Courts in District Of Columbia

Courts in District of Columbia: One City, Two Court Systems

The District of Columbia is not a state, and its court system does not follow the usual state pattern. There are no county courts, no circuit courts, and no municipal courts. Residents deal with one local trial court, one local appeals court, and a separate set of federal courts that sit in the same city. Knowing which one handles your problem can save you a wasted trip downtown.

Our directory lists four court entries for the District, all of them in Washington. Three share the same address on Indiana Avenue Northwest, and the fourth is on Capitol Hill. That concentration is unusual. In most states, courts are scattered across dozens of towns and county seats. Here, nearly everything local happens within a short walk of Judiciary Square.

The local courts took their current form under the District of Columbia Court Reform and Criminal Procedure Act of 1970. Their structure and jurisdiction are set out in Title 11 of the D.C. Code. Before that law, many ordinary local disputes went to federal judges. Today the Superior Court and the Court of Appeals handle nearly all of the everyday legal business of residents.

How the Superior Court and Court of Appeals Divide the Work in the District of Columbia

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia is the main trial court. It hears civil lawsuits, criminal prosecutions, family matters, probate cases, tax disputes, and domestic violence cases. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest local court, comparable to a state supreme court. It reviews Superior Court decisions and many rulings by D.C. government agencies. The Court of Appeals sits in the Historic Courthouse at 430 E Street Northwest.

Divisions inside the Superior Court

Most residents meet the Superior Court through one of its divisions. Knowing the right one tells you which clerk's office to visit and which forms to request.

Civil Division: money claims, contract disputes, and the Landlord and Tenant Branch. Its Small Claims and Conciliation Branch hears claims up to $10,000.
Criminal Division: misdemeanors, felonies, and serious traffic offenses such as impaired driving.
Family Court: divorce, custody, child support, adoption, juvenile cases, and child neglect.
Probate Division: wills, estates, guardianships, and the work of the Register of Wills.
Domestic Violence Division: civil protection orders and related criminal cases.
Tax Division: real property tax and other local tax disputes.

Who appoints the judges and who pays for the courts

District judges are not elected. The President nominates judges for both local courts from candidates recommended by the District's Judicial Nomination Commission, and the Senate confirms them. Judges serve fifteen-year terms. A judge who wants another term is evaluated by the Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure. Congress funds the courts through the federal budget, and the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration oversees administration for both courts.

Prosecution is split in an unusual way. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia prosecutes most adult crimes, including felonies. The Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia handles juvenile delinquency cases and a range of lesser offenses. The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia represents many people who cannot afford a lawyer.

The Four Court Listings in Washington

All four of our listings sit in Washington, and our database groups them under District of Columbia County. The District has no counties, so that label is a county-equivalent used for data purposes. Here is what each listing represents.

Washington DC Superior Court, 500 Indiana Avenue Northwest, 202-879-1373. This is the H. Carl Moultrie I Courthouse, home to the Superior Court's main clerk's offices and courtrooms. Start here for civil filings, family cases, small claims, landlord and tenant cases, and marriage licenses.
ERCC Community Court, 500 Indiana Avenue Northwest, 202-879-1010. Community courts in the District focus on lower-level cases and try to connect defendants with treatment, job, and housing services rather than relying only on fines or jail. Call before you go to confirm the schedule.
D.C. Traffic Community Court, 500 Indiana Avenue Northwest, 202-879-1010. Contact this number to confirm whether your matter belongs here. Ordinary moving-violation and parking tickets are generally decided by the DC Department of Motor Vehicles through its Adjudication Services, not by a Superior Court judge.
Obama Supreme Court, 1 First Street Northeast, 202-479-3000. That address is the United States Supreme Court building, a federal court that does not hear local disputes directly. The name in our listing is informal. The public can watch oral arguments when the Court is in session, subject to seating limits.

Federal Courts That Share the City With the Local System

Do not confuse local and federal courts. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit both sit in the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse at 333 Constitution Avenue Northwest. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia is in the same building. These courts handle federal crimes, suits against federal agencies, bankruptcy, and challenges to federal law.

A simple test works for most people. If your dispute is with a landlord, a neighbor, a spouse, or a local business, it belongs in the Superior Court. If it targets a federal agency or a federal statute, it likely belongs in federal court. Because so many agencies are headquartered in Washington, the federal docket here is far busier with those cases than in most places.

Planning a Trip to a Washington Courthouse

Preparation matters more than distance in the District, because the courthouses are compact and transit is good. Use this checklist before you go:

Bring a government-issued photo ID and your case number if you have one.
Expect security screening at the entrance, similar to airport screening. Leave knives, tools, and other prohibited items at home.
Take Metrorail to Judiciary Square on the Red Line for the Moultrie Courthouse. Parking nearby is limited and expensive.
Confirm your hearing date, time, and courtroom with the clerk or the court's website before you leave.
Bring original documents plus copies, because clerks may not be able to copy papers for you.
Arrive at least thirty minutes early to allow for security lines and elevator waits.
If you need an interpreter or a disability accommodation, ask the clerk's office well before your hearing date.

