Justice Court Operational Standards
The following standards are intended to be applied in the recertification review by the Justice Court Standards Committee as operational standards. The justice courts are classified into four classes, based upon case filings. The case filing information is expressed in terms of filings per month but courts will be classified on the basis of average monthly filings over a period of at least one year. The classification of a court is determined at creation and is subject to review and possible reclassification whenever the court is being recertified. While the standards for some areas of court operation are uniform for all levels of justice court, other standards are developed on a continuum, reflecting the difference in the time needed to competently manage caseloads of different levels.
Class I - Minimum Requirements
Note that the following are minimum requirements. In order to adequately function as a Class I Court it may be necessary for your court to exceed the minimum requirements.
Filings
501 or more citations or cases filed per month
Hours
- Court Open: Full Time
- Judge: Full Time
Facility
- Dedicated Courtroom (with juror deliberation room)
- Judge's Chambers
- Clerk Office
- Co-located in the same facility (Meet the Master Plan Guidelines adopted by the Judicial Council)
Clerical Resources
At least three full time clerks
Prosecution
Prosecutor to screen cases and represent the county or municipality at trial.
Indigent Defense
The municipality or county provides adequate funding to provide indigent defense counsel for any defendant who requests representation and qualifies.
Legal Resources
The following must be available and kept current:
- Utah Code
- Local ordinances
- Justice Court Manual
- Code of Judicial Administration
- Uniform Bail Schedule
- Other legal resources as required under §78-5-109
Law Enforcement
The local government creating the court must have at least one employed or contracted peace officer.
Bailiff
The local government creating the court must provide a sworn law enforcement officer to attend court when required and provide security for the court.
Security Plan
A court security plan must be submitted consistent with C.J.A. Rule 3-414.
Jury/ Witness Fees
Local government is responsible for payment of statutory juror and witness fees.
Education
Local government is responsible for costs of attendance at Judicial Council mandated training
at least 30 hours per year.
Reporting
All reports and audits shall be made and timely filed as provided by law or by rule of Judicial Council. Reports to the Driver License Division and the Bureau of Criminal Identification must be made electronically, via the internet.
Class II - Minimum Requirements
Note that the following are minimum requirements. In order to adequately function as a Class II Court it may be necessary for your court to exceed the minimum requirements.
Filings
201 to 500 citations or cases a month.
Hours
- Court Open
- 201-300 filings At least 4 hours per day
- 301-400 filings At least 5 hours per day
- 401-500 filings At least 6 hours per day
- Judge available when needed. Trial calendar set at least weekly.
Facility
- Courtroom (configuration is permanent but may be shared)
- Judge's Office
- Clerk Office (Courtroom and office must be co-located in the same building)
Clerical resources
- 201-275 filings At least one full time clerk
- 276-350 filings 1.5 FTEs
- 351-425 filings 2.0 FTEs
- 426-500 filings 2.5 FTEs
Prosecution
Prosecutor to screen cases and represent the county or municipality at trial.
Indigent Defense
The municipality or county provides adequate funding to provide indigent defense counsel for any defendant who requests representation and qualifies.
Legal Resources
The following must be available and kept current:
- Utah Code
- Local ordinances
- Justice Court Manual
- Code of Judicial Administration
- Uniform Bail Schedule
- Other legal resources as required under §78-5-109
Law Enforcement
The local government creating the court must have at least one employed or contracted peace officer.
Bailiff
The local government creating the court must provide a sworn law enforcement officer to attend court when required and provide security for the court.
Security Plan
A court security plan must be submitted consistent with C.J.A. Rule 3-414.
Jury/ Witness Fees
Local government is responsible for payment of statutory juror and witness fees.
Education
Local government is responsible for costs of attendance at Judicial Council mandated training
at least 30 hours per year.
Reporting
All reports and audits shall be made and timely filed as provided by law or by rule of Judicial Council. Reports to the Driver License Division and the Bureau of Criminal Identification must be made electronically, via the internet
Class III - Minimum Requirements
Note that the following are minimum requirements. In order to adequately function as a Class III Court it may be necessary for your court to exceed the minimum requirements.
Filings
61-200 citations or cases per month
Hours
- Court Open
- 61-150 filings At least 2 hours a day
- 151-200 filings At least 3 hours a day
- Judge available as needed. Trial calendar set at least every other week.
Facility
- Courtroom (access to public facility for trials, arraignments, etc.)
- Judge's /clerk office
- (Meets minimum requirements)
Clerical Resources
At least one clerk required to be available daily during the scheduled hours of court operation and during court sessions as needed.
Prosecution
Prosecutor to screen cases and represent the county or municipality at trial.
Indigent Defense
The municipality or county provides adequate funding to provide indigent defense counsel for any defendant who requests representation and qualifies.
Legal Resources
The following must be available and kept current:
- Utah Code
- Local ordinances
- Justice Court Manual
- Code of Judicial Administration
- Uniform Bail Schedule
- Other legal resources as required under §78-5-109
Law Enforcement
The local government creating the court must have at least one employed or contracted peace officer.
Bailiff
The local government creating the court must provide a sworn law enforcement officer to attend court when required and provide security for the court.
Security Plan
A court security plan must be submitted consistent with C.J.A. Rule 3-414.
Jury/ Witness Fees
Local government is responsible for payment of statutory juror and witness fees.
Education
Local government is responsible for costs of attendance at Judicial Council mandated training.
Reporting
All reports and audits shall be made and timely filed as provided by law or by rule of Judicial Council. Reports to the Driver License Division and the Bureau of Criminal Identification must be made electronically, via the internet
Class IV - Minimum Requirements
Note that the following are minimum requirements. In order to adequately function as a Class IV Court it may be necessary for your court to exceed the minimum requirements.
Filings
0-60 citations and/or cases per month
Hours
Court open at least one hour per day. Judge available as needed and trial calendar set at least monthly.
Facility
- Courtroom (access to public facility for trials, arraignments, etc.)
- Judge's/clerk office (can be a shared resource but court has priority when needed.)
- (Meets minimum requirements)
Clerical resources
At least one clerk required to be available daily during the scheduled hours of court operation and during court sessions.
Prosecution
Prosecutor to screen cases and represent the county or municipality at trial.
Indigent Defense
The municipality or county provides adequate funding to provide indigent defense counsel for any defendant who requests representation and qualifies.
Legal Resources
The following must be available and kept current:
- Utah Code
- Local ordinances
- Justice Court Manual
- Code of Judicial Administration
- Uniform Bail Schedule
- Other legal resources as required under §78-5-109
Law Enforcement
The local government creating the court must have at least one employed or contracted peace officer.
Bailiff
The local government creating the court must provide a sworn law enforcement officer to attend court when required and provide security for the court.
Security Plan
A court security plan must be submitted consistent with C.J.A. Rule 3-414.
Jury/ Witness Fees
Local government is responsible for payment of statutory juror and witness fees.
Education
Local government is responsible for costs of attendance at Judicial Council mandated training.
Reporting
All reports and audits shall be made and timely filed as provided by law or by rule of Judicial Council. Reports to the Driver License Division and the Bureau of Criminal Identification must be made electronically, via the internet.