If you are ever arrested or charged with a crime, heading Eastbound on I-40 or north of the Mohave-La Paz County line, you will find yourself within the court jurisdiction and venue of the Lake Havasu City Consolidated Court. The Lake Havasu City Consolidated Court is comprised of two court entities, the Lake Havasu City Municipal Court and the Lake Havasu City Justice Court.

These courts are “consolidated” because the court administrations have agreed to share resources, staff, and a physical location to facilitate handling cases within these courts' jurisdiction. The Lake Havasu Consolidated Court is located at 2001 College Drive, Suite 148, Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

The legal concept of “Venue” and “Jurisdiction” often are used interchangeably even though they have two unique legal meanings. Under our system of law, the concept of Jurisdiction focuses on the authority of a court to hear a particular case while Venue is concerned with the geographic location of the Court.

Municipal Courts and Justice Courts are referred to as courts of limited jurisdiction. These courts are only authorized under law to hear cases involving small claims, orders of protection, and criminal cases involving misdemeanors. Justice Courts handle felony cases only to the extent necessary to conduct preliminary hearings. (See A.R.S. 22-301 and A.R.S. 22-402)

If you are charged with a misdemeanor crime (domestic violence, simple assault, personal drug possession, or DUI) you will have your case assigned and litigated into one of these municipal or justice courts.

The Lake Havasu City Justice Court precinct is defined by the Eastbound lane of Interstate 40 to the area North of the Mohave-La Paz County Line. This area includes Lake Havasu City, the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Route 95, and the Desert Hills area. The Lake Havasu City Municipal Court only has jurisdiction over cases committed inside the Lake Havasu City Limits while the Justice Court has jurisdiction over cases committed within the Lake Havasu City limits and outside the city limits.

The Lake Havasu City Prosecutor prosecutes cases in the Municipal Court and the Mohave County Attorney's Office prosecutes cases in the Lake Havasu City Justice Court.

By way of example, if you were pulled over for a criminal violation on I-40 and the U.S. 95 junction, you would be prosecuted in the justice court. A domestic violence incident in the Lake Havasu City limits or disorderly conduct in the Lake Havasu Channel would be handled in the Lake Havasu City Municipal Court. Both cases would have court hearings at the Lake Havasu City Consolidated Court.

The Law Offices of Shawn B. Hamp, has extensive experience in handling criminal cases in both courts. Contact Us for case evaluation if you are ever facing charges in the Lake Havasu City Consolidated Court.