In March, the State of MN temporarily suspended collecting late payments, penalties, and suspensions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. An order by the State Court Administrator in September 2020 gave clarification to collecting automated processes. Court-ordered fines, fees, and other financial obligations to the Minnesota Department of Revenue for collections resumed on October 1, 2020. Automated processes for unresolved citations will resume December 1, 2020.
Individuals will have the opportunity to resolve their citations before additional consequences are imposed. Those with unresolved citations should have received a notice via U.S. Mail stating that within 30 days of the date of the notice, they must pay the related fine, set up a payment plan, or schedule a hearing or hearing officer appointment to contest their citation.
Beginning December 1, 2020, people who fail to pay the fine or schedule an appearance will receive a late penalty and face additional consequences depending on their individual circumstances.
“Restarting these processes is an important step forward in our ongoing effort to restore normal court operations after limiting in-person courthouse operations earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jeff Shorba, State Court Administrator.
When a person fails to appear in court, or fails to pay a fine instead of appearing in court, consequences will apply. The automated process will now send late notices, assess late penalties, add guilty pleas and convictions in petty misdemeanors cases, request the Department of Vehicle Services and the Department of Natural Resources to suspend licenses, and send cases with past-due amounts to the Department of Revenue for collections. If you or someone you love has been waiting to pay fines or address charges, now is the time to act.
To pay a fine for unresolved citations:
- Online: www.mncourts.gov/fines.
- By Phone: Call (651) 281-3219 in the metro area or (800) 657-3611 outside of the metro area.
- By Mail: Make check or money order payable to Court Administration. Send to: Minnesota Court Payment Center, PO Box 898, Willmar, MN 56201. Include a copy of your citation or indicate the citation number on the check or money order.
- In Person: Pay your fine in person in the county listed at the top of your citation. Access www.mncourts.gov/fines and go to “Find Courts” to find the location of the courthouse in that county.
To schedule a hearing for unresolved citations:
- Call (651) 281-3219 in the metro or (800) 657-3611 outside of the metro area.
