Criminal Defense Murray Utah starts with one practical question: which court has your case. Murray Justice Court hears class B misdemeanors, class C misdemeanors, and infractions charged inside the city. Felonies and class A misdemeanors go to the Third District Court in Salt Lake County. The court you land in controls the penalties, the jury size, and your appeal rights.
Last updated: August 2026
Key Takeaways
- Under Utah Code 78A-7-106, a justice court such as Murray’s has original jurisdiction over class B and C misdemeanors, ordinance violations, and infractions committed in its territory by an adult. Everything more serious is a district court case.
- Maximum jail exposure in Utah is 364 days for most class A misdemeanors, six months for a class B, and 90 days for a class C. Infractions carry no jail at all.
- Maximum individual fines run $10,000 for a first or second degree felony, $5,000 for a third degree felony, $2,500 for a class A, $1,000 for a class B, and $750 for a class C or infraction.
- A felony prosecution generally must be filed within four years, a misdemeanor within two years, and an infraction within one year.
- Utah’s DUI threshold is a blood or breath alcohol concentration of .05 grams, the lowest in the country, and a first offense is a class B misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum fine of $700.
- A plea in abeyance can end in dismissal, but it cannot be held open longer than 18 months on a misdemeanor or three years on a felony.
- Expungement waiting periods run three years for a class C, four for a class B, five for a class A, seven for most felonies, and ten for a DUI type offense.
What This Guide Covers
- Which court hears a Murray criminal case, and who prosecutes it
- How Utah grades charges, and the exact jail and fine ceilings
- The step by step path from arrest to sentencing
- Deadlines that can end a case before it starts
- DUI, domestic violence, drug, theft, and traffic charges in Murray
- Plea in abeyance, diversion, reduction, and expungement
- Trial rights, jury size, and the de novo appeal from justice court
- What defense counsel actually does, and what it costs
Criminal Defense Murray Utah: Which Court Hears Your Case
Criminal Defense Murray Utah work begins with jurisdiction. Murray is a Salt Lake County city with its own municipal justice court, so a charge filed there follows one of two tracks. The split is not a matter of local custom. It is statutory.
Utah Code 78A-7-106(1) gives a justice court original jurisdiction over class B and class C misdemeanors, violations of city ordinances, and infractions committed within the court’s territorial jurisdiction by someone 18 or older. The Murray Municipal Justice Court sits at 688 East Vine Street and can be reached at (801) 284-4280.
Anything above that line, meaning every felony and every class A misdemeanor, is filed in the Third Judicial District Court. Salt Lake County’s main district courthouse is the Matheson Courthouse at 450 South State Street in Salt Lake City.
The prosecutor changes with the court. The Murray City Attorney’s criminal division prosecutes misdemeanors and infractions of state law and city ordinances that occur inside Murray, in the municipal justice court. Felonies are the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s cases. That matters because a plea offer you can negotiate with a city prosecutor is a different conversation from one with a county felony team.
There is a wrinkle worth knowing. Under 78A-7-106(3)(b), a justice court does not have original jurisdiction over class B and C misdemeanor DUI and reckless driving charges against a minor or an adult high school student. Those go elsewhere even though the offense class would normally fit a justice court.
How Utah Grades Criminal Charges in a Criminal Defense Murray Utah Case
Utah sorts offenses into felonies, misdemeanors, and infractions. Felonies come in four grades: capital, first degree, second degree, and third degree. An offense labeled a felony without a stated degree defaults to a third degree felony. Misdemeanors come in three grades: A, B, and C. Our page on misdemeanor versus felony charges walks through the practical differences in more depth.
The numbers below come straight from Utah Code 76-3-203, 76-3-204, and 76-3-301. Individual statutes can and often do set different numbers, so treat this as the default ceiling rather than a promise.
| Offense level | Maximum incarceration | Maximum fine for an individual | Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| First degree felony | Five years to life | $10,000 | District |
| Second degree felony | One to 15 years | $10,000 | District |
| Third degree felony | Up to five years | $5,000 | District |
| Class A misdemeanor | Up to 364 days, or up to one year for many offenses against a person | $2,500 | District |
| Class B misdemeanor | Up to six months | $1,000 | Justice |
| Class C misdemeanor | Up to 90 days | $750 | Justice |
| Infraction | No jail | $750 | Justice |
The 364 day cap on class A misdemeanors is deliberate. A sentence of exactly one year triggers immigration consequences under federal law that a 364 day sentence avoids, which is why the Legislature moved the line. Title 76 Chapter 5 offenses against the individual remain at one year, with four listed exceptions that stay at 364 days.
