View source for Court costs

{{See also|English rule (attorney's fees)|Costs in English law}}
{{Refimprove|date=March 2020}}

'''Court costs''' (also called '''law costs''' in English procedure) are the costs of handling a case, which, depending on legal rules, may or may not include the costs of the various parties in a [[lawsuit]] in addition to the costs of the [[court (law)|court]] itself. In the United States, "court costs" (such as filing fees, copying and postage) are differentiated from [[attorney's fee]]s, which are the hourly rates paid to attorneys for their work in a case. Court costs can reach very high amounts, often far beyond the actual monetary worth of a case. Cases are known in which one party won the case, but lost more than the monetary worth in court costs. Court costs may be awarded to one or both parties in a lawsuit, or they may be waived.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cote|first=J. E.|date=1969-12-31|title=Should the Fees of Experts be Included in Costs?|journal=Alberta Law Review|pages=525|doi=10.29173/alr2268|issn=1925-8356|doi-access=free}}</ref>

In the [[United Kingdom]], [[Australia]] and [[Canada]], the losing side is usually ordered to pay the winning side's costs. This acts as a significant disincentive to bringing forward court cases. Usually, the winning party is not able to recover from the losing party the full amount of their own solicitor's (attorney's) costs, and has to pay the shortfall out of pocket. The loser pays principle does not generally apply under the [[United States]] legal system.

==United States==
The loser pays principle does not apply under the [[United States]] legal system unless there is a specific statute awarding fees to the prevailing party.<ref>See, e.g., Ariz. Rev. Stat. s. 12-341.01, providing that in contract actions the court has discretion to order the losing party to pay the reasonable attorney's fees incurred by the prevailing party.</ref> Alternatively, the contract between the parties may provide that the prevailing party is entitled to recover attorney's fees from the losing party. In cases in the federal court system, Title 28, section 1920, of the [[United States Code]] provides:<ref>{{cite web |title=28 U.S. Code § 1920 - Taxation of costs |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/1920 |website=Legal Information Institute}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Brunet|first1=Edward|last2=Kakalik|first2=J. S.|last3=Ross|first3=R. L.|date=February 1985|title=Measuring the Costs of Civil Justice|journal=Michigan Law Review|volume=83|issue=4|pages=916|doi=10.2307/1288785|jstor=1288785|issn=0026-2234|url=https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2565&context=mlr|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<blockquote>A judge or clerk of any court of the United States may tax as costs the following:
(1) Fees of the clerk and marshal;
(2) Fees for printed or electronically recorded transcripts necessarily obtained for use in the case;
(3) Fees and disbursements for printing and witnesses;
(4) Fees for [[Exemplified copy|exemplification]] and the costs of making copies of any materials where the copies are necessarily obtained for use in the case;
(5) Docket fees under section 1923 of this title;
(6) Compensation of court appointed experts, compensation of interpreters, and salaries, fees, expenses, and costs of special interpretation services under section 1828 of this title.
A bill of costs shall be filed in the case and, upon allowance, included in the judgment or decree.</blockquote>A 2022 study, which used a randomized controlled trial of court-related fee relief for misdemeanor defendants in an Oklahoma county, found that court fees neither caused nor deterred new crime, and did not provide meaningful financial benefit to the government.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pager|first1=Devah|last2=Goldstein|first2=Rebecca|last3=Ho|first3=Helen|last4=Western|first4=Bruce|date=2022|title=Criminalizing Poverty: The Consequences of Court Fees in a Randomized Experiment|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00031224221075783|journal=American Sociological Review|volume=87 |issue=3 |pages=529–553 |doi=10.1177/00031224221075783|s2cid=247038184 |issn=0003-1224|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Court costs by U.S. jurisdiction===
{{Missing info|reason=California, Hawaii and all states alphabetically after Illinois|date=January 2021}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Jurisdiction
!
!class="unsortable"|Criminal Cases
!class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
|{{flag|U.S.}} Federal
|style="background:#f2430c;" | {{Hs|5}}
| Defendant never liable for court fees<ref name="federal">{{cite news|url=https://www.myazbar.org/AZAttorney/PDF_Articles/AZAT0401-fees.pdf |title=Seeking Attorneys' Fees in Criminal BAD Cases FAITH Prosecution |date=April 2001 |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
| Government liable for defendant attorney's fees in cases of bad faith prosecution<ref name="federal"/> 

|-
|{{flag|Alabama}}
|style="background:#42AA41;" | {{Hs|5}}
|Court fees payable on request of the judge if convicted<ref>{{cite news|url=https://codes.findlaw.com/al/title-12-courts/al-code-sect-12-19-150.html |title=Alabama Code Title 12. Courts § 12-19-150 |website=FindLaw |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
|

