Red and blue lights blur through the cracked windshield. The car sits skewed at an angle, the hood steaming faintly. The teen driver’s hands grip the wheel, knuckles pale, heartbeat thudding in their throat. A faint smell of burnt rubber fills the air. It happened so fast—just a second of… [ Keep reading ]
Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) Public Services has received numerous reports from constituents who have received phishing texts and/or robocalls relating to outstanding Seattle tickets and hearings. SMC does not use robocalls and does not use text messaging to provide notice of outstanding tickets. To verify if you have a ticket… [ Keep reading ]
Next year, the fine for most Seattle parking violations will increase. Currently, most parking fines range from $29 to $53, depending on the type of violation. The new fines will range from $43 to $78. The full list of parking violations with a new fine amount is located here: https://www.seattle.gov/courts/for-attorneys/local-court-rules#smclir6.2monetarypenaltyscheduleforinfractions… [ Keep reading ]
Last month, SMC introduced a new blog series—essentially a “Who’s Who at SMC” —that lets you get to know the people behind the scenes who make the day-to-day interactions at the court function. Our second person for you to meet is Noah Weil, a magistrate at the court. Click here to… [ Keep reading ]
Seattle Municipal Court and social service providers are coming together to provide a Community Relief Day: Seattle Tickets & Social Services Event on Friday, December 1, 2023, 10 am – 4 pm at the Public Health/Chinook Building, 401 5th Avenue, Seattle. Community members can address unpaid Seattle tickets, Seattle Municipal Court warrants, and access a range of supportive services from partnering organizations.
Beginning December 1, 2023, Seattle Municipal Court will reinstate a $3.60 transaction fee for payments made by credit or debit card by phone or via the court’s website to recoup associated payment processing expenses including bank fees. This transaction fee has been suspended since March 2020 to help individuals during… [ Keep reading ]
Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) has developed three explainer videos as additional tools for guiding court-involved individuals through court processes and procedures. At SMC, we understand that receiving a ticket or being summoned to court can be a stressful time, and that court processes may be difficult to navigate. We are… [ Keep reading ]
In March 2023, the Seattle Municipal Court (SMC or Court) completed a research report entitled, “Analysis of Seattle Municipal Court Imposed Criminal Fines and Fees.” The report is in response to a Seattle City Council Statement of Legislative Intent (SLI) SMC-001-A-002 and a recommendation in a Seattle City Auditor 2021… Filed Under: Equity and Accessibility, Fines and Fees, Racial Equity
One very important area of criminal justice reform is in legal financial obligations, or LFOs: fines, fees, costs and restitution imposed by the court. A recent report found that “people of color in Seattle were consistently charged with more fines and fees per capita than White people, across all types of cases,” as this Bloomberg… [ Keep reading ]
