By the end of the month, a small change in state law passed during this year's legislative session will mean a higher fee to file a case with Lewis County Superior Court.
In May, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1207 into law. It raises the filing fees for most superior court filings by $50. Currently, most superior court filings come with a $40 surcharge, with a few exceptions for a $30 surcharge or none whatsoever. That's on top of the other fees a county clerk's office is already required to charge.
The state makes some exceptions to the fees and surcharges required for some filing actions. For example, filing for an anti-harassment order or filing an appeal as the defendant in a criminal case comes with no surcharge.
Come July 27, the Lewis County Clerk’s Office will update its filing schedule — essentially a menu for filing costs — with the new prices and the surcharge on most filings with Lewis County Superior Court now totaling $90 on top of fees.
The county clerk’s office is required by state law to charge fees and surcharges on court filings and other services it offers. The revenue from the charges is used to fund local and state governments. Currently, 46 percent of fees charged by the clerk's office go to the Washington state treasury department and the rest goes to the county to contribute to a county or regional law library fund.
Revenue from surcharges is split differently, with 75 percent going to the treasury department to be deposited in the Judicial Stabilization Trust Account and the remainder retained by the county.
The new surcharge also comes with its own funding split. Of each additional $50 charged for a superior court filing, half, or $25, will also contribute to the state's Judicial Stabilization Trust Account. The rest of the revenue from the new charge will be split again, with $20 going to the Washington State Legacy Project, