Civil Assessments – AB 199
Assembly Bill 199 (Stats. 2022, ch. 57), made changes to the imposition of civil assessments, by amending Penal Code section 1214.1. This legislation requires courts to vacate any civil assessments imposed prior to July 1, 2022, and makes any amounts owed prior to this date uncollectable. The bill also decreased the maximum civil assessment from “up to $300” to “up to $100” for any failure to appear or failure to pay that occurs after July 1, 2022.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A: If you had any civil assessments imposed prior to July 1, 2022, that dollar amount should now be entirely canceled by the court and removed from your total due amount.
A: If you are imposed a civil assessment after July 1, 2022, the amount for that assessment will not be canceled, but will be no more than $100.
A: No, any outstanding civil assessment prior to July 1, 2022, will be vacated by the court; there is nothing you need to do. But you can verify your total due amount with the court by comparing your previous total due amount with your current balance.
A: You may qualify for a reduction to the total amount you owe for an infraction offense (including most traffic tickets) based on your financial circumstances.
The easiest way to request a fine reduction is to use MyCitations, a new online request tool. This tool will be available to litigants in all courts by June 2024. If the online tool is not currently available in your court please contact the clerk’s office for more information about filing form TR-320/CR320- Can't Afford to Pay Fine: Traffic and Other Infractions.