Fines and fees at the Superior Court of Guam are set to rise starting August 1st.
According to the Judiciary of Guam, the changes are a result of Judicial Council Resolution No. JC19-020, which was passed by the Judiciary’s governing body on June 21 in order to simplify the imposition, collection, and distribution of important court assessments.
Counseling and educational programs, which used to be offered free of charge will now be assessed fees ranging from $15 to $300.
The same is true for marshall fees, probation services fees, and traffic court fees. Public access fees for Superior Court and the Supreme Court, which used to be free, will now also be charged fees to be determined at a later date.
The more familiar records, search, retrieval, copy and certification fees with Superior Court clearance fees (electronic or hard copy) will rise from $10 to $20 while traffic clearance fees will increase from $5 to $10.
According to the Judiciary, the Superior Court of Guam fines and fees have not been adjusted or reviewed since 2013.
The changes were proposed following an extensive seven-month study of the necessity and appropriateness of fee and fine increases.
The Judiciary added that the court’s implementation of the new fee schedules is the culmination of a concerted effort to address the financial strain caused by old fees that have not kept pace with the growth of the delivery of modern court services at the Guam Judicial Center.
A listing of the new fee schedule is available on the Judiciary of Guam website at
www.guamcourts.org.
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