Municipal Court

The Carbondale Municipal Court is presided over by the Honorable Judge Fredrick Godderz.

The Municipal Court Clerk prepares the afternoon’s docket and maintains all court records.

The Municipal Court Clerk is also responsible for collecting fines, and issuing subpoenas for the necessary witnesses. All paperwork including complaints, bench warrants, dispositions and court orders issued by the court are the responsibility of the Municipal Court Clerk. Inquiries regarding court matters, requests or information should be directed to the Municipal Court Clerk. 

The Municipal Court Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00pm. except for official holidays.

Court is held on the SECOND TUESDAY at 4:00pm every month at City Hall.

If you need to speak to the Municipal Court Clerk please call 785-836-8080 during business hours.

If calling after business hours please leave a message and someone will get back to you. 

Municipal Judge: Frederick Godderz

City Attorney: Tom Barnes II

Municipal Court Clerk: Ashley Madden

Email
785-836-8080

Court Calendar Dates 2024

January 9 February 13 March 12
April 9 May 14 June 11
July 9 August 13 September 10
October 8 November 12 December 10

 

We suggest a simple dress code if you are attending municipal court: 

Male Dress Code

  • Shoes with socks
  • Clean, untattered pants or shorts
  • Clean, untattered, shirt with sleeves, t-shirt bearing no profanity or offensive graphics.
  • No tanktops, shirts with holes or swimwear are advised.

Female Dress Code

  • Shoes with socks or dress sandals
  • Pants or skirt, untattered without holes. No pajama pants, sweat pants, shorts or swimwear. 
  • Clean, untattered, shirt or blouse, dress tank tops or neat t-shirt bearing no profanity or offensive graphics.

Related Documents

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Court?

Court is held once per month on the 2nd Tuesday at 4:00 pm. 

What is an Arraignment?

An Arraignment is also known as a First Appearance. This hearing is when you may enter a plea of Not Guilty, Guilty, or No Contest. If pleaing guilty or no contest you may also make arrangement for a payment plan if needed for your case. If you wish to plea not guilty a trial date will be given to you and your case continued until that date. 

What is a Diversion?

A Diversion is an agreement between a court and a defendant. If eligible, a Defendant is given an agreement with stipulations like:

Have no further violations of the law, pay all fees and fines; and for some offenses the court may require evaluations or classes. 
If the Defendant agrees and completes the stipulated conditions then when the Diversion period of typically 6-12 months is completed the case is dismissed. 
Not all charges or Defendants are eligible for Diversion, If you are interested in more information make sure to ask the City Attorney at your Arraignment hearing. 
You can also review the Diversion Policy & Guidelines on the Municipal Court page as well as review the Application for Diversion. 

What if I need an Attorney?

The Court has discretion to provide a Court-Appointed attorney to some Defendants. If you are not eligible and need an attorney the Kansas Bar Association provides resources for finding an attorney on their website: Need to Find an Attorney? – Kansas Bar Association (ksbar.org

Where can I find resources for drug/alcohol treatment?

Find Drug And Alcohol Rehab In Kansas (addictioncenter.com)