Courts: fees.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on penalties for unauthorized fees charged by courts.

Courts: Fees and Public Access

This law changes how courts can charge fees for services and makes it easier for the public to view electronic court records without paying reproduction costs, unless doing so would damage the record or cause harm.

What This Bill Does

• Prohibits courts from charging a fee that exceeds the cost of providing the service or product.
• Requires any new fee not explicitly authorized by statute or rule to be approved by the Judicial Council before being charged.
• Asks the Judicial Council to report to lawmakers about fees that bring in more money than the cost of providing services, starting December 1, 2027.
• Makes sure electronic court records can be viewed and copied at no extra charge, unless it would damage the record or cause harm.
• Allows courts to set rules for how people use their own equipment when viewing or copying records.

Who It Names or Affects

• Courts that charge fees for services like filing documents or changing venue.
• People who want to view or copy electronic court records without damaging them or causing harm.

Terms To Know

Judicial Council

A group that helps manage the state’s courts and sets rules for how they work.

Fiscal Year

A period of one year used by governments to track money coming in and going out, usually starting July 1st and ending June 30th.

Limits and Unknowns

• The law does not specify what happens if a court charges an unauthorized fee.
• It is unclear how courts will enforce rules about using personal equipment to view or copy records without damaging them.

Official Summary Text

AB 1524, Committee on Judiciary.
Courts: fees.
Existing law, the Uniform Civil Fees and Standard Fee Schedule Act of 2005, establishes a set fee schedule for courts to implement for, among other things, filings, service, and changes of venue.
Existing law authorizes the court to charge a reasonable fee that does not exceed the costs of providing the service or product, if the Judicial Council approves the fee, as specified.
The bill would instead prohibit the court from charging a fee that exceeds the cost to the court of providing the service or product. The bill would require any fee not explicitly authorized by statute or rule to be approved by the Judicial Council. The bill would also require the Judicial Council, by December 1, 2027, to report to the Legislature, as specified, regarding each fee charged by a superior court in the 2026–27
fiscal year for which the revenue collected by and distributed to the court as a result of the fee exceeds the court’s cost of providing the service or product. The bill would also require the Judicial Council, by December 1, 2028, and December 1, 2029, to report certain data to the Legislature, as specified, regarding the 2027–28 and 2028–29 fiscal years, respectively.
Existing law authorizes trial court records to be created, maintained, and preserved in any form of communication or representation, including paper, optical, electronic, magnetic, micrographic, or photographic media or other technology. Existing law requires those court records be made reasonably accessible to the public for viewing and duplication, with a reasonable provision controlling for the costs of duplication, as specified.
This bill would require court records maintained in electronic form to be viewable at the court and be available for
duplication at a cost, as specified. The bill would allow a member of the public to request to view or duplicate accessible records, on the premises of the court and with the requester’s equipment in a manner that does not make physical contact with the record, without being charged any fees or costs to reproduce the record, unless reproduction would result in, among other things, damage to the record or unauthorized access to the court’s computer systems or networks, as specified. The bill would authorize the court to impose reasonable limits on the use of the requester’s equipment that are necessary to protect the safety of the records or prevent the copying of the records from being an unreasonable burden, as specified.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF