Request a New Trial (Trial De Novo)

If you have had a trial before a City Court Judge and you do not agree with the Judge’s decision (the Judgment) you have the right to appeal to the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court.  

The appeal is made by filing for an Application for Trial De Novo with the St. Louis City Municipal Court.

By filing for a Trial De Novo you are asking that your case be transferred to the Circuit Court for a new trial in front of an associate circuit court judge.  Literally, “Trial De Novo” stands for having a new trial. Filing for a trial De Novo preserves all of the issues in your case for review.

Please note you have ten (10) days from the date of the judgement to file for a trial de novo. otherwise, you will lose your right to appeal. there are no exceptions. No extensions of time can be granted.

If you enter a plea of guilty on your case, you do not have a right to an appeal/trial de novo.

Before filing for a Trial De Novo you should have a copy of the Judgment.  

You should also be prepared to post a $70.00 Appeal bond or be prepared to ask the Circuit Court to waive the bond requirement.

To file for a Trial De Novo follow these steps:

In-Person 

1. Download and fillout the Application.
2. Give the Application with a seventy dollar ($70.00) appeal bond payment to the Court located at:

1520 Market 
Suite #1120 
St. Louis, Mo 63103

Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday except City Holidays  

You must complete this within the allowed ten (10) days after your judgement. If you are going to request a waiver, you should do so before the ten days (10) expire to allow time to make and obtain a decision on your request before the ten (10) days expire.

Request for a Waiver

If you wish for the bond requirement to be waived you will have to go the Civil Courts Building at the Northeast corner of Tucker and Market and talk with a clerk.

They should be able to assist you with your request for a waiver. Once you have a waiver you must return to city Court and file the application and the waiver at the same time.  

The fee to process your trial De Novo is a $70.00 appeal bond.

After you file your Trial De Novo, the Court will transmit your case to the Circuit Court. This will take about (2-3) days.  

Once your case has been transferred the Circuit Court will contact you with further instructions.

As always it is important that your keep current contact information on file. You must comply with all instructions from the Circuit Court and attend all scheduled hearings.