50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
Collections Infrastructure
Keyword search across all of the laws in the states. Subject-area tabs above allow you to narrow results. Click the advanced search for further refinement.
Every law can be saved to the Reform Builder
See conflicts of interest policy recommendations in CJPP’s Policy Guide
Who may collect
Below are the collections infrastructure provisions that meet your search criteria.
20 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. 706-641 | Criteria for imposing fines |
(1) The court shall not sentence a defendant only to pay a fine, when any other disposition is authorized by law, except in misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor cases. (2) The court shall not sentence a defendant to pay a fine in addition to a sentence of imprisonment or probation unless: (a) The defendant has derived a pecuniary gain from the crime; or (b) The court is of the opinion that a fine is specially adapted to the deterrence of the crime involved or to the correction of the defendant.
(3) The court shall not sentence a defendant to pay a fine unless: (a) The defendant is or will be able to pay the fine; and (b) The fine will not prevent the defendant from making restitution to the victim of the offense. (4) In determining the amount and method of payment of a fine, the court shall take into account the financial resources of the defendant and the nature of the burden that its payment will impose. |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. 601-17.5 | Collection of delinquent court-ordered payments |
The judiciary may contract with a collection agency bonded under chapter 443B or with a licensed attorney to collect any delinquent court-ordered penalties, fines, restitution, sanctions, and court costs, including juvenile monetary assessments. Any fees or costs associated with the collection efforts shall be added to the amount due and retained by the collection agency as its payment; provided that no fees or costs shall exceed fifty per cent of the amount collected.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 706-642 | Time and method of payment |
(1) When a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine, the court may grant permission for the payment to be made within a specified period of time or in specified installments. If no such permission is embodied in the sentence, the fine shall be payable forthwith by cash, check, or by a credit card approved by the court.
(2) When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine is also sentenced to probation, the court may make the payment of the fine a condition of probation. (3) When a defendant sentenced to pay a fine is also ordered to make restitution or reparation to the victim or victims, or to the person or party who has incurred loss or damage because of the defendant's crime, the payment of restitution or reparation shall have priority over the payment of the fine, pursuant to section 706-651. No fine shall be collected until the restitution or reparation order has been satisfied. |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 §20 | Provide for collection of overdue fines and fees from money collected |
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court shall plan and implement arrangements for the collection of overdue fines and fees due the state courts, the costs of which may be paid from money collected. These arrangements may include but are not limited to: Employing special project clerks, assistants and other staff; contracting with state agencies; contracting for special or private debt collection services; purchasing necessary equipment; and compensating state, county and municipal law enforcement agencies for services provided.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 §27(1) | Funds collected by Bureau of Revenue Services |
The State Court Administrator shall enter into an agreement with the State Tax Assessor by which the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services may collect on the Judicial Department's behalf fees, fines, costs and penalties, the imposition of which is provided for by this Title. Any such agreement must specify which categories of fees, fines, forfeitures, costs and penalties are to be collected by the Bureau of Revenue Services.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 § 555 | Fee Schedule |
The Supreme Judicial Court shall have the authority to prescribe rules establishing the fees of clerks of the judicial courts. |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 § 175 | Fees of the district court |
The Supreme Judicial Court shall have the authority to prescribe rules establishing the fees of the District Courts. |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 §557 | Receipt and discharge of fines and costs voluntarily paid |
The clerk shall receive all fines, forfeitures and bills of costs imposed or accruing to the use of the State when paid or tendered to him before a precept is issued to enforce collection, give discharges therefor and enter them of record.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 §554 | Accounting by clerks |
Clerks of judicial courts shall account monthly for all fees received by them or payable to them by virtue of their office, except those portions of fees collected for passports and naturalization proceedings that are payable to the Federal Government, specify the items and pay the whole amount of the same to the Treasurer of State at such times and in such manner as the Chief Justice of the Superior Court or the Chief Justice’s designee from time to time specifies.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 §168(1) | District Court: Funds |
1. District Court funds. Except as otherwise provided by law, all fines, forfeitures, surcharges, assessments and fees collected in any division of the District Court or by the violations bureau must be paid to the clerk of that District Court, who shall deposit them in a special account in a timely manner. Once each month, the clerk shall remit the sums to the Treasurer of State, who shall credit them to the General Fund.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 15 §1943 | Fines, costs and forfeitures in Superior Court |
