Reform Map
States and Localities That Have Repealed Fees
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Repealed Some Fees
No Reform
Recent Reforms
CALIFORNIA
  • CA AB 199 makes the balance of any court-imposed costs assessed prior to July 1, 2022 unenforceable and uncollectible and vacates any portion of a judgment imposing civil assessments charged by traffic courts
  • Eliminated 17 additional criminal administrative fees and vacated $534 million in outstanding debt (2021).
  • California’s Families Over Fees Act repealed 23 criminal administrative fees and vacated $16 billion in outstanding debt (2020)
  • California ended the assessment of new juvenile fees (2017) and discharged outstanding fees (2020)
  • Ordinance eliminated local criminal administrative fees imposed in San Francisco (2018)
  • San Francisco made all jail phone calls free for incarcerated people and ended commissary markups (2020)
  • San Diego eliminated fees for phone calls and video visits (2021)
COLORADO
  • Colorado eliminated certain juvenile fees, costs, and surcharges (2021).
  • In 2023, Colorado made all communication services in state adult and juvenile facilities free, the law will not be implemented fully until 2025.
CONNETICUT
  • Connecticut provides free voice communication service to incarcerated persons (2021).
DELAWARE
  • Eliminated a wide range of fees, including probation and parole fees, public defense fees, and juvenile system fees. (2022).
  • Eliminated the following fees and funds the same services through the General Fund instead: Substance Abuse, Rehabilitation, Treatment, Education and Prevention (“SARTEP”) Fund Fee, imposed on people convicted of certain drug crimes and supposed to fund their SA treatment, education, prevention,etc; Interstate Compact Fee: $50 fee that probationers have to pay to serve their probation in another state; Senior Trust Fund Fee (2024)
  • Eliminated the DELJIS Fund Fee($1.00), which helped fund DELJIS, Delaware’s criminal and motor vehicle background check system, and replaces it with General Fund money.
  • Eliminated back debt from fees(Public Defender fee and the Probation Supervision fee) eliminated in 2022. (2024)
ILLINOIS
  • Eliminated fee for medical/dental copay (2019).
INDIANA
  • Eliminated certain fees including juvenile public defender fees and provided that no fees will be assessed against families unless there is an affirmative finding of their ability to pay (2023).
KANSAS
  • The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City eliminated a fee of $30 that was previously assessed automatically when an accused person submitted a plea of guilty or no contest. Additionally, the amended ordinance defines a process for an ability to pay hearing, clarifying the options available to individuals without the financial means to pay fines and fees(2023).
    • LOUISIANA
    • Louisiana eliminated all juvenile fees (2021).
    • Eliminated expungement processing fees for persons determined to be factually innocent or granted a pardon (2022).
    • Orleans Parish Juvenile Court issued an order abolishing court fees for juveniles (2018).
    MARYLAND
    • Maryland eliminated the authority of courts to impose civil fines and court costs against a juvenile (2020)
    • Eliminated the county jail reimbursement fee (2022)
    • Baltimore County eliminated pretrial supervision fees (2021).
    • Maryland eliminated parole fees and fees for drug and alcohol testing for returning citizens (2024).
    MASSACHUSETTS
    • Gov. Charlie Baker’s $48.5 billion budget plan includes the elimination of probation and parole fees (2022).
    • Gov. Maura Healey signed legislation making all phone, video, and electronic communication services free for people who are incarcerated in the state. (2023).
    MICHIGAN
    • Michigan ended driver responsibility fees and vacated associated debt (2018).
    • Washtenaw County Jail Sheriff forgave the debt of people incarcerated in the Washtenaw County Jail (2021).
    • Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II signed an overhaul of Michigan’s juvenile justice system into law which includes the elimination of nearly all fines and fees in the juvenile justice system (2023).
    MINNESOTA
    • Ramsey County eliminated 11 fees levied against people in jail and on probation (2020).
      • Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed SF 2909, the Judiciary and Public Safety budget bill, which includes language that makes calls free for people incarcerated in state prisons. (2023)
    MISSOURI
    • The St. Louis County Council passed an ordinance eliminating booking fees, bond fees, and several fees related to providing medical care for incarcerated individuals and waiving $3.4 million in outstanding related debt (2019).
    NEVADA
    • Nevada repealed juvenile fees (2019).
    • Nevada ended record-sealing fees for victims of sex trafficking (2023).
    • Nevada end “room and board” fees, medical co-pays in prisons, and markups on hygiene products purchased from commissary (2023).
    NEW HAMPSHIRE
    • Gov. Chris Sununu signed a measure repealing a 1996 law that allowed the state to bill inmates and former inmates for the cost of their incarceration, which have amounted to an average of $102,000 per year in recent years (2019).
    NEW JERSEY
    • Eliminated statutory costs, fees, and penalties imposed on juveniles involved in the juvenile justice system. Vacates outstanding debt (2020, 2022).
      • Eliminated public defender fees. The bill applies retroactively to all unpaid outstanding costs previously assessed or imposed on a defendant, as well as any unsatisfied civil judgments, liens on property, and warrants issued based on unpaid balances for services rendered by the Office of the Public Defender (2023).
    NEW MEXICO
    • New Mexico eliminated juvenile fines and fees (2021).
    • New Mexico eliminated all post-adjudication fees for state courts and state mandated post adjudication fees for municipal courts, and all bench warrant fees(2023).
    NEW YORK
    • New York’s final budget included the elimination of parole supervision fee (2021).
    • Buffalo Common Council repealed 15 vehicle and traffic fees (2020)
    • New York City eliminated credit card fees for bail payments (2019).
    • New York City eliminated fees for domestic telephone services to people in the custody of the New York City Department of Corrections (2018).
    OREGON
    • Oregon Gov. Kate Brown discharged $1.8 million in outstanding traffic debt (2021).
    • Multnomah County eliminated probation and parole fees (2020).
    • Phoenix clears suspensions and writes off all traffic debt and 10 years or older (2021).
    OKLAHOMA
    • Eliminates juvenile court fees for indigent representation and probation fees paid to the Office of Juvenile Affairs (2022)
    PENNSYLVANIA
    • Philadelphia eliminated commissary surcharges (2021).
    RHODE ISLAND
    • Rhode Island hosted a debt review program; in one day, 114 people, owing about $382,500 in Superior Court costs, saw $360,815 canceled (2021).
    TENNESSEE
    • Shelby County eliminated medical co-pays for people incarcerated in their jail (2022).
    • Shelby County eliminated costs for phone calls for youth in juvenile detention facilities (2018).
    TEXAS
    • Texas eliminated a wide range of juvenile fees and costs (2021)
    • Repealed the remaining fees assessed against youth in the juvenile justice system (2023).
    WASHINGTON
    • Washington eliminated offender supervision and parolee supervision intake fees (2022).
    • Seattle Municipal Court eliminated all discretionary fees on criminal cases (2020)
    • Washington bill HB 1169 ended several court fees, all juvenile fees and fines, and ensured that courts waive any eliminated fees. The bill also established a Crime Victim and Witness Assistance Account and a DNA Database Account to be funded by legislative appropriations. Lastly, the bill also ensures courts do not impose mandatory victim penalty assessment fees on people deemed indigent(2023).
    WISCONSIN
    • Dane County erased nearly $150,000 in outstanding fees and fines accrued by people incarcerated in the county jail (2021).