Here’s how to get a continuance of your court date in Missouri. This applies to criminal court and traffic court cases, not civil court or federal court.
Your Court Date
In Missouri, minor offenses such as traffic tickets and misdemeanors are prosecuted in municipal courts and county circuit courts.
If you have been charged with a criminal offense or a traffic ticket in a Missouri court, your case will be placed on a docket on a specific date. That is your court date. You are required to appear in court in person on your court date unless you either:
- Plead guilty as charged and pay the fine and court costs online prior to the court date, or
- Hire an attorney to represent you
How To Request A Continuance Of Your Court Date If You Don’t Have An Attorney Representing You
If you don’t have an attorney representing you and you need a continuance of your court date, you can call the court clerk and request a continuance. The court clerk’s phone number is listed on your ticket.
If it’s the first court date for your case, usually the court clerk will give you a continuance over the phone without requiring you to go to court in person and ask the judge for a continuance.
After the first continuance, most courts will not grant another continuance over the phone. You can ask, but you will most likely have to go to court and ask the judge in person for a continuance of your court date.
You Don’t Need To Request A Continuance If You Have An Attorney Representing You
You don’t need to request a continuance of your court date if you have an attorney representing you. Your attorney will keep track of your court dates and will request continuances as needed.
How To Look Up Your Court Date Online
The easiest way to search for information about your court case is to look up your case number or ticket number online on Missouri Casenet.
If you lost your traffic ticket or other court documents notifying you of your court date, you can go to Missouri Casenet online and search by defendant name, court name, and the year when the ticket was issued.
For example, if you were charged with leaving the scene of an accident in Eureka, Missouri in 2025 and you lost your ticket/summons, you can search Casenet for your name for the year 2025 in St. Louis County Circuit Court to find the information about your case.
If you were charged with Minor in Possession of Alcohol at Busch Stadium in St. Louis City, you would search Casenet for your name in “City of St. Louis – 22nd Judicial Circuit.”
If you can’t find your name listed on Casenet, you can call the court in the city or county where you were pulled over (if this is for a traffic ticket), or where the criminal offense occurred (if it’s a misdemeanor). Ask the court clerk to look up your name and tell you which court your case is being prosecuted in, your case number, and when your court date is.
How To Know Which Court Your Case Is Being Prosecuted In
The name and address of the court is listed at the top of your traffic ticket, or on the court summons.
EXAMPLE 1: At the top of your ticket, it might state “In the Circuit Court of St. Louis County” and “City of Maryland Heights Police” or “Municipal Division” if your Minor in Possession of Alcohol case is being prosecuted in Maryland Heights Municipal Court.
EXAMPLE 2: If you were arrested for shoplifting in Maplewood, Missouri, your case will be prosecuted in Maplewood Municipal Court, and the Maplewood court name and address will be listed at the top of your ticket.
EXAMPLE 3: If you received a speeding ticket on the highway from a state trooper in St. Louis County, your ticket will be prosecuted in St. Louis County Circuit Court. At the top of the ticket, it will state “In the Circuit Court of St. Louis County” and the court address listed will be either 100 S. Central or 105 S. Central in Clayton, MO.
If you have lost your ticket or other court documents and you can’t find your case online on Casenet, you can call the court clerk to ask for information about your court date.
Why Isn’t Your Case Listed on Casenet?
Your case will not show up on Casenet until the Prosecutor has filed the charge against you.
If you have an old case that is in warrant status, it might not show up on Casenet. This is unusual, but it does sometimes happen.
How Long Does It Take For A Case To Be Filed On Casenet In Missouri?
It can take several weeks (sometimes even months) for cases to be filed on Missouri Casenet. If you have hired an attorney to represent you, they will monitor your case for you so you won’t have to keep checking Casenet.
If you have not hired an attorney yet, or you have chosen to represent yourself, it’s your responsibility to check Casenet periodically to see if your case has been filed and to appear in court on your court date.
Once a case is filed, your attorney can proceed with the litigation of the case, such as filing pleadings with the court and appearing in court on your behalf.
What Is The Statute of Limitations For A Traffic Ticket Or Misdemeanor In Missouri?
Prosecutors have up to 1 year (for misdemeanors and traffic tickets) to file a charge. If they haven’t filed the charge within 1 year of the incident, the statute of limitations expires and the prosecutor can no longer pursue prosecution of the defendant.
What If Your Court Date Has Passed But Your Case Is Still Not Filed On Casenet?
If your court date has passed but your case is still not listed on Casenet, there is nothing you can do until the case is filed. If you go to court on your court date but the ticket/case has not been filed, the judge can’t speak to you about the case because, technically, it does not yet exist.
Once the case is filed, a new court date will be set, and the court clerk will mail a letter to you notifying you of your new court date.
A Court Appearance Is Usually Not Required If You Have An Attorney Representing You For A Minor Traffic Ticket Or Misdemeanor
If you hire an attorney to represent you for a traffic ticket or misdemeanor, it is very likely that you won’t have to appear in court at all.
Whether or not a court appearance is required depends on the seriousness of the offense and which court the case is being prosecuted in.
When Is A Court Appearance Required For A Speeding Ticket?
For speeding more than 20 miles over the limit, some courts require the defendant to appear in court in person. If you go to court and plead guilty as charged, the judge will sentence you and determine the amount of the fine.
Not all courts require an in-person court appearance if you want to plead guilty as charged. But if you see the words “Must Appear” on the face of the ticket, that means you must appear in court in person, and you can’t plead guilty and pay the fine online.
If you go to Casenet online and the ticket is not eligible for online payment, you will see the message “Not Eligible for Plead & Pay” when you try to plead guilty online.
You won’t have to appear in court for a speeding ticket if you hire an attorney to represent you. Your attorney can get your ticket reduced to a non-moving, no-point infraction. The outcome of your case depends on the exact speed, your driving history, and which court your case is being prosecuted in.
For a very high-speed ticket or other serious traffic violation in which probation is your only option, you may have to appear in court in person with your attorney for the plea.
When Is A Court Appearance Required For a Misdemeanor?
In many misdemeanor cases, the defendant’s attorney can negotiate a plea bargain deal with the prosecutor without the defendant being required to appear in court. Some examples include shoplifting, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, and minor in possession of alcohol.
If a misdemeanor case is serious enough to involve probation, the Defendant may be required to appear in court with their attorney for the plea. There are some situations where probation is involved but the Prosecutor allows the case to be resolved with a written plea without a court appearance being required. Your attorney can explain the process that applies in your specific case.
What Can An Attorney Do About Your Traffic Ticket or Misdemeanor Case?
An experienced attorney can get your traffic ticket amended to a non-moving, no-point infraction, and they can get a misdemeanor charge reduced to a less serious offense. For example, a speeding ticket can be amended to “Illegal Parking,” and a shoplifting charge can be reduced to “Littering.”
Consult an attorney for a price quote for legal representation. They can give you an estimate of the outcome based on the specific details of your case.