Two more details that change real outcomes. Under 76-3-104(4), an offense designated a misdemeanor in a county or municipal ordinance without a stated class is an infraction, not a class B, for anything after June 30, 2019. And under 76-3-301(2), a person convicted of a misdemeanor or infraction cannot be charged court interest that exceeds 25% of the initial fine, though that protection drops away in cases with victim restitution or a felony conviction.
The Criminal Defense Murray Utah Timeline, Step by Step
Every Criminal Defense Murray Utah case is a series of deadlines. Missing one is how good facts turn into a conviction. Here is the sequence, with the parts that actually have clocks on them.
Arrest and the 24 hour probable cause statement
When someone is arrested without a warrant and booked, Rule 9 of the Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure requires the arresting officer, the custodial authority, or the prosecutor to present a sworn probable cause statement to a magistrate as soon as reasonably feasible and no later than 24 hours after the arrest. The magistrate reviews probable cause and decides pretrial release conditions.
Utah’s pretrial release standard is least restrictive conditions reasonably necessary to secure appearance, protect the criminal justice process, protect witnesses and victims, and protect the public. That is a standard you can argue. Showing up with employment records, a stable address, and a treatment plan changes the release decision far more often than people expect.
Charging and arraignment
Charges are filed by information. At arraignment the judge reads the charges and takes a plea of not guilty, guilty, or no contest. In Murray Justice Court, a guilty or no contest plea at arraignment means waiving trial rights and moving directly to sentencing. A not guilty plea sets a pretrial conference.
Pretrial conference and negotiation
This is where most cases resolve. Defense counsel and the prosecutor meet, review the evidence, and try to settle the case. Reductions in offense level, plea in abeyance agreements, and dismissals of stacked counts nearly all happen here rather than at trial.
Preliminary hearing, in felony cases
Felony cases in district court include a preliminary hearing where the State must show probable cause that a crime occurred and that the defendant committed it. It is a lower bar than trial, but it is a real evidentiary proceeding and a rare early look at the State’s witnesses.
Motions
Suppression motions attack how the evidence was obtained: the stop, the search, the interrogation, the warrant. A granted suppression motion in a drug or DUI case frequently ends the prosecution because the remaining evidence cannot carry the charge. Our overview of criminal court proceedings covers the motion practice in more detail.
Trial
Utah criminal verdicts must be unanimous. Jury size is set by Utah Code 78B-1-104 and scales with exposure, which is one of the more useful facts nobody tells defendants.
| Most serious charge | Jurors | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| Capital case | 12 | Aggravated murder, death eligible |
| Exposure over one year | 8 | Any felony |
| Exposure over six months but not more than one year | 6 | Class A misdemeanor |
| Exposure of six months or less | 4 | Class B or C misdemeanor in justice court |
Sentencing
Utah felony sentences are indeterminate. The court imposes the statutory range and the Board of Pardons and Parole decides actual release. Misdemeanor sentences are set by the judge, and often include probation, fines, a security surcharge, treatment, and restitution rather than jail.
Deadlines That Can End the Case Before It Starts
Charging deadlines are the most underused tool in Criminal Defense Murray Utah practice, particularly on older allegations. Utah Code 76-1-302 sets the general rule.
| Offense type | Time to commence prosecution |
|---|---|
| Felony or negligent homicide | Four years after commission |
| Misdemeanor other than negligent homicide | Two years after commission |
| Infraction | One year after commission |
| Forcible sexual abuse or incest, if reported within four years | Eight years |
| Listed offenses with unidentified DNA | No limit while the perpetrator is unknown, then four years after DNA identification |
Utah Code 76-1-301 lists offenses that can be charged at any time. Those exceptions are real, and they are narrow. If a charge arrives long after the alleged conduct, the filing date and the commission date are the first two things worth checking.
