Departments
East Ridge Municipal Court
Court is held every Tuesday inside City Hall. Which docket you are on decides what time you appear.
Where
1517 Tombras Avenue, inside City Hall
Open
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Court Clerk's office closes on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., when court proceedings begin.
Court Sessions and Clerk Hours
Every docket this court holds sits inside four hours of one afternoon. The two cut-off times matter as much as the dockets: the Clerk's office closes when court opens, and it stops answering the telephone when traffic court starts.
1:30 p.m.
Incarcerated defendants, custody hearings, and preliminary hearings
The Court Clerk's office closes at this hour.
2:30 p.m.
Bond forfeiture hearings
First Tuesday of the month only.
3:00 p.m.
Traffic Court, and compliance dockets
The Clerk's office stops taking telephone calls at this hour.
4:00 p.m.
Criminal Court
The court does not reschedule on the day of court. A request to reschedule has to be submitted a week before the court date, and it is granted at the discretion of the Court Clerk's office.
Paying a Fine
How and when to pay a fine
Fines are paid in the Clerk's office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., in person or by telephone.
- Cashier's checks
- Money orders
- Cash
- Credit card: Visa, MasterCard, or Discover
The court does not accept checks of any kind.
Paying in full
Fines have to be paid in full unless the party appears in court and completes a Payment Request Form. Each continuance payment after that carries a five dollar fee.
Someone whose case is already disposed of can make a payment at the Clerk's office at any time and does not have to enter the courtroom.
What to Wear
The court publishes this as a rule, not a suggestion. Inappropriate attire will get you asked to leave the courtroom and rescheduled. Business casual is the proper attire.
Not permitted in the courtroom
- Hats
- Flip flops
- Clothing that exposes the midriff or underwear
- Shorts
- Short dresses, rompers, or skirts
- Tank tops or muscle shirts
- Halter tops, tube tops, strapless tops, or see-through tops
- Ripped or torn shirts
- Ripped or torn jeans
- Sagging pants that fall below the waist
- Athletic or workout clothes
- Clothing with emblems or wording promoting illegal or inappropriate activity, sex, drugs, violence, or profanity
Who Works Here
- Tracy CoxMunicipal Court Judge
- Patricia CassidyCourt Clerkpcassidy@eastridgetn.gov
- Terrie LeidholdtDeputy Court Clerktleidholdt@eastridgetn.gov
- Kristi CatoCourt Operations Assistantkcato@eastridgetn.gov
The Court Clerk's office oversees the daily operations of the court and handles anything to do with a charge incurred in the City of East Ridge.
The Local Rules
The court's Local Rules of Practice were adopted effective May 1, 2023 under Tenn. Code Ann. section 16-15-406 and section 16-15-714. They govern the docket, courtroom conduct, interpreters, security, and criminal practice, and they are cited as ERMCLR.
- RULE 15 sections
- RULE 23 sections
- RULE 3
RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND COURTROOM DECORUM
10 sections - RULE 43 sections
- RULE 5
COURTHOUSE AND COURTROOM SECURITY
3 sections - RULE 6Reserved, with no text adopted
- RULE 7
LOCAL RULES OF CRIMINAL PRACTICE
13 sections - RULE 81 section