Every clerk of a Superior Court shall render under oath a detailed account of all fines, costs and forfeitures upon convictions and sentences before the court and shall pay them into the State Treasury on or before the 15th day of the month following the collection of such fines, costs and forfeitures.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
North Carolina | N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann § 7A-321(b)(2) | Collection of offender fines and fees assessed by the court; collection assistance fee |
(b) In attempting to collect the fines, fees, costs, and restitution owed by offenders not sentenced to supervised probation or active time, the Administrative Office of the Courts may do the following: . . . (2) Enter into contracts with a collection agency, agencies, or municipal or county government agencies to collect unpaid amounts owed. The Administrative Office of the Courts may provide by such contract for the collection assistance fee to be retained by the agency or agencies that collect the amounts owed.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 59-1-29 | Collection of such fees |
Each clerk of the county commission, sheriff, clerk of the circuit court and prosecuting attorney shall have charge of and collect the fees, costs, percentages, penalties, commissions, allowances, compensation, income and all other perquisites of whatever kind which are now or may hereafter be allowed by law. Whenever there remain due the county and unpaid, for a period of more than six months, any fees, costs, percentages, penalties, commissions, allowances, compensation, income or any other perquisites of any kind, it shall be the duty of the county commission, or other tribunal in lieu thereof, by the prosecuting attorney, to proceed to the collection thereof in the circuit court or magistrate court, upon motion whereof the defendant and the sureties on his bond shall have at least twenty days’ notice, or in any other manner provided for by law, and the amount so collected shall be paid into the county treasury to the credit of the general county fund.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 62-4-8 | Duties of prosecuting attorney in relation to fines |
It shall be the duty of the prosecuting attorney of every county to institute and prosecute in the circuit court, or other court having jurisdiction thereof, as the case may be, proper proceedings for the recovery of all fines imposed by law, where the cases are cognizable in such court. He shall superintend the issuing of executions on judgments for fines rendered by such courts, and cause all delinquencies in relation to the service or return of such executions to be duly prosecuted. If judgment be rendered by the circuit or other court for a fine, whether with or without imprisonment, a docket fee of ten dollars for the prosecuting attorney’s services, but payable into the county treasury, shall be taxed in the costs against the offender.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 62-4-4 | Recovery of fines before justice [magistrate] or in court |
Where a fine alone is imposed, if it be in a case mentioned in section one [§ 50-18-1, repealed], article eighteen, chapter fifty of this code, it may be recovered upon warrant of a justice [magistrate] having jurisdiction; and whether so mentioned or not, it may be recovered by presentment or indictment in the circuit court, or other court of record having jurisdiction in criminal cases, in the county wherein the offense was committed.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 62-4-11 | Fieri facias for collection of fines |
On every judgment for a fine rendered by a circuit court, or other court of record having jurisdiction in criminal cases, if no special order be made by the court or judge, the clerk of the court shall issue a writ of fieri facias immediately after the term at which such judgment was rendered. And unless paid in court, a payment to any person other than the officer who holds the execution shall not discharge the judgment.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 50-3-6 | Collection of costs and fines |
On motion of the prosecuting attorney, the magistrate court may issue execution or employ other means of enforcing judgment to collect fines and costs imposed in proceedings before the court and tax the cost thereof as a part of the execution or other process. Such execution or other process shall be directed to the sheriff for collection. The sheriff shall collect the fees prescribed for his services from the party from whom the fine or costs are being collected. Money so collected shall be paid by the sheriff to the magistrate court and shall be paid by the magistrate court in the manner provided by law.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 59-1-21 | Fee bills of county clerk. |
The clerk of the county court may make out tickets for his fees and place them in the hands of the sheriff, or other officer, to be collected and accounted for in the same manner that the fees of the clerk of the circuit court are collected and accounted for. The clerk of the county court shall be subject to the same penalties as the clerk of the circuit court for issuing fee bills wrongfully.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 59-1-24 | Collection of fees; receipt. |
Every officer mentioned in this article shall, on or before the first day of July in any year, deliver fee bills for all fees then due and unpaid, duly signed, to any sheriff or collector of the public taxes, who shall receive and endeavor to collect the same. A sheriff or collector may distrain therefor, or for any fee bills due himself, such property of the person to whom the fees are charged as might be levied on under a writ of fieri facias against him, except as hereinafter mentioned, and the fourteenth [§ 11-9-14], fifteenth [§ 11-9-15] and sixteenth [§ 11-9-16] sections of article nine chapter eleven of this Code shall apply to such fee bills in like manner as to taxes. Every such officer shall deliver to each person who pays him, or from whose property he makes such fees, a receipt for all that is so paid or made.
|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 59-1-12 | Payment of fines by credit card or payment plan |
A circuit court may accept credit cards in payment of all fines, cost, forfeiture, restitution or penalties. The Supreme Court of Appeals shall adopt rules regarding the use of credit or check cards to pay fines, and any charges made by the credit card company may be paid from the gross credit card collections.
|