Minimum and Maximum Fines:

Central Lane Justice Court handles Violations or Misdemeanors filed as Violations.  You have received a citation with a base fine amount listed.  The amount may be reduced or raised depending on individual circumstances.

Violations have four classifications:  A, B, C and D.  Fines are set by statutes. The statutes are found in the manuals called Oregon Revised Statutes.  These can be found at law libraries, some public libraries, and on-line at http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/home.html

There are minimum and maximum fines for each classification.  Fines can only be reduced by a maximum of 25%, whether your case is heard at court arraignment or trial, paid at the cashier counter without seeing the Judge, or whether your fine is mailed into court.  Twenty-five percent is the most reduction that can be granted per state statute.

The 25% reduction is usually reserved for those with the very best driving records, and it is at the Judge's discretion as to where to set the fine within the parameters given.  Fines are usually set at a higher rate than the full 25% reduction.

Fines can also be increased depending on circumstances and driving history.  If you have repeated an offense, it is likely that the fine will be higher than the "base," especially if it was within a short timeframe.  If you have failed to appear on a case and are found Guilty by Default, additional fees and charges will also be added.

If your license is requested to be suspended at the Department of Motor Vehicles, a suspension fee will be added.  If your cases are sent to Collections, an additional Collection fee will be added and interest will accrue on your account until you pay it in full at the Collection agency.

The lowest level of citation is a Class D violation.  The Base Fine is $142, but could be as low as $107 or as high as $190.

A Class C violation has a base fine of $190; could be reduced as low as $143, or could be as high as $287 depending on individual circumstances.

The Class B level of violation is set at $287 with a maximum of $472 and a minimum possible of $182.

The Class A is the most serious level of violation with a base fine of $472.  The lowest reduction on a Class A fine would be $354 and the highest level of fine would be $868.

Some charges have additional sanctions and separate minimum and maximum amounts.  An example:  Possession of Less Than an Ounce of Marijuana.  The minimum on this charge is $648 and carries a maximum of $1,148 with a mandatory license suspension.  Minors in Possession of Alcohol convictions also have a mandatory license suspension.

Some other exceptions:  Fines are higher if a violation occurred in a school zone, a highway construction zone, or a safety corridor and are not allowed to be lowered per statute.

 

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