Data Explorer: Ability to pay | 50 State Criminal Justice Debt Tool

Ability to Pay

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	State	Statute	Description/Statute Name	Statutory language	Level of offense	Definition of ability to pay	Timeline	Burden of proof	Method of determination	Mandatory	Remedies if unable to pay
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 15A-145.4(j)	Expunction of records for first offenders who are under 18 years of age at the time of the commission of a nonviolent felony	(j) A person who files a petition for expunction of a criminal record under this section must pay the clerk of superior court a fee of one hundred seventy-five dollars + See more ($175.00) at the time the petition is filed. Fees collected under this subsection are payable to the Administrative Office of the Courts. The clerk of superior court shall remit one hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents ($122.50) of each fee to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety for the costs of criminal record checks performed in connection with processing petitions for expunctions under this section. The remaining fifty-two dollars and fifty cents ($52.50) of each fee shall be retained by the Administrative Office of the Courts and used to pay the costs of processing petitions for expunctions under this section. This subsection does not apply to petitions filed by an indigent.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Administrative decision	No	N/A
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § § 15A-145(e)	Expunction of records for first offenders under the age of 18 at the time of conviction of misdemeanor; expunction of certain other misdemeanors	A person who files a petition for expunction of a criminal record under this section must pay the clerk of superior court a fee of one hundred seventy-five dollars ($ + See more 175.00) at the time the petition is filed. Fees collected under this subsection are payable to the Administrative Office of the Courts. The clerk of superior court shall remit one hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents ($ 122.50) of each fee to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety for the costs of criminal record checks performed in connection with processing petitions for expunctions under this section. The remaining fifty-two dollars and fifty cents ($ 52.50) of each fee shall be retained by the Administrative Office of the Courts and used to pay the costs of processing petitions for expunctions under this section. This subsection does not apply to petitions filed by an indigent.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Administrative decision	No	N/A
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 15A-145.1(d)	Expunction of records for first offenders under the age of 18 at the time of conviction of certain gang offenses	A person who files a petition for expunction of a criminal record under this section must pay the clerk of superior court a fee of one hundred seventy-five dollars ($ + See more 175.00) at the time the petition is filed. Fees collected under this subsection are payable to the Administrative Office of the Courts. The clerk of superior court shall remit one hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents ($ 122.50) of each fee to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety for the costs of criminal record checks performed in connection with processing petitions for expunctions under this section. The remaining fifty-two dollars and fifty cents ($ 52.50) of each fee shall be retained by the Administrative Office of the Courts and used to pay the costs of processing petitions for expunctions under this section. This subsection does not apply to petitions filed by an indigent.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Administrative decision	No	N/A
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 15A-145.2(d)	Expunction of records for first offenders not over 21 years of age at the time of the offense of certain drug offenses	A person who files a petition for expunction of a criminal record under this section must pay the clerk of superior court a fee of one hundred seventy-five dollars ($ + See more 175.00) at the time the petition is filed. Fees collected under this subsection are payable to the Administrative Office of the Courts. The clerk of superior court shall remit one hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents ($ 122.50) of each fee to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety for the costs of criminal record checks performed in connection with processing petitions for expunctions under this section. The remaining fifty-two dollars and fifty cents ($ 52.50) of each fee shall be retained by the Administrative Office of the Courts and used to pay the costs of processing petitions for expunctions under this section. This subsection does not apply to petitions filed by an indigent.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Administrative decision	No	N/A
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 15A-145.3(d)	Expunction of records for first offenders not over 21 years of age at the time of the offense of certain toxic vapors offenses	A person who files a petition for expunction of a criminal record under this section must pay the clerk of superior court a fee of one hundred seventy-five dollars ($ + See more 175.00) at the time the petition is filed. Fees collected under this subsection are payable to the Administrative Office of the Courts. The clerk of superior court shall remit one hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents ($ 122.50) of each fee to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety for the costs of criminal record checks performed in connection with processing petitions for expunctions under this section. The remaining fifty-two dollars and fifty cents ($ 52.50) of each fee shall be retained by the Administrative Office of the Courts and used to pay the costs of processing petitions for expunctions under this section. This subsection does not apply to petitions filed by an indigent.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Administrative decision	No	N/A
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 7A-452(a)-(c1)	Source of counsel; fees; appellate records	(a) Upon the court's determination that a person is indigent and entitled to counsel under this Article, counsel shall be appointed in accordance with rules adopted by the Office of + See more Indigent Defense Services. In noncapital cases, the court shall assign counsel pursuant to rules adopted by the Office of Indigent Defense Services. In capital cases, the Office of Indigent Defense Services or designee of the Office of Indigent Defense Services shall assign counsel; at least one member of each capital defense team, where practicable, shall be a member of the bar in that division. In the courts of those counties which have a public defender, however, the public defender may tentatively assign himself or an assistant public defender to represent an indigent person, subject to subsequent determination of entitlement to counsel by the court and approval by the court in noncapital cases and by the Office of Indigent Defense Services in capital cases. (b) Fees of assigned counsel and salaries and other operating expenses of the offices of the public defenders shall be borne by the State. (c)(1) The clerk of superior court is authorized to make a determination of indigency and entitlement to counsel, as authorized by this Article. The word “court,” as it is used in this Article and in any rules pursuant to this Article, includes the clerk of superior court.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Other	No	State pays counsel fees.