DUI Charges: The Most Common Criminal Defense Murray Utah Matter
DUI is the single most common serious charge in a Utah justice court, and Utah’s threshold is the strictest in the nation. Under Utah Code 41-6a-502, a driver commits DUI with a blood or breath alcohol concentration of .05 grams or greater, or while under the influence of alcohol or any drug to a degree that renders the driver incapable of safely operating a vehicle.
An actor commits driving under the influence if a subsequent chemical test shows a blood or breath alcohol concentration of .05 grams or greater at the time of the test.
A first DUI is a class B misdemeanor. It becomes a class A misdemeanor if the driver had a passenger under 16, or was 21 or older with a passenger under 18, or had one prior conviction within ten years. It becomes a third degree felony with two or more priors within ten years, or after any prior felony DUI conviction. Utah also declares DUI a strict liability offense, which forecloses several defenses people assume they have.
Utah Code 41-6a-505 sets mandatory minimums. On a standard first conviction the court shall impose at least two days in jail or 48 hours of compensatory service, order a substance abuse screening, order an educational series or treatment, and impose a fine of not less than $700, plus the administrative impound fee and towing and storage costs.
Extreme DUI, meaning a .16 or higher, or a .05 plus any measurable controlled substance, or two or more non prescribed controlled substances, raises the floor to five days in jail or two days plus 30 days of electronic home confinement, a fine of not less than $700, mandatory probation, and an ignition interlock unless the court makes a finding on the record. A second conviction within ten years carries at least 20 days in jail or 10 days plus 60 days of monitored home confinement, a fine of not less than $800, and interlock.
The defense work in a DUI case is technical: the reasonable suspicion for the stop, the administration of field sobriety tests to standard, the 15 minute observation period before a breath test, instrument calibration and maintenance records, and blood draw chain of custody. See our related pages on working with a drunk driving lawyer and traffic charges.
Other Charges That Come Through Murray Justice Court
Murray sits on State Street with a large retail corridor, an interstate on its western edge, and a hospital campus in the middle, which shapes the charge mix.
Theft and retail theft
Utah grades theft by value and by the defendant’s record, so the same shoplifting allegation can be an infraction, a class B, a class A, or a felony. Prior theft convictions escalate the grade even when the dollar amount is small.
Domestic violence related offenses
Domestic violence in Utah is not a separate crime. It is an enhancement attached to a qualifying offense between cohabitants, and it carries collateral consequences that outlast the sentence, including firearm restrictions under federal law and protective order exposure. Our guide to domestic violence charge defense covers the mechanics. Related assault charges are addressed in our page on assault and battery defense.
Drug possession
Possession charges turn almost entirely on the search. If the stop was unlawful or the search exceeded its scope, the evidence goes and so does the case. Utah also treats drug possession offenses more favorably in the expungement statute than other offenses, which affects long term strategy.
Juvenile cases
A minor’s case usually belongs in juvenile court, not justice court, with the narrow driving and wildlife exceptions listed in 78A-7-106(2). We cover the differences in our page on representation for juvenile offenses.
Sex offenses
These carry registration consequences that no plea negotiation can undo after the fact, which is why they are handled differently from the first phone call. Our overview of sex crime defense explains the stakes.
Plea in Abeyance: The Outcome Most People Actually Want
A plea in abeyance is Utah’s mechanism for earning a dismissal. Under Utah Code 77-2a-2, the court accepts a guilty or no contest plea on motion of both the prosecutor and the defendant, then holds the plea without entering judgment while the defendant completes agreed conditions.
The limits are specific. A plea cannot be held in abeyance longer than 18 months for any class of misdemeanor, or longer than three years for a felony or a mixed set of charges. A misdemeanor plea tied to a certified problem solving court can run up to two years. A felony agreement must be in writing and executed by the prosecutor, the defendant, and defense counsel in the presence of the court. The defendant must knowingly waive time for sentencing under Rule 22(a).
