Pay Fines

FOR INFORMATION: Under Minn. Stat. §169.99 subd. 1, all or part of the cost of your citation may be waived on a showing of indigency or undue hardship on you or your family. You may schedule a court appearance to request a waiver based on your ability to pay by contacting the MN Court Payment Center (CPC).



It may take up to 7 days from the date you received your citation for processing before the CPC can assist you or you can pay your fine online.



FOR NO INSURANCE OR NO PROOF OF INSURANCE OFFENSES, PROVIDE PROOF OF INSURANCE BEFORE MAKING A PAYMENT. For more information on how to provide proof of insurance please go to How Do I Show Proof of Insurance?



YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO APPEAR IN COURT. You must pay the amount owed OR schedule an appearance within 30 days from the date this citation is filed with the court.

 

IF YOU PAY THE FINE(S), YOU ARE ENTERING A GUILTY PLEA to this offense(s) and voluntarily waive your rights to the following (Minn. Rule of Criminal Procedure 23.03):

1. To a court trial, if the offense is a petty misdemeanor, or a court or jury trial for all other offenses;

2. To be represented by counsel;

3. To be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt;

4. To confront and cross examine all witnesses; and

5. To either remain silent or to testify on your own behalf.

   

IF YOU FAIL TO PAY OR APPEAR IN COURT:

• A warrant may be issued for your arrest.
• Late penalties may be assessed.
• The failure to appear will be considered a guilty plea and waiver of your rights including the right to trial for certain offenses, unless you appear in court within 10 days of the failure to pay or appear and show the failure was due to circumstances beyond your control. (Minn. Stat. § 169.91; 609.491; Minn. Rule of Criminal Procedure 23.04-23.05.)

IF YOU ARE NOT A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, a guilty plea may result in deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization as a United States citizen. Minn. Rule of Criminal Procedure 15.02, subd 1(3).



A guilty plea will result in a conviction.  Conviction will be entered for all offenses charged on the citation, and a fine will be imposed for each offense. If you want to challenge the entry of conviction on any offense, you must schedule a court appearance before making any payment. At the court appearance you will have the opportunity to discuss your citation with a prosecutor, a hearing officer, and/or a judicial officer and may be able to resolve the citation without entry of a conviction on all offenses. If you challenge the citation in court and you are convicted, the court can impose any sanction lawfully available, including up to a $300 fine for a petty misdemeanor offense, and up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine for a misdemeanor offense, and any applicable fees and surcharges



If convicted, you must pay a state-imposed surcharge under Minn. Stat. § 357.021, subd. 6. The current amount of the required surcharge is $12 for parking-related offenses, $25 for some transit offenses, and $75 for all other offenses, and an additional $1 for citations issued in Ramsey County (Minn. Stat. § 169.99). Additionally, a law library fee will be owed. These surcharges and fees are included in the total payable amount provided to you by phone or on the court’s website.

 

The Department of Public Safety and/or the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) may be notified of your failure to pay or appear, and/or conviction, depending on the offense(s). These agencies may suspend your driver’s license or DNR licenses.

 

Under Minn. Stat. § 480.15, subd. 10c, unpaid fines may be referred for collections. You have the right to contest the referral based on inability to pay.



Issuance of a worthless check to the court is a crime, and you will be subject to civil and criminal penalties. In addition, a charge of up to $30 will be assessed on all returned checks (Minn. Stat. § 604.113, subd. 2).



 

Payment with credit or debit VISA or MasterCard. Staff cannot take your debit or credit card number over the telephone.



(651) 281-3219

(800) 657-3611



Non-English language support is available.

Do not mail cash. Make check or money order payable to "District Court Administration" and mail your payment to:



Minnesota Court Payment Center

P.O. Box 898

Willmar, MN 56201



Include a copy of the citation, citation number, or the case number with your payment.

If you would like to pay your fine in person, you must do so at the district court in the county in which your citation was issued. The county name can be found in the upper-left corner of the citation.



 

If you have a payable citation and need more time to pay, you can set up a payment plan if you meet the eligibility requirements. By establishing a payment plan, you agree to make $50 monthly payments until the total amount of the fines and fees are paid in full.



Eligibility Requirements

You may be eligible for a payment plan on your case if:

• You were given a citation.
• All offense(s) on the citation are payable without a hearing and you are not required to appear for court.
• This is the first time you have asked for a payment plan on the case.
• You have not already appeared for court or before a hearing officer.
• A second late penalty fee has not been added.

If you have questions about the eligibility requirements, contact the MN Court Payment Center.



Setting Up a Payment Plan

• Make sure you have your citation number. If you do not have it, you can look up your citation number.
• Complete the Court Payment Center Payment Plan Application (please read the "Important: Read this Information Before Paying a Citation Without Appearing in Court or Applying for a Payment Plan" section at the top of this page before applying for a payment plan.
• Please allow 2 - 3 business days for processing of applications.

Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) tab for additional information.