The Superior Court also runs self-help resources, including centers for family, civil, and landlord and tenant matters. Staff there can explain forms and procedures but cannot give legal advice. To see every entry side by side, open the District of Columbia County page and pick the court you need.

Courts in District of Columbia operate under a unified state judicial system that handles everything from traffic infractions and small claims disputes to major felony trials and civil litigation. The District of Columbia Supreme Court serves as the highest state court with authority over all state court matters.

Courts locations are available in 1 cities across District of Columbia. They are spread across 1 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Washington, reflecting areas where county seats and urban centers house multiple court divisions to handle high caseloads.

Residents of District of Columbia should know which court has jurisdiction over their matter — whether it is a municipal, district, circuit, or superior court — before filing documents or appearing for a hearing.

Courts by Counties

District of Columbia

Residents of District of Columbia who need to access court services should identify the correct court for their matter, check the court's website for filing fees, forms, and procedures, and consider using the court's self-help resources if they are not represented by an attorney.

Browse Courts by county across District of Columbia to find the nearest location.

Records, Hours and Deadlines for Court Users in Washington

Because the District has a single local trial court, the records you need are almost always in one place. The Superior Court keeps files for civil, criminal, family, probate, and tax cases, and many dockets can be searched through the DC Courts website. Some files are closed to the public by law, including most juvenile matters and certain family and sealed records. If a file is not available online, ask the clerk's office for the division that handled the case.

Hours matter. Clerk's offices generally keep weekday business hours and close on federal holidays and on District observances such as Emancipation Day on April 16. If a filing deadline falls on a closure, confirm the rule for the next business day before you assume you have extra time. Many hearings are also held by video, so a notice may tell you to log in rather than appear in person. Read every notice for its format, time, and courtroom.

Jury service is another point of contact. Residents summoned for duty report to the Superior Court, and a summons is a legal order, not an invitation. If the date creates a hardship, contact the jury office named on the summons and ask for a postponement instead of skipping it.

Finally, remember the geography. Everything in our listings is within Washington, so the useful question is not which town but which court and which division. The District of Columbia County page shows all four listings together. Call ahead using the numbers shown, because room assignments and procedures can change.

Questions About Courts in Washington, DC

It depends on the ticket. Most moving violations and parking tickets issued in the District are handled administratively by the DC Department of Motor Vehicles through its Adjudication Services, not by a judge in the Superior Court. The instructions printed on your ticket explain how to plead and by what deadline. More serious traffic offenses, such as impaired driving, are criminal charges heard in the Superior Court. Our listing for the D.C. Traffic Community Court at 500 Indiana Avenue Northwest, phone 202-879-1010, can help confirm whether your matter belongs there. Do not ignore a ticket, because penalties can grow.

Small claims are handled by the Small Claims and Conciliation Branch of the Superior Court's Civil Division at the Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Avenue Northwest. The branch hears money claims up to $10,000, and you do not need a lawyer. You file a complaint with the clerk, pay the filing fee unless you qualify for a waiver, and then make sure the defendant receives notice of the case. Bring contracts, receipts, photographs, and messages that support your claim. Call the Superior Court at 202-879-1373 or ask at the clerk's window about current procedures and fees.

The Superior Court sits at 500 Indiana Avenue Northwest, in the H. Carl Moultrie I Courthouse. The closest Metrorail stop is Judiciary Square on the Red Line, a short walk away. Everyone entering passes through security screening, so allow extra time and leave prohibited items at home. Bring photo ID and your paperwork. Parking in the area is limited, and transit is usually easier. Before you travel, call 202-879-1373 and ask about your division, the courtroom location, and whether your hearing will be held in person or by video.

No. The address at 1 First Street Northeast, shown in our listings under the name Obama Supreme Court, is the home of the United States Supreme Court. It is a federal court that mainly hears appeals selected from lower courts across the country. It does not take landlord disputes, family cases, or ordinary civil claims from District residents. Those start in the Superior Court. The main number in our listing is 202-479-3000, and the courtroom is open to visitors during argument sessions, with limited seating. Check the Court's calendar before you plan a visit.

Several options exist. In criminal cases, a person who cannot afford a lawyer can ask the court to appoint one, and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia represents many such defendants. In civil matters, nonprofit providers such as Legal Aid DC help eligible low-income residents. The Superior Court also runs self-help centers for family, civil, and landlord and tenant cases, where staff explain forms and procedures without giving legal advice. If you receive an eviction notice or a hearing date, visit a self-help center promptly, because deadlines in landlord and tenant cases can be short.

Community courts in the District focus on lower-level offenses and try to match defendants with services such as substance use treatment, mental health care, job help, or housing support. Our directory lists the ERCC Community Court and the D.C. Traffic Community Court at 500 Indiana Avenue Northwest, both reachable at 202-879-1010. Whether a case goes to a community court usually depends on the charge and the person's circumstances, so you generally cannot simply choose it. If you hold a notice with a community court date, call that number to confirm the time and what to bring.

Courts in District Of Columbia