Pleasant Prairie sits at the southern gateway to Wisconsin, and the stretch of Interstate 94 between the Illinois state line and the Highway 165 exit is patrolled by both Pleasant Prairie Police and Wisconsin State Patrol. It is among the most-cited interstate stretches in Kenosha County. We defend Pleasant Prairie drivers in the Pleasant Prairie Municipal Court and the Kenosha County Circuit Court.
If the traffic stop also involved suspected impairment, pair this page with the Pleasant Prairie OWI/DUI guide. For broader local criminal-defense context, see the Pleasant Prairie criminal-defense page on racinelaw.com.
Pleasant Prairie traffic court facts that affect the defense strategy
The first question is not just what you were cited for. It is who wrote the ticket, which court is printed on the citation, which prosecutor path applies, and whether the stop happened on a corridor where points, CDL reporting, or insurance exposure can get expensive quickly.
Village of Pleasant Prairie Municipal Court
Village ordinance cases, traffic offenses including first-offense OWI forfeiture matters, zoning citations, and certain noncriminal parallel-code violations.
- Address
- 9915 39th Avenue, Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158
- Phone
- (262) 694-8923
Hon. Richard Alan Ginkowski
Municipal court handles forfeiture-level local ordinance citations. A municipal conviction can still create DOT points, insurance consequences, and license issues.
Municipal prosecutor at pretrial; Kenosha County District Attorney for criminal traffic
Criminal traffic, sheriff citations, and State Patrol citations move through Xavier Solis, Kenosha County District Attorney.
Do not let default judgment decide it
The court offers online options for many non-mandatory appearances, but citations marked appearance required still require action by the scheduled date.
A not-guilty plea is followed by a pretrial conference with the prosecutor, then trial before the municipal judge if the case is not resolved.
Pleasant Prairie sits directly on the Illinois line, so I-94 tickets often involve out-of-state drivers, CDL traffic, and State Patrol or village-police jurisdiction questions.
- Interstate 94. Illinois state line to Highway 165 Top-cited interstate stretch in Kenosha County. Illinois drivers entering Wisconsin frequently miss the speed-limit change to 70 mph.
- Highway 165 East-west route at the state line; heavy commercial traffic and enforcement.
- Highway 50 (75th Street) Connects Pleasant Prairie to downtown Kenosha; Pleasant Prairie PD works the western stretch.
- Highway 32 / Sheridan Road Lakefront route through Pleasant Prairie commercial areas.
Official sources: Pleasant Prairie Municipal Court Pleasant Prairie online court services
Where your Pleasant Prairie ticket will be heard
Village of Pleasant Prairie Municipal Court hears civil traffic citations written by local Pleasant Prairie police, including ordinary speeding, stop-sign and stoplight violations, equipment tickets, and seat-belt citations.
Kenosha County Circuit Court (912 56th Street) hears all criminal traffic charges and civil citations written by the Kenosha County Sheriff or Wisconsin State Patrol.
Check the upper-right corner of your citation for the court name before assuming which rules apply. Fines, plea options, and collateral consequences differ between the two.
Law enforcement that commonly cites in Pleasant Prairie
- Pleasant Prairie Police Department
- Kenosha County Sheriff
- Wisconsin State Patrol (heavy I-94 coverage)
Common traffic stops in Pleasant Prairie
- Interstate 94. Illinois state line to Highway 165, Top-cited interstate stretch in Kenosha County. Illinois drivers entering Wisconsin frequently miss the speed-limit change to 70 mph.
- Highway 165, East-west route at the state line; heavy commercial traffic and enforcement.
- Highway 50 (75th Street), Connects Pleasant Prairie to downtown Kenosha; Pleasant Prairie PD works the western stretch.
- Highway 32 / Sheridan Road, Lakefront route through Pleasant Prairie commercial areas.
Illinois drivers are our most common Pleasant Prairie clients because the Wisconsin I-94 speed limit is 70 mph while the Illinois stretch just south is 70 mph with a sharper urbanized transition, and because Illinois driving records can be affected by a Wisconsin speeding conviction through the Driver License Compact. Even if you are not a Wisconsin resident, you should not assume paying a Pleasant Prairie ticket is the cheapest outcome. The Kenosha County Circuit Court is where most State Patrol citations end up, and in most cases we appear for you so you do not need to drive back to Wisconsin.
Pleasant Prairie-area traffic enforcement by the numbers
Verified statistics from official state and county sources.
Pleasant Prairie traffic cases: who hears them
Criminal traffic charges from Pleasant Prairie are heard at the Kenosha County Circuit Court and prosecuted by the Kenosha County District Attorney's office.
Sitting Kenosha County circuit court judges
- Hon. Gerad T. Dougvillo · Branch 1
- Hon. Jason A. Rossell · Branch 2
- Hon. Heather Iverson · Branch 3
- Hon. David O. Hughes · Branch 4
- Hon. David P. Wilk · Branch 5
- Hon. Angelina Gabriele · Branch 6
- Hon. Jodi L. Meier · Branch 7
- Hon. Chad G. Kerkman · Branch 8
Pleasant Prairie traffic defense services
Every practice area below is flat-fee. If your citation lists an offense not shown here, call. We defend the full Wisconsin Vehicle Code.