Alpharetta, Sandy Springs reopen municipal court

060217 - SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- The municipal court at Sandy Springs is in full swing, dispensing justice to scofflaw developers, wayward homeowners and incorrigible commercial operators who have been allowed to flout the law for years. They're being cited for cutting down significant trees, not containing stormwater runoff, littering, and not maintaining property, among other things. And the city is getting results. (PHIL SKINNER/AJC staff)

Credit: Phil Skinner

Credit: Phil Skinner

060217 - SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- The municipal court at Sandy Springs is in full swing, dispensing justice to scofflaw developers, wayward homeowners and incorrigible commercial operators who have been allowed to flout the law for years. They're being cited for cutting down significant trees, not containing stormwater runoff, littering, and not maintaining property, among other things. And the city is getting results. (PHIL SKINNER/AJC staff)

Municipal court reopens in Alpharetta and Sandy Springs next week and in Roswell on June 22.

Each city will have social distancing and other safety measures in place. Courtrooms closed in March as state of emergency orders were issued due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Municipal court opens Monday in Sandy Springs, Tuesday in Alpharetta. Only defendants are allowed inside the courtrooms.

According to the new policy in Alpharetta, the person named in the citation must check in with court staff outside of the building and then wait in their vehicle in the parking lot. The defendant will be contacted by text message when it’s time to appear in the courtroom.

New guidelines and procedures for those cities said people with a childcare problem on the day of court might be able to reschedule to a different date.

There is also a possibility of rescheduling a court date in Alpharetta Municipal Court for people over age 60 and concerned about the health risk of being in the courtroom environment.

According to Sandy Springs Municipal Court safety measures, the courtroom will be sanitized between each court session and visitor’s temperatures will be taken after entering the building.

Roswell has not announced the new policy for entering municipal court.