FAQs • McFarland, WI • CivicEngage

What happens to fines/forfeitures paid on citations?: Fines/forfeitures are disbursed to the Village, State, and County. No officer or court official profits from any fine or forfeiture.

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Municipal Court

1. How may I pay for my citation?: Find out how to pay your citation by visiting the Court Payments page.

Look at the upper-left-hand portion of your citation:

If yes is circled under "Is this a mandatory Court Appearance?", you must appear in court on the date and time indicated on your citation. Failure to appear will result in warrant being issued for your arrest.
If no is circled, you have several options you may wish to consider. If you do not wish to dispute the citation, simply mail in the "deposit" amount indicated on the upper right hand corner of your citation. You must include a photocopy of your citation or submit your correct name, address, citation number, court appearance date, and offense.
- Payments are to be mailed to:
  McFarland Municipal Court
  5915 Milwaukee Street
  P.O. Box 110
  McFarland, WI 53558-0110
- We accept cash, check, money order, Visa or MasterCard. Checks are to be made payable to: Village of McFarland.
- You do not need to appear. The Court will find you guilty and keep the "deposit" amount as payment of your citation.

3. What happens when I appear in court?

If you appear in court on the date listed on your citation, you may enter a plea to the charge. You may plead Guilty, No Contest, or Not Guilty. This date is not the trial date

If you plead Guilty or No Contest, the Court will find you Guilty and the matter will be resolved at this time. If you plead Not Guilty you may meet with the Village Attorney for a pretrial conference.

Learn more about Court Appearances.

4. What are the different pleas I may enter?

You may enter a plea of Guilty, No Contest, or Not Guilty to the charge against you:

If you enter a plea of Guilty, you are admitting that you have committed the violation.
If you enter a plea of No Contest, you declare that you are neither guilty nor not guilty; you merely want to get the matter over with and pay the forfeiture. As a result of this plea you will be found guilty by the court, but this finding cannot be used against you as an admission of guilt if you appear in any other court action related to the charge against you.
If you enter a plea of Guilty or No Contest, the Judge will find you Guilty of the charge, set the fine/forfeiture, and tell you when it is due. If you cannot pay the fine/forfeiture immediately, you may ask the Judge for more time to pay.
If you enter a plea of Not Guilty, you deny committing the violation charged against you. You will meet with the Village Attorney to discuss the case. If an agreement can be reached between you and the Village, the Judge will review the agreement and decide whether or not to approve it. If you cannot reach an agreement you will be given a trial date.

5. What if I wish to enter a plea of Not Guilty?

If you wish to plead Not Guilty you may do so by filling out the electronic Municipal Court Plea Form. The form must be filed with the Court on or before your initial appearance court date.

Once the form is filed with the Court, you will be notified by mail of your new court date.

It is necessary that you advise the Court of any address change. If you do not appear because you failed to notify the Court of a change of address, you will be found Guilty.

6. What if I want a trial?: If you do not reach an agreement at the pretrial conference your case will be scheduled for trial. You have the right to a jury trial only in cases of Operating While Intoxicated. Your demand for jury trial must be made in writing within 10 days of the court date and enclose the proper fine/forfeiture. Learn more by viewing General Trial Information (PDF).

7. What happens if I do not do anything?: If you do not appear in Court in person, enter a plea by mail, or post money for the deposit, the Judge may issue a warrant for your arrest, suspended your driver’s license for two years, or have your name entered in the Internal Revenue Tax Intercept Program.

8. Do I need an attorney?

You are not required to have an attorney for a Municipal Court matter; the decision is yours. Municipal Courts do not provided public defenders.

It is important to understand that the Court staff is interested in answering all procedural questions you have about how the Court will handle your case; however, they cannot offer legal advice or make recommendations to you about your case or recommend an attorney.

Village Attorney

Reuter, Whiteish, and Evans, S.C.
Attorney Daniel J. Evans
44 E Mifflin Street
Suite 306
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608-250-9053

9. Will I lose my license due to points?

If you are found Guilty of a traffic violation you may have demerit points added to your driving record. The Court will report the conviction to the Department of Transportation. They will assess the number of demerit points against your record depending on the charge. If you accumulate 12 points in one year by date of violations, your driver’s license will be suspended or revoked.

If you have a probationary license, demerit points will double on the second and subsequent convictions. To find out how many points you have accumulated, you must contact the Drivers License Bureau by calling 608-266-2353.

For more information, visit the Wisconsin Department of Transportation website.

10. What happens to fines/forfeitures paid on citations?: Fines/forfeitures are disbursed to the Village, State, and County. No officer or court official profits from any fine or forfeiture.

11. How do I obtain an Occupational Driver's License?: If your driver’s license has been revoked or suspended you have the right to apply for an occupational driver’s license. To obtain an occupational drivers license you will need to contact the Department of Transportation at 608-264-7447 or visit the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Suspended or Revoked Driving Privilege page.

12. How do I apply for Traffic Safety School?

If you wish to reduce your demerit points on your driving record you may attend an approved traffic school, one of which is conducted at Madison Area Technical College (MATC) Madison. This procedure does not apply if your current violation results in revocation or suspension, or if school was ordered in lieu of revocation for Operating Under the Influence. Application for Traffic Safety School can be made at MATC or other state vocational schools by visiting the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Courses page.

You need to mail the form at least ten days before the court date listed on your citation; you do not have to appear on your initial appearance court date.

13. What are Tax Intercepts?

McFarland Municipal Court uses the Tax Refund Interception Program (TRIP) as a means of collecting fines/forfeitures for violators failing to comply with the order of the Municipal Judge.

TRIP is allowed under Wisconsin Statutes 71.93 and 71.935. These Statutes authorize the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) to intercept taxpayer refunds, other refundable credits, and lottery prizes for certain state agency and local government debts. State agencies and local governments can participate in TRIP.

Learn more about the Tax Refund Interception Program.