Fines, Court Costs and Restitution

Once an individual is convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in the Circuit Court, fines and/or Court costs will be assessed against the defendant. All court costs are assessed in accordance with the Code of Virginia. Fines, costs, and restitution are due within 30-days of sentencing unless otherwise specified in a Court Order. A judgment will be automatically entered on the date of sentencing unless fines and costs are paid in full that day.

An individual who does not promptly pay fines, court costs or restitution may be subject to the following:

Unpaid balances are reported to the Department of Taxation for Set-off Debt Collection; after proper notice any tax refund or lottery proceeds due the defendant will be sent to the Clerk's Office to pay off the debt- after 90 days
Accrued interest on the balance due - after 40 days
Unpaid balances are reported to Department of Taxation - after 90 days

Payment Agreements

If the defendant requests a payment arrangement, the defendant shall be required to complete a payment agreement available in our office. You may call our office for specific instructions.

There are three (3) options for a payment agreement:

Deferred Payment Agreement: You agree to pay the full amount of the fines, costs and/or restitution by the end of the stated terms with no monthly amount required as court ordered.
Installment Agreement: You agree to make monthly payments in the agreed upon amount until fines, costs and/or restitution are paid in full. The first payment under the agreement shall be due the month immediately following the month in which the application is made.
Community Service Agreement: Defendant earns credits for performance of community service work to be applied towards fines and costs only. Hours are credited at the Federal minimum wage rate, currently $9.50 per hour. This option is by Court Order only. This option cannot be used to pay off restitution, however, it can be selected along with another option above.

NOTE: The Clerk's Office has no authority to change a Judge's ruling. If you were Court-Ordered to pay a specific monthly payment amount and can no longer pay that monthly amount OR if you were Court-Ordered to pay at a specific time and can not pay by that specific time, you will need to contact the Judge's office at 540-731-3611 to set a court date to place the matter on the docket.

Methods of Payment

Cash - Do not send cash via USPS
Personal checks, money orders, cashier checks and certified checks made payable to: Clerk of Circuit Court. No starter checks accepted.
Visa, and Master Card - Incurs a $2 processing fee pursuant to VA Code §17.1-275(A)(27).

Other Information

Include your case number on payment to ensure proper credit
If paying by mail, a self-addressed stamped envelope is required if a receipt is requested.
If your assessed costs include restitution, payments received will be applied to restitution first until satisfied then the remaining payments received will be applied to the court costs.
Pursuant to VA Code §19.2-353.3 payments associated with dishonored checks and credit cards accounts will be assessed an additional fee of 10% with a minimum of $50.

Penalties for Failure to Comply With a Payment Agreement

The Court may issue a Capias for your arrest.
The unpaid amount shall be reported to the Department of Taxation as stated above.

Fines, Court Costs and Restitution