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann .§ 7A-450	Indigency; definition; entitlement; determination; change of status	(a) An indigent person is a person who is financially unable to secure legal representation and to provide all other necessary expenses of representation in an action or proceeding enumerated + See more in this Subchapter. An interpreter is a necessary expense as defined in Chapter 8B of the General Statutes for a deaf person who is entitled to counsel under this subsection. (b) Whenever a person, under the standards and procedures set out in this Subchapter, is determined to be an indigent person entitled to counsel, it is the responsibility of the State to provide him with counsel and the other necessary expenses of representation. The professional relationship of counsel so provided to the indigent person he represents is the same as if counsel had been privately retained by the indigent person. (b1) An indigent person indicted for murder may not be tried where the State is seeking the death penalty without an assistant counsel being appointed in a timely manner. If the indigent person is represented by the public defender's office, the requirement of an assistant counsel may be satisfied by the assignment to the case of an additional attorney from the public defender's staff. (c) The question of indigency may be determined or redetermined by the court at any stage of the action or proceeding at which an indigent is entitled to representation. (d) If, at any stage in the action or proceeding, a person previously determined to be indigent becomes financially able to secure legal representation and provide other necessary expenses of representation, he must inform the counsel appointed by the court to represent him of that fact. In such a case, that information is not included in the attorney client privilege, and counsel must promptly inform the court of that information.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Other	No	State provides for counsel.
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 7A-313.1	Fee for costs of electronic monitoring	A county that provides the personnel, equipment, and other costs of providing electronic monitoring as a condition of an offender's bond or pretrial release may collect a fee from the + See more offender that is the lesser of the amount of the jail fee authorized in G.S. 7A-313 or the actual cost of providing the electronic monitoring. A county may not collect a fee from an offender who is determined to be indigent and entitled to court-appointed counsel.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Not provided for	No	Fee waiver
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 14-208.45	Sex Offender and Public Protection Registration Programs: Fees	(a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (b1) of this section, each person required to enroll pursuant to this Part shall pay a one-time fee of ninety dollars ($90.00). + See more The fee shall be payable to the clerk of superior court, and the fees shall be remitted quarterly to the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety. This fee is intended to offset only the costs associated with the time-correlated tracking of the geographic location of subjects using the location tracking crime correlation system. (b) When a court determines a person is required to enroll pursuant to G.S. 14-208.40A or G.S. 14-208.40B, the court may exempt a person from paying the fee required by subsection (a) of this section only for good cause and upon motion of the person required to enroll in satellite-based monitoring. The court may require that the fee be paid in advance or in a lump sum or sums, and a probation officer may require payment by those methods. (c) When a person is required to enroll based on a determination by the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice pursuant to G.S. 14-208.40B, the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice shall have the authority to exempt the person from paying the fee only for good cause and upon request of the person required to enroll in satellite-based monitoring. The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice may require that the fee be paid in advance or in a lump sum or sums, and a probation officer may require payment by those methods. Credits	All	Agency/court has authority to exempt the person from paying the fee only for good cause.	At defendant's request before imposition of fine or fee	Burden on defendant to show inability to pay	Administrative decision	No	Fee waiver
Add to Dashboard + Create New	North Carolina	N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 15A-1340.36(a)	Determination of restitution	(a) In determining the amount of restitution to be made, the court shall take into consideration the resources of the defendant including all real and personal property owned by the + See more defendant and the income derived from the property, the defendant's ability to earn, the defendant's obligation to support dependents, and any other matters that pertain to the defendant's ability to make restitution, but the court is not required to make findings of fact or conclusions of law on these matters. The amount of restitution must be limited to that supported by the record, and the court may order partial restitution when it appears that the damage or loss caused by the offense is greater than that which the defendant is able to pay. If the court orders partial restitution, the court shall state on the record the reasons for such an order.	All	The resources of the defendant including all real and personal property owned by the defendant and the income derived from the property, the defendant's ability to earn, the defendant's obligation + See more to support dependents; damage or loss caused by the offense is greater than that which the defendant is able to pay.	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Determined by judge without hearing	No	Partial restitution
