Court Appearances and Failure to Appear

All individuals accused of serious traffic or Code of the City of Gainesville, Georgia violations must appear in Gainesville Municipal Court. Additionally, the Court may mandate a court appearance based on the individual's driving and/or criminal record.

Citations requiring court appearances

• Aggressive driving
• Gainesville code violations
• All alcohol offenses (except open container)
• Code enforcement/environmental compliance violations
• All defendants between the ages of 17 and 21
• Drug offenses
• Attempting to elude a police officer
• Hit-and-run
• Repeat offenses
• No insurance
• Passing a school bus when students are loading/unloading
• Racing
• Reckless driving
• Shoplifting
• Speeding 30 mph or greater over the speed limit
• Suspended license
• Suspended registration

For persons under the age of 17, please contact Hall County Juvenile Court at 770-531-6927 or visit their website for more information.

Failure to appear - FTAs: Important information for missed court dates

If you fail to appear for your court date, a bench warrant can and may be issued for your arrest. The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) may be notified and your license suspended. Failure-to-appear warrants must be cleared before you can obtain the necessary paperwork to clear your license with DDS.

If you are unable to make your court date, please contact Gainesville Municipal Court at least three days before your scheduled court date, via phone or by email to see if you are eligible for a one-time courtesy reset.