Filing documents at the courthouse can be quite a nightmare due to long, frustrating lines. That wait time, however, can be cut significantly depending on your timing of when you go to court.
Attorney runner services are the culprit. If you coordinate your visit around their schedules, your wait time could be cut in half! Knowing where to go and what documents you will need beforehand can also save you time. Otherwise, you may be turned away after standing in line for a long time.
Family Court is very busy in the morning. Most cases are scheduled in the morning and runner services usually pile in during the A.M. hours. Therefore, try to file Family Court documents between 2 P.M. and 4 P.M. when the rush has passed.
Regional Justice Center usually brims with activity all day but most runner services avoid hitting the courthouse in the A.M. hours because of the longer-than-usual lines at security. Between 8 A.M. and 11 A.M. is when you should go for it! Once passed security, the longest lines are generally for Traffic Court. Justice Court, located on the 2nd floor, has a numbering system that helps with specific needs. In the morning, the wait in Justice Court should be about 20 to 30 minutes as opposed to 2 or more hours in the afternoon.
District Court, located on the 3rd floor, has a single file line that is usually between two to five people long in the morning. In the afternoon hours, however, the line can be 20 to 50 people plus the runner services which already occupy 2 or more windows. All these factors usually translate into at least an hour wait.
Lunch time is also a bad time to file. There may be less people in line but most clerks also take lunch from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. The fewer clerks available to process files can contribute to extended wait times.
Another tip is to make sure you have plenty of quarters for parking. Tickets for expired meters can range from $20 to $35! Most meters give you up to 4 hours which should be more than enough time to complete your business at the courthouse.
Jason D. Wilder – Management Support/Utility
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