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 2743.70(1)	Additional court costs and bail to be charged	(1) The court, in which any person is convicted of or pleads guilty to any offense other than a traffic offense that is not a moving violation, shall impose the following + See more sum as costs in the case in addition to any other court costs that the court is required by law to impose upon the offender: (a) Thirty dollars, if the offense is a felony; (b) Nine dollars, if the offense is a misdemeanor. The court shall not waive the payment of the thirty or nine dollars court costs, unless the court determines that the offender is indigent and waives the payment of all court costs imposed upon the indigent offender. All such moneys shall be transmitted on the first business day of each month by the clerk of the court to the treasurer of state and deposited by the treasurer in the reparations fund.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Determined by judge without hearing	No	Fee waiver
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 2949.094(A)	Additional court costs for drug law enforcement, justice program services, and indigent drivers alcohol treatment funds	The court in which any person is convicted of or pleads guilty to any moving violation shall impose an additional court cost of ten dollars upon the offender. The court + See more shall not waive the payment of the ten dollars unless the court determines that the offender is indigent and waives the payment of all court costs imposed upon the indigent offender.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Determined by judge after hearing	No	Fee waiver
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 2949.094(B)	Additional court costs for drug law enforcement, justice program services, and indigent drivers alcohol treatment funds	(B) The juvenile court in which a child is found to be a juvenile traffic offender for an act that is a moving violation shall impose an additional court cost + See more of ten dollars upon the juvenile traffic offender. The juvenile court shall not waive the payment of the ten dollars unless the court determines that the juvenile is indigent and waives the payment of all court costs imposed upon the indigent offender.	All	Indigent	Not provided for	Not provided for	Determined by judge without hearing	No	Fee waiver
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 2949.093(D)	County participation in criminal justice regional information system	The court in which any person is convicted of or pleads guilty to any moving violation that occurs in a county that has elected to participate in a criminal justice + See more regional information system shall impose the sum established by the board pursuant to division (C) of this section as costs in the case in addition to any other court costs that the court is required by law to impose upon the offender. The court shall not waive the payment of the additional court cost established by the board pursuant to division (C) of this section unless the court determines that the offender is indigent and waives the payment of all court costs imposed upon the indigent offender.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Determined by judge after hearing	No	Fee waiver
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 2941.51(D)	Payment of appointed or selected counsel	The fees and expenses approved by the court under this section shall not be taxed as part of the costs and shall be paid by the county. However, if the person represented + See more has, or reasonably may be expected to have, the means to meet some part of the cost of the services rendered to the person, the person shall pay the county an amount that the person reasonably can be expected to pay.	All	Not provided for	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Not provided for	No	Fee waiver
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 2929.18(E)	Financial sanctions	A court that imposes a financial sanction upon an offender may hold a hearing if necessary to determine whether the offender is able to pay the sanction or is likely + See more in the future to be able to pay it.	All	Not provided for	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Determined by judge after hearing	No	N/A