On successful completion, Utah Code 77-2a-3 lets the court reduce the degree of the offense and enter judgment at the lower level, or allow withdrawal of the plea and dismiss the case, or in a certified problem solving court, dismiss and order expungement of all records of the offense.
The catch that trips people up: an abeyance is a plea. If the conditions are not met, the court enters judgment on the plea already given, and there is no trial to fall back on. Read the conditions before signing, not after.
Expungement After a Murray Case
Effective Criminal Defense Murray Utah planning starts with the end state, and for most clients the end state is a clean record. Waiting periods under Utah Code 77-40a-303 run from the later of conviction or release from incarceration, parole, or probation.
| Conviction | Waiting period |
|---|---|
| Class C misdemeanor or infraction | Three years |
| Class B misdemeanor | Four years |
| Class A misdemeanor | Five years |
| Felony drug possession offense | Five years |
| Other eligible felony | Seven years |
| Misdemeanor under 41-6a-501(2), the DUI group | Ten years |
Eligibility also requires all court ordered fines, interest, and restitution paid in full. Certain convictions can never be expunged, including capital felonies, first degree felonies, violent felonies, felony DUI type offenses, registerable sex offenses, and registerable child abuse offenses.
Volume matters too. The Bureau of Criminal Identification will deny a certificate of eligibility if the criminal history contains two or more non drug felony convictions from separate episodes, or three or more convictions including two class A misdemeanors, or four or more including three class B misdemeanors, or five or more convictions of any grade, each from a separate criminal episode. Those numerical limits loosen once ten years have passed since the last conviction or release.
Utah’s automatic Clean Slate process clears some eligible records without a petition. Details are on the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification site, and we cover the petition route in expungement and criminal records and specifically for impaired driving in can a DUI be expunged. Note that justice courts, including Murray’s, have jurisdiction over expungement petitions under 78A-7-106(4)(b).
Appealing a Murray Justice Court Conviction
This is the single most valuable and most missed right in justice court practice. Under Utah Code 78A-7-118, a defendant is entitled to a trial de novo in the district court by filing a notice of appeal within 28 days after sentencing, or after entering a plea held in abeyance.
Trial de novo means an entirely new trial, not a review of the record. A hearing de novo is also available on an order revoking probation, a sentence after a failed plea in abeyance, a denial of a motion to withdraw a plea held in abeyance filed within 28 days, an order for restitution, or an order denying expungement. The same 28 day clock applies.
One trap: if the appeal is from a plea entered under a negotiation and the right to appeal was not reserved as part of that negotiation, the appeal voids the negotiation. You get a fresh trial, and the prosecutor gets the original charges back.
Criminal Defense Murray Utah Strategies That Actually Move Cases
Television defenses are rare in Criminal Defense Murray Utah practice. The ones that resolve real cases are less dramatic.
- Suppression. No reasonable suspicion for the stop, no probable cause for the arrest, a warrantless search with no valid exception, a defective warrant, or a statement taken after an unwarned custodial interrogation.
- Insufficient evidence on an element. The State must prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt. Identity, intent, and value are the elements that fail most often.
- Chain of custody and lab reliability. Especially in drug and chemical test cases, where maintenance logs and analyst qualifications are discoverable.
- Self defense. Utah recognizes justified force in defense of self and others, and the burden framework is favorable once the defense is properly raised.
- Alibi. Rarely dispositive on its own, but powerful when it is documented with records rather than testimony alone.
- Charging deadline. Under 76-1-302, discussed above.
Our broader treatment of criminal defense laws and understanding your rights goes deeper on each.
Your Rights, and How People Lose Them
Almost everyone knows they have the right to remain silent. Very few people use it. The most common damage in a Criminal Defense Murray Utah case is done in the first hour, by a client explaining their side to an officer who is documenting every word.
Three practical rules. First, identify yourself and say clearly that you want a lawyer and do not want to answer questions, then stop talking, including in the patrol car and the booking area. Second, do not consent to a search, ever; refusing consent is not evidence of guilt and it preserves every suppression argument you might have. Third, comply physically even when you believe the stop is unlawful. The place to win an illegal stop is a motion hearing, not the roadside.
