Hanover Town Court
About Hanover Town Court
The Hanover Town Justice Court is established under state law and generally handles misdemeanors and lesser offenses arising within the Town of Hanover from commencement to resolution. Its judges can issue additional orders, like temporary restraining orders and warrants.
Although the County Courts try felony cases, town justices have authority to first arraign defendants charged with felonies in the Town.
The Court conducts both jury and nonjury trials.
The Town Court also has jurisdiction to hear certain civil suits involving claims for money up to $3,000 and has jurisdiction to hear eviction proceedings, where the court’s authority to assess additional damages can be substantially higher.
Traffic Tickets
There are several options available for answering traffic tickets as noted below.
Failure to answer a traffic ticket within 60 days WILL result in a suspension of your driver license. Driving with a suspended license can be a misdemeanor and involves both substantial fines and imprisonment.
Certain traffic tickets involving equipment violations, commonly called “fix it tickets” are dismissible, if you act promptly, as described on the relevant tickets themselves.
Option 1: Plead Guilty
-To plead Guilty, please complete the GUILTY portion of your ticket and return to the address provided. A fine will be assessed by the Judge and a fine due notice will be mailed to you. Please note that a Plea of Guilty may carry a point penalty on your driver license.
Option 2: Plead Guilty to a Lesser Charge
-To see if you may qualify for a reduction to the original charge, please visit : http://www.co.chautauqua.ny.us/164/District-Attorney . If all the qualifications are met, and you want to pursue this option, follow the instructions outlined under the TRAFFIC TICKET PLEA POLICY tab. Return all of the requested information to the court by the date listed on your ticket to be considered for a reduced charge.
Option 3: Plead Not Guilty in person on the date shown on your ticket, There are two ways to plead Not Guilty to a traffic offense.
- You can Plead Not Guilty in person on the date shown on your ticket.
or
-You may Plead Not Guilty by mail by completing the NOT GUILTY portion of your traffic ticket and returning to the address provided. Arrangements will be then be made for you to appear at a later date to confer with the Town Prosecutor. If you are unable to reach an agreement with the prosecutor, you will then be scheduled for trial.
FINE PAYMENTS
During normal business hours, we accept Cash, Credit Cards, and / or Bank Certified Checks or Money Orders.
PAYMENT EXPECTED AT TIME OF SENTENCING
You may mail a Bank Certified check or money order to
To pay with a credit card by phone, please call 1-888-912-1541 (processing fees apply)
NO PERSONAL CHECKS ACCEPTED
Click below to pay online (processing fee applies)
Small Claims / Civil Cases
Small Claims Court is a special part in City, Town or Village courts where you can sue for money, up to $3,000
You cannot sue to make someone do something or for pain and suffering. For example, you can’t use Small Claims Court to get back your laptop that you lent your friend.
- You do not have to have a lawyer,
- The Court will notify the defendant of the action
- The defendant must live, work or have a place for doing business in New York
For small claims, you must: • Be a person who is 18 or older • Fill out a court form that explains your claim • Pay a court fee ($10 – $15 depending on the amount of claim)
You do not need a lawyer to sue in Small Claims Court. But you may hire one, if you want. The other side may also hire a lawyer. The Court will not give you a lawyer.
If the claimant, defendant or a witness needs an interpreter, the Court Clerk will assign an official interpreter for free. Tell the Court Clerk as soon as possible so the interpreter can be at the court date.
A Small Claims handbook can be accessed here:
http://nycourts.gov/CourtHelp/pdfs/SmallClaimsHandbook.pdf
The Hanover Town Court Small Claims Application can be found here:
***insert link***
You may also contact the court directly to pick up the Small Claims Guide and file a claim.
Court Help
You are always entitled to appear with an attorney in Town Court, but in the vast majority of cases in this court, particularly traffic offenses, you would have to arrange for counsel at your own expense if you wanted to do so. If you are unable to afford counsel and are appearing on a criminal matter (misdemeanor and felony charges, for example), you may be entitled to have counsel appointed for you.
While the Court and its Clerks are prohibited from providing legal advice, substantial guidance and a wide variety of DIY forms can be accessed at:
http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/townandvillage/links.shtml
and at
http://www.nycourts.gov/courthelp/DIY/index.shtml
The New York State Bar Association maintains a lawyer referral and information service which can be reached at 1-800-342-3661.
There are several websites which you might find helpful to learn about the Court System in general and the Town Court in particular.
For example, the State of New York provides general guidance at:
http://www.nycourts.gov/courthelp/GoingToCourt/courtSystem.shtml
It has published a general guide to the Courts at:
http://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2019-06/NYCourts-IntroGuide.pdf
New York State Statutes, including the Vehicle and Traffic Law, the Penal Law and the Criminal Procedure Law are available at:
http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/lawssrch.cgi?NVLWO:
Guidance on representing yourself is available at:
http://www.nycourts.gov/courthelp/