<?xml version="1.0"?>
<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>80714</law_id><section_number>19.2-353.3</section_number><catch_line>Acceptance of checks and credit or debit cards in lieu of money; additional fee</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-271</reference><reference>2.2-614.1</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="21">Recovery of Fines and Penalties</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="3">Collection and Disposition of Fines</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Notwithstanding the provisions of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Certain fines paid into Literary Fund" href="/19.2-353/">19.2-353</a>, personal checks and credit or debit cards shall be accepted in lieu of money to collect and secure all fees, fines, <span class="dictionary">restitution</span>, forfeiture, penalties and costs collected for <span class="dictionary">offenses</span> tried in a district court, including motor vehicle violations, committed against the Commonwealth or against any county, city or town. Notwithstanding the provisions of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Certain fines paid into Literary Fund" href="/19.2-353/">19.2-353</a>, personal checks shall be accepted in lieu of money to collect and secure all fees, fines, <span class="dictionary">restitution</span>, forfeiture, penalties and costs collected for <span class="dictionary">offenses</span> tried in a <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> court, including motor vehicle violations, committed against the Commonwealth or against any county, city or town. The clerk of any <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> court shall not be required to but may, in his discretion, accept credit or debit card payment in lieu of money to collect and secure all fees, including filing fees, fines, <span class="dictionary">restitution</span>, forfeitures, penalties, and costs collected. The Committee on District <span class="dictionary">Courts</span> shall devise a procedure for approving and accepting checks and credit or debit cards that shall be accepted by the district <span class="dictionary">courts</span>. Court personnel shall not be held to be guarantors of the payment made in such manner and shall not be personally liable for any sums uncollected. The clerk of the court, in addition to any fees, fines, <span class="dictionary">restitution</span>, forfeiture, penalties or costs, may add to such payment a sum not to exceed four percent of the amount paid for the transaction, or a flat fee not to exceed $2 per transaction, as a reasonable convenience fee for the acceptance of a credit or debit card.
		If a check is returned unpaid by the financial institution on which it is drawn or notice is received from the credit or debit card issuer that payment will not be made, for any reason, the fees, fine, <span class="dictionary">restitution</span>, forfeiture, <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> or costs shall be treated as unpaid, and the court may pursue all available remedies to obtain payment. The clerk of the court to whom the dishonored check or credit or debit card was tendered may impose a fee of $50 or 10 percent of the value of the payment, whichever is greater, in addition to the fine and costs already imposed.
		The <span class="dictionary">clerk of court</span> may refuse acceptance of checks or credit or debit cards of an individual if (i) he has been convicted of a violation of Chapter 6 (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Forging public records, etc" href="/18.2-168/">18.2-168</a> et seq.) of Title 18.2 in which a check, credit or debit card, or credit or debit card information was used to commit the <span class="dictionary">offense</span>, (ii) he has previously tendered to the court a check which was not ultimately honored or a credit or debit card or credit or debit card information which did not ultimately result in payment by the credit or debit card issuer, (iii) authorization of payment is not given by the bank or credit or debit card issuer, (iv) the validity of the check or credit or debit card cannot be verified, or (v) the payee of the check is other than the court.</p></section></text><history>1979, c. 525; 1988, cc. 770, 852; 1990, c. 899; 1994, cc. 432, 841, 945; 1997, c. 819; 1998, cc. 720, 731; 2001, cc. 481, 501; 2009, c. 594; 2012, cc. 420, 714.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