Write down what happened while it is fresh: times, locations, officer names, witnesses, what was said, what was searched. That contemporaneous record is often the only thing that contradicts a report written days later.
What a Criminal Defense Murray Utah Attorney Does, and What It Costs
The visible part of Criminal Defense Murray Utah representation is court appearances. The part that changes outcomes is discovery review, independent investigation, motion practice, and negotiating with a prosecutor who knows the file will actually be tried if it is not resolved.
Fees in Utah misdemeanor work are usually flat, quoted by charge type and by whether the case is expected to go to trial. Felony representation is commonly quoted in stages, with separate fees for pre preliminary hearing work, post bindover litigation, and trial. Expert witnesses, transcripts, and investigators are typically billed as costs on top of the fee. Ask for the scope in writing, including what happens if the case resolves early and what is not included.
If you cannot afford counsel, you have the right to appointed counsel on any charge that carries potential jail time. Ask the court about indigent defense at your first appearance rather than pleading guilty to move things along.
Nearby Cities We Also Serve
Salt Lake County has a justice court in most cities, and Criminal Defense Murray Utah procedure is close to identical in each of them. We handle cases in Taylorsville, West Jordan, and South Salt Lake, among others.
Frequently Asked Questions
What court handles a Criminal Defense Murray Utah case?
Murray Municipal Justice Court hears class B misdemeanors, class C misdemeanors, infractions, and city ordinance violations committed in Murray by adults. Felonies and class A misdemeanors are filed in the Third District Court in Salt Lake County. The offense class decides the court, not the location of the arrest alone.
How much jail time can a class B misdemeanor carry in Utah?
Up to six months, under Utah Code 76-3-204(2), plus a fine of up to $1,000 under 76-3-301(1)(d). Most first time class B convictions in a Utah justice court resolve with probation, a fine, and conditions rather than jail, but the exposure is real and it is what gives a negotiation leverage.
Is Utah’s DUI limit really .05?
Yes. Utah Code 41-6a-502(1) sets the threshold at a blood or breath alcohol concentration of .05 grams or greater, the lowest in the United States. A driver can also be convicted without any specific number if impairment renders them incapable of safely operating a vehicle.
Can a Murray misdemeanor be dismissed after I plead?
Sometimes. A plea in abeyance under Utah Code 77-2a-2 lets the court hold a guilty or no contest plea without entering judgment while you complete conditions. On successful completion the court can allow the plea to be withdrawn and dismiss the case. Misdemeanor abeyances cannot run longer than 18 months.
How long do I have to appeal a Murray Justice Court conviction?
Twenty eight days from sentencing, under Utah Code 78A-7-118. Filing a timely notice of appeal gets you a completely new trial in district court, not a record review. If your plea came from a negotiation and you did not reserve the right to appeal, appealing voids the negotiation.
How long before I can expunge a Utah conviction?
Three years for a class C misdemeanor or infraction, four for a class B, five for a class A or a felony drug possession offense, seven for other eligible felonies, and ten for DUI group misdemeanors. The clock runs from conviction or release from incarceration, parole, or probation, whichever is last, and all fines and restitution must be paid.
Should I talk to the police if I know I did nothing wrong?
No. Say clearly that you want a lawyer and that you are not answering questions, then stop. Statements are used to lock in a version of events before you know what the State has. Nothing you say in that conversation prevents charges, and it routinely narrows the defenses available later.
How much does a criminal defense attorney cost in Murray?
Utah misdemeanor defense is usually a flat fee quoted by charge type and trial posture. Felony work is typically staged, with separate fees for the preliminary hearing phase, post bindover litigation, and trial. Costs such as experts, transcripts, and investigators are billed separately. If you cannot afford counsel on a jail eligible charge, ask the court to appoint one.
Charged with something in Murray or anywhere in Salt Lake County? The first 48 hours shape the rest of the case.
Call (801) 613-1472 or start at jeremyeveland.com to talk through your options.
This article is general information about Utah law as of August 2026, not legal advice. Statutes change and every case turns on its own facts. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship.