Municipal Court

The Carbondale Municipal Court is overseen by the Honorable Judge Frederick Godderz.

The Municipal Court Clerk manages court records, prepares dockets, collects fines, and issues subpoenas. They also handle court-related inquiries, complaints, bench warrants, dispositions, and court orders.

Court Schedule & Contact Information:

Court Sessions: Second Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall.
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (closed on official holidays).
Phone: 785-836-8080 (leave a message after hours).
Email: citycourt@carbondaleks.com

Court Officials:

Municipal Judge: Frederick Godderz
City Attorney: Tom Barnes II
Municipal Court Clerk: Ashley Madden

Court Calendar Dates 2026

January 13	February 10	March 10
April 14	May 12	June 09
July 14	August 11	September 15
October 13	November 10	December 08

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.

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)

How can I file an expungement? Am I eligible?

You have the right to have your conviction or arrest removed from your criminal record after a certain number of years, as dictated by K.S.A. 12-4516.

When a Petition for Expungement is filed in Carbondale Municipal Court, a hearing date is scheduled. Once filed, the Petition is first forwarded to the prosecutor for review. The prosecutor reviews eligibility for expungement and determines if the City objects to the expungement. If the City objects, the parties will be expected to appear in court on the scheduled hearing date. If the City does not object, the Petition is sent to the judge for review and consideration of granting the expungement without a hearing.

Please file a completed Petition for Expungement with the Municipal Court Clerk.

Submit the completed document to the Municipal Court Office at 234 Main Street Carbondale, Kansas 66414. Please bring a valid form of state issued ID with you so that the clerk can verify your identity.