Criminal City Ordinance Violations in Metro Atlanta

There are some jurisdictions in the metro Atlanta area that use criminal city ordinance violations for charges that include disorderly conduct, loitering, minor drug charges, theft by shoplifting, and other city code violations that the city’s law enforcement officials have decided should not result in misdemeanor charges. City ordinance violations are still criminal offenses that carry with them the possibility of jail time, fines, probation and other requirements for resolution, but they are not state law offenses. Because they are not state law offenses, criminal city ordinance violations should not be reported on a Georgia criminal history. When fighting criminal city ordinance violations, the same rights you have under Georgia law do not always apply. You may not have the right to a jury trial for your matter. You may not be entitled to the same discovery rules to obtain evidence in your case. Options for resolution like first offender or conditional discharge under state law are not eligible for criminal city ordinance violations.

That does not mean there are not options that will prevent convictions. You still retain the right to make the city prove your city ordinance violation beyond a reasonable doubt at a bench trial with a Judge. There may be city ordinance conditional discharge and diversion programs that will help you get the charge completely dismissed. And if record of a city ordinance arrest does appear on your criminal history, there may be options to get that record restricted upon successful completion of your case.

If you have been charged with a criminal city ordinance violation and you have questions about your rights, your case, and how it may impact your future, call or text 678-753-6431 for a free consultation today.