Can you get my Bartlett speeding ticket dismissed?
That is what usually happens. A dismissal can come outright, with court costs, or with court costs and a defensive driving course where the speed calls for it.
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The Answer
Dismissed, and You Stay at Work
We get speeding tickets dismissed in Bartlett Municipal Court. You do not take off work, you do not drive out to Appling Road, and you do not stand in that courtroom explaining yourself.
That matters more in Bartlett than it does in most courts, for reasons worth knowing before you decide to handle it yourself.
Bartlett did not do this at all until recently
For a long time Bartlett simply did not negotiate tickets. You paid the fine or you fought it. That changed, and attorneys who appear in that courtroom regularly were part of why it changed.
It is still not something handed to you across the counter. The prosecutors there do not typically negotiate with people who are not attorneys.
What a dismissal looks like
Dismissed outrightNo court costs, no conditions. It happens.
Dismissed with court costsThe common resolution. You pay the court its costs and the charge goes away.
Dismissed with costs and driving schoolWhere the speed is high enough that the prosecutor needs something more. A defensive driving course folded into the resolution.
Speed is what moves you from one of those to the next.
Before You Pay It
Paying Is Pleading Guilty
The envelope looks like a bill and it is not one. Paying a Bartlett citation enters a guilty plea, and nobody can take it back off afterward.
A judgment is entered against you and it lands on your driving record with points. Your insurer could raise your premium at renewal. A dismissal leaves nothing on the record for anyone to look at.
Practical
The Court, and the Two Days It Sits
Most of what comes to us out of Bartlett was written on Stage Road or around the historic downtown stretch.
Check who wrote it first. A citation from Bartlett Police is heard in Bartlett Municipal Court. A citation from the Shelby County Sheriff or the Tennessee Highway Patrol goes downtown to 201 Poplar instead, even though you were stopped here. The agency is printed on the citation.
WhereBartlett Justice Center, 3730 Appling Road, Bartlett, TN 38133.
Division IWednesdays at 8:00 a.m.
Division IIMondays at 12:00 p.m.
Clerk(901) 385-5580. Your division is on the paperwork.
Two divisions on two different days is two different ways to miss court, and missing it means a judgment is entered against you. The building is also Bartlett Police headquarters and the city jail.
What It Costs
$500
Most firms will not publish this.
$500Speeding citation, Bartlett Municipal Court
A DUI, a criminal charge, or a commercial license is quoted separately.
Your Attorney
Mitchell Wood, Bartlett Municipal Court
MW
Mitchell Wood · Traffic & Criminal Defense
Attorney Mitchell Wood handles Bartlett Municipal Court and has for years. We are in that courtroom every day it is open. The firm resolved more than 1,000 traffic citations last year across Shelby County and the counties around it.
Memphis traffic tickets → · Fees by court → · Bartlett criminal defense →
Common Questions
Bartlett Speeding Tickets: What You Need to Know
Can you guarantee my ticket will be dismissed?
No. Attorneys are not permitted to guarantee an outcome, and anyone who does is breaking a rule they are bound by. What we can tell you is what has happened in cases like yours in this court. Call and describe the citation and you will get a straight answer.
Do I have to go to court in Bartlett?
No. We appear for you. That is the main reason people hire someone for a ticket.
How much does it cost?
$500. Court costs, where they apply, are set by the court and are separate from the attorney fee.
Is it true Bartlett did not negotiate speeding tickets?
For a long time, yes. You paid the fine or you fought it. That changed, and attorneys who appear in that courtroom regularly were part of why. It is still not something offered to people who walk in without counsel.
What is the difference between Division I and Division II?
Two divisions of the same court sitting on different days. Division I is Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m., Division II is Mondays at 12:00 p.m. Which one you are in is on the citation, and showing up on the wrong day counts as missing court, which means a judgment gets entered without you.
I have a CDL. Is this different?
Very. There is no deferral and no diversion for a commercial driver in Tennessee, so a CDL ticket gets tried rather than worked out. It is a different kind of case with a different fee, and it is worth calling about before your court date.
Does my ticket stay in Bartlett?
It depends on who stopped you. A citation written by Bartlett Police is heard in Bartlett Municipal Court. A citation written by the Shelby County Sheriff or the Tennessee Highway Patrol goes downtown to 201 Poplar instead, even though you were stopped in Bartlett. The agency is printed on the citation.
What happens if I just pay it?
Paying is pleading guilty. A judgment is entered against you, it goes on your driving record with points, and your insurer could raise your rate at renewal. It is also the only option you cannot undo.
What about points on my license?
Tennessee scales them to how far over the limit you were. One to five over is 1 point, six to fifteen is 3, sixteen to twenty-five is 4, twenty-six to thirty-five is 5, thirty-six to forty-five is 6, and forty-six or more is 8. Six points in a rolling twelve months brings an advisory letter from the Department of Safety. Twelve brings a notice of proposed suspension, with a hearing and sometimes a defensive driving course as the alternative. A dismissal carries no points at all.
I do not live in Bartlett. Does that matter?
Only in that it makes hiring someone more useful. Most of the people we handle these for live somewhere else. The whole point is not making the drive.