|-
|{{flag|Alaska}}
|style="background:#f2430c;" | {{Hs|5}}
|Court fees payable on conviction unless good cause shown<ref>{{cite news|url=https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/rules/docs/crpro.pdf |title=ALASKA RULES OF COURT: RULES OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE |website=public.courts.alaska.gov |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
|

|-
|{{flag|Arizona}}
|style="background:#f2430c;" | {{Hs|3}}
| Court fees never available in a criminal case, even in cases of a bad faith argument<ref>{{cite news|url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/az-court-of-appeals/1409998.html |title=Arizona Court of Appeals No. 2 CA-SA 2009-0031 |website=FindLaw |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
|

|-
|{{flag|Arkansas}}
|style="background:#42AA41;" | {{Hs|3}}
| Court costs assessed on conviction or guilty plea;<ref name="AR">{{cite news|url=https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/2014/title-16/subtitle-2/chapter-10/subchapter-3/section-16-10-305 |title=2014 Arkansas Code Title 16 § 16-10-305 - Court costs |website=Justia |date= 2014 |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> $150 for misdemeanor or felony violation and $75 for local ordinance<ref name="AR"/> 
| 

|-
|{{flag|California}}
|style="background:#78706d;" | {{Hs|1}}
| 
|

|-
|{{flag|Colorado}}
|style="background:#42AA41;" | {{Hs|1}}
|Court costs range from $5.00 for the most minor crimes to $4,500 for felony drug convictions and up to $3,000 for sex crimes<ref>{{cite news|url=https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/judicial_091117_courtfeeschart.pdf |title=FILING FEES, SURCHARGES, AND COSTS IN COLORADO STATE COURTS |website=leg.colorado.gov |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
|

|-
|{{flag|Connecticut}}
|style="background:#42AA41;" | {{Hs|1}}
| $20 fee for those convicted of felony, $15 for misdemeanor<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_962.htm.pdf |title=CHAPTER 962 COSTS, FEES AND EXPENSES IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS OR PROSECUTIONS |access-date=September 11, 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 
|

|-
|{{flag|Delaware}}
|style="background:#42AA41;" | {{Hs|1}}
| $10 fee for those convicted of any charge<ref>{{cite news|url=https://courts.delaware.gov/superior/fees.aspx |title=Criminal Rules of Procedure: Rule 58 |website=courts.delaware.gov |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
|

|-
|{{flag|Florida}}
|style="background:#42AA41;" | {{Hs|1}}
| $200 fee for those convicted of felony, $50 for misdemeanor, with many additional costs depending on the crime<ref>{{cite news|url=https://law.justia.com/codes/florida/2005/TitleXLVII/ch0938.html |title=2005 Florida Code - CRIMINAL PROCEDURE AND CORRECTIONS COURT COSTS Chapter 938 |website=Justia |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
| Florida is known to use a large number of fees, these can be collected from defendants with a 40% surcharge<ref>{{cite news|last=Diller |first=Rebekah |url=https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/Report_The%20Hidden-Costs-Florida's-Criminal-Justice-Fees.pdf |title=The Hidden Costs of Florida's Criminal Justice Fees |website=Brennan Center for Justice |date=2010 |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 

|-
|{{flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}}
|style="background:#42AA41;" | {{Hs|1}}
| Georgia assesses a 10% additional fee if a defendant challenges a [[traffic violation]] and is found guilty<ref>{{cite news|url=https://gaappleseed.org/initiatives/imposition-of-court-fees-and-costs-on-indigent-defendants |title=Imposition of Court Fees and Costs on Indigent Defendants |website=Georgia Appleseed |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
| 

|-
|{{flag|Hawaii}}
|style="background:#78706d;" | {{Hs|1}}
|
|

|-
|{{flag|Idaho}}
|style="background:#42AA41;" | {{Hs|1}}
| Defendants are often required to pay fees<ref>{{cite news|url=https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/OPE/Reports/r1903.pdf |title=Financial obligations in criminal cases |website=legislature.idaho.gov |date=March 2019 |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
| 

|-
|{{flag|Illinois}}
|style="background:#42AA41;" | {{Hs|1}}
| Offenders can be ordered to pay some court costs<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.icjia.state.il.us/assets/pdf/ResearchReports/Policies_and_Procedures_of_the_Illinois_Criminal_Justice_System_Aug2012.pdf |title=POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OF THE ILLINOIS CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM |website=Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority |date=August 2012 |access-date=September 11, 2020}}</ref> 
| Paying court fees can be a condition for parole

|-
! Jurisdiction !! !!Criminal Cases !! Notes
|}

==See also==
*[[Criminal justice financial obligations]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Court fees}}
*[http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Hl1/Help/DG_199083 Court fees - quick guide (Directgov, England and Wales)]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Civil procedure]]
[[Category:Legal costs]]


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[[fr:Procédure civile en France#Les frais de justice]]