The Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) recently announced that they will resume imposing late fees for Seattle infraction tickets that are past due beginning this week.
According to officials, “late fees for unpaid tickets have been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, and there are approximately 350,000 tickets that will be impacted if the tickets remain unpaid.”
The court suspended the default penalty fee for past-due tickets and stopped referring tickets to collections due to the economic hardships caused by the pandemic. The late fee is an additional $25 for parking and camera tickets and an additional $52 for traffic tickets.
Members of the public can pay their tickets online, by phone using a Visa or MasterCard, by mail, or in person at the Seattle Municipal Court or at a neighborhood Seattle Customer Service Center. SMC also provides the following suggestions for people who lost their tickets or currently experiencing a hardship:
• If you lost your parking or camera ticket(s), you can look them up using the court’s online portal to check your license plate. Use the Vehicle Information tab in the left-hand menu to search your license plate. Click on your license plate, and any Seattle citations issued to that vehicle will be listed.
• If you lost your traffic ticket(s), you can use the court’s online portal to search your name under the “Defendant Search” tab. Click on your name, and any Seattle traffic tickets issued to you will be listed.
• If you can’t pay your ticket(s) in full, you can apply for a payment plan or community service plan. You may be able to set up a payment plan for as low as $10 per month or perform community service work at an approved charitable organization instead of paying.
SMC also advises that if you would like to dispute or mitigate your ticket, you can request a hearing by mail or by phone.
The courts are planning a series of upcoming outreach events which will provide a great opportunity for all those with overdue Seattle tickets to come learn about their options.
“Members of the public are encouraged to pay their overdue tickets, take advantage of the court’s payment plan or community service plan options, or schedule a hearing to dispute or mitigate their tickets to avoid late fees,” SMC said in a release. “Court staff will be available to set up payment plans, set up community service plans, schedule hearings, and answer questions. Community members can also get help resolving outstanding SMC warrants and connect with local social services at this event.”
If you are low-income and have Seattle tickets that are in collections, you can sign up for a Seattle Ticket Debt Reduction Hearing. Hearings are held every Thursday starting at 11:00 a.m. via telephone. Registration is required.
If you have questions, please check out SMC’s Ticket Response Options page or contact their customer service team at (206) 684-5600.
