What types of cases do municipal courts hear?

Some types of cases municipal courts hear include civil cases, traffic violations and those related to misdemeanors, notes the Hamilton County Law Library. These lower-level courts typically don't hear serious misdemeanor cases, cases related to juveniles who committed criminal acts or felony cases. These types of cases may be referred to a court of common pleas or a district court, with a state's supreme court handling large public interest cases.

Municipal courts may be at the county or township level, and they can be made up of several divisions that each deal with a specific type of case. In addition to civil and traffic cases, some courts have a division handling issues related to housing or the environment and deal with tenant issues, building safety and other related concerns.