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States and Localities That Have Repealed Fees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Repealed Some Fees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  • California’s Families Over Fees Act repealed 23 criminal administrative fees and vacated $16 billion in outstanding debt (2020)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).
ILLINOIS
  • Eliminated fee for medical/dental copay (2019).
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).
    MASSACHUSETTS
    • Gov. Charlie Baker’s $48.5 billion budget plan includes the elimination of probation and parole fees (2022).
    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).
    • A new bill introduced in the House would end phone calls fees in state prisons and county jails — and require that a minimum number of phones are available at prisons, jails and juvenile facilities (PENDING LEGISLATION- 2022).
    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.
    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).
    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).
    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).