A court in San Francisco announced that it has erased $50 million in traffic violation late fees, known as civil assessments, that were issued in the city.
California is known for having some of the steepest traffic fines and fees in the country.
A civil assessment is a $300 fee issued when a person doesn’t pay a traffic court fine on time or fails to appear in court. San Francisco eliminated 180,000 of these fees.
The action was enacted by Assembly Bill 199, which also changes the civil assessment from $300 to being capped at $100. Revenue from these fees will now be collected into California’s general fund instead of into local courts.
This change aims to shift any incentive courts might have to issue more fines or fees.
All civil assessments issued before July 1, 2022 are now erased. Fees that were issued after that have been capped at $100.
About one third of traffic fines in the city were not paid on time and were issued the fee, according to the San Francisco Treasurer’s Office.