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 1907.24(B)	Schedule of fees and costs	(a) The county court may determine that, for the efficient operation of the court, additional funds are necessary to acquire and pay for special projects of the court including, but + See more not limited to, the acquisition of additional facilities or the rehabilitation of existing facilities, the acquisition of equipment, the hiring and training of staff, community service programs, mediation or dispute resolution services, the employment of magistrates, the training and education of judges, acting judges, and magistrates, and other related services. Upon that determination, the court by rule may charge a fee, in addition to all other court costs, on the filing of each criminal cause, civil action or proceeding, or judgment by confession. (b) If the county court offers a special program or service in cases of a specific type, the county court by rule may assess an additional charge in a case of that type, over and above court costs, to cover the special program or service. The county court shall adjust the special assessment periodically, but not retroactively, so that the amount assessed in those cases does not exceed the actual cost of providing the service or program. (c) Any fee or charge assessed under division (B)(1)(a) or (b) of this section on the filing of a civil action or proceeding shall be waived if the court determines that the person on whom the fee or charge is assessed qualifies as an indigent litigant as set forth in section 2323.311 of the Revised Code.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Determined by judge without hearing	No	Fee waiver
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 2907.28(C)	Medical examination of victim; costs	Any cost incurred by a hospital or emergency medical facility in conducting a medical examination and test of any person who is charged with a violation of division (B) of + See more section 2903.11 or of section 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.12, 2907.24, 2907.241, or 2907.25 of the Revised Code, with a violation of a municipal ordinance that is substantially equivalent to that division or any of those sections, or with a violation of a statute or municipal ordinance under which by force or threat of force the accused compelled the victim to engage in sexual activity, pursuant to division (B) of section 2907.27 of the Revised Code, shall be charged to and paid by the accused who undergoes the examination and test, unless the court determines that the accused is unable to pay, in which case the cost shall be charged to and paid by the municipal corporation in which the offense allegedly was committed, or charged to and paid by the county if the offense allegedly was committed within an unincorporated area.	All	Not provided for	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Determined by judge without hearing	No	Cost charged to and paid by the municipal corporation in which the offense allegedly was committed, or charged to and paid by the county if the offense allegedly was committed + See more within an unincorporated area.
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 2929.024	Indigency; services of investigation; experts; payment	If the court determines that the defendant is indigent and that investigation services, experts, or other services are reasonably necessary for the proper representation of a defendant charged with aggravated + See more murder at trial or at the sentencing hearing, the court shall authorize the defendant's counsel to obtain the necessary services for the defendant, and shall order that payment of the fees and expenses for the necessary services be made in the same manner that payment for appointed counsel is made pursuant to Chapter 120. of the Revised Code. If the court determines that the necessary services had to be obtained prior to court authorization for payment of the fees and expenses for the necessary services, the court may, after the services have been obtained, authorize the defendant's counsel to obtain the necessary services and order that payment of the fees and expenses for the necessary services be made as provided in this section.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Determined by judge without hearing	No	Court shall authorize the defendant's counsel to obtain the necessary services for the defendant, and shall order that payment of the fees and expenses for the necessary services be made + See more in the same manner that payment for appointed counsel is made
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code § 2903.214(N)(1)	Protection orders and electronic monitoring; persons who may seek relief; ex parte	If the court orders electronic monitoring of the respondent under this section, the court shall direct the sheriff's office or any other appropriate law enforcement agency to install the electronic + See more monitoring device and to monitor the respondent. Unless the court determines that the respondent is indigent, the court shall order the respondent to pay the cost of the installation and monitoring of the electronic monitoring device. If the court determines that the respondent is indigent and subject to the maximum amount allowable to be paid in any year from the fund and the rules promulgated by the attorney general under division (N)(2) of this section, the cost of the installation and monitoring of the electronic monitoring device may be paid out of funds from the reparations fund created pursuant to section 2743.191 of the Revised Code. The total amount of costs for the installation and monitoring of electronic monitoring devices paid pursuant to this division and sections 2151.34 and 2919.27 of the Revised Code from the reparations fund shall not exceed three hundred thousand dollars per year.	All	Indigent	Before imposition of fine or fee	Not provided for	Determined by judge without hearing	No	Cost of the installation and monitoring of the electronic monitoring device may be paid out of funds from the reparations fund.

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