Amtsgericht

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Amtsgericht is German for Local District Court, situated in Germany in almost every larger capital of a rural district. It mainly acts in Civil and Criminal law affairs. The German Amtsgericht may be compared to the British Magistrates' Court.

The main areas of an Amtsgericht's jurisdiction are:

• court of first instance for civil case where the subject of litigation is worth 5,000 euros or less, and for litigation involving rental agreements, marriages, maintenance and child custody.
• court of first instance for criminal cases where a fine or a prison term of no more than four years can be imposed.
• administration of several public register such as the companies', the associations', the cooperatives' and the land owership register.