The municipal court for Outagamie County was established by a law of 1907. The clerk of the circuit court for Outagamie County acted as clerk of the municipal court. The 1907 law gave to the court exclusive justice of the peace criminal jurisdiction in a district comprising the cities of Appleton and Kaukauna, the village of Little Chute, the towns of Dale, Ellington, Greenville, Grand Chute, Center, Freedom, Kaukauna, Buchanan, and Vandenbroek, and the Oneida Reservation, except that in the city and town of Kaukauna and the towns of Freedom and Buchanan this jurisdiction was made concurrent with other magistrates in certain offenses and that the court's jurisdiction in tramp cases was exclusive only in the city of Appleton. Outside the district, the court was to have jurisdiction concurrent with other magistrates in criminal and bastardy matters that could be heard by a justice of the peace. In addition, the court was given exclusive jurisdiction in case of violation of ordinances of the city of Appleton and jurisdiction concurrent with other magistrates in city and village ordinance prosecutions throughout the county. An amendment in 1909 gave the municipal court jurisdiction equal to and concurrent with the circuit court in all criminal cases except manslaughter. In 1913 the court was given exclusive justice of the peace criminal jurisdiction throughout the county.
The civil jurisdiction of the municipal court was divided into two branches. It had jurisdiction in civil actions cognizable by a justice of the peace regarding monetary disputes (within a prescribed amount), including divorce or annulment of marriage. It also had jurisdiction in appeals from justices of the peace.
