Court Fines Payments

Payment Options

Eugene Municipal Court accepts cash, checks, Visa, Discover and MasterCard for payment of court fines and fees.

Online Payment Disclaimer

Before paying your fine online, please note that it will take one business day to process your payment.

If you have any questions about your case or this online payment process, please call (541) 682-5400.

How to Pay Court Fines and Fees

You can pay court fines and fees using one of the following options:

• Online Payment Site
  To make a payment on the website you will be asked to provide the information shown on the payment site. Please note that not all payment information can be accessed using a driver’s license number.
• By Mail
• Eugene Municipal Court
  1102 Lincoln Street
  Eugene, OR 97401
  Please include citation number and/or docket number with your payment. Please make checks payable to Eugene Municipal Court. Do not mail cash.
  
• In Person
• Citations may be paid in person at the address above. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (excluding holidays and designated court closure dates).
  
  NOTE: The maximum amount of coins accepted for payment is $5.00.

After-Hours Payments

The Eugene Police Department accepts payments to release a person from custody in Lane County Adult Corrections when the court is closed.  Personal checks will not be accepted to release a person from custody.

Eugene Police Records is located at:

300 Country Club Road

Eugene, OR 97401

Collections

Municipal Court has an internal and external collection process for collecting outstanding fines and fees owed to the court. The court contracts with an external collection agency for assignment of accounts deemed uncollectible in-house.

When a fine is imposed, all defendants are obligated to pay the full amount of the fine and fees. Payment arrangements are allowed by the court for those defendants who are unable to pay any balance owing. Payment plans are authorized based upon review of financial circumstances and payment history. The minimum payment amount is $35 per month and this may be increased if the total amount of the debt exceeds $200 or if the defendant receives subsequent convictions.

Payment Agreements

Upon entering into a payment plan with the court, defendants will receive and sign a payment agreement. Payment agreements are generally 30 days or as arranged by the collection clerk. Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of this agreement will result in further action by the court. Further action may include: filing of a contempt charge, show cause hearings, drivers license suspensions (if there is failure to appear at any prior court appearance) and/or assignment to the external collection agency. If a defendant is not able to pay they must appear in court prior to the payment due date.

External Collections

The court has established specific criteria and timelines for submittal of accounts to the external collection agency. Defendants with accounts assigned to the external collection agency must contact and work directly with the collection agency to make payment arrangements. The court will receive notification of account payments from the collection agency each time a payment is received. When the court receives the final payment from the external collection agency, the case will be closed.

Where Does My Money Go?

General Overview

Eugene Municipal Court collects fines and fees from citizens who have received parking, traffic or ordinance violations cited into Eugene Municipal Court. Payments received for fines or fees from traffic or ordinance violations are distributed according to ORS 153.650. The remaining monies are posted to the City’s general fund and the funds are used for City-wide programs and projects. The funds collected for parking related citations are turned over to the parking enterprise fund managed by the Planning and Development Department.

Budget Funds

The budget funds used for Municipal Court operational expenses are set forth through the City’s budget process. The budget expenses include administrative costs for processing cases as well as contractual service costs. The budget for Municipal Court includes funds for management of two intergovernmental agreements with the Lane County Adult Corrections Department for jail bed space and access to alternative jail programs such as community service or road crew.

A Neutral Forum

The City of Eugene’s policy is for the court to provide a neutral forum for adjudication of cases and enforcement of sanctions with the goal of providing a safe community. This philosophy allows the judges and court the discretion to set fair and appropriate fine schedules as the court is not dependent upon collection of fine and fee revenue to offset the operational and contractual expenses.

Distribution of Monies Paid to the Court

In some cases, the court imposes and collects restitution for victims. Restitution to the victim may be imposed for property or personal damages. Case payments are applied to the victim restitution first and distributed by the court to the victim. Once the restitution is satisfied, further future payments will be credited to assessments, fines or fees.

State and County Fines

The court also collects state and county fines. These fines are set by the State Legislature and Eugene Municipal Court is required to collect these fines on behalf of the state and county. The state fine must be paid from the money received by the court before the fine amount is collected. The court submits a check to the state and county at the end of each month for the full amount of fines collected for each agency.

Other Types of Fees Collected (Not Inclusive)

The court also collects fees for deferred prosecution programs, reopening of cases, processing of expungement requests, and copies of court records. These fees are in place to offset the administrative cost for processing the request. At the end of each month all fees collected are turned over to the City’s general fund.

More Information

If you have received a citation for one of the above mentioned charges, please feel free to contact the court at (541) 682-5400 for additional information.