News Item
Late Penalties, Collections Referrals, and Drivers’ License Suspensions Temporarily Stopped to Reduce Courthouse Visits
Posted: Tuesday, March 17, 2020
- The Judicial Branch will stop sending out late penalty notices and assessing the late penalties for all citations.
- For offenses eligible for drivers’ license suspension, the Judicial Branch will halt the automated process by which a person’s license is suspended for failure to appear.
- The Judicial Branch will stop referring past-due payment cases to the Department of Revenue for collections.
These temporary changes made to the automated financial collection processes will not adversely affect a defendant’s case. Related financially-connected processing, such as drivers’ license reinstatement and web-based and phone-based payments made through the Court Payment Center, will continue to be processed while these procedures are in effect.
On Friday, March 13, 2020, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea issued a statewide order establishing the state courts’ continuing operations in consideration of the spread of COVID-19. The Minnesota Judicial Branch’s latest information regarding COVID-19 is posted at www.mncourts.gov/Emergency.