Check Amount

For a NSF (non sufficient funds) check a certified letter requesting payment for the check and any charges must be sent to the individual who issued the check. There is a 20 day waiting period for filing a complaint until the return of the certified receipt. A complaint may be filed immediately on a check issued on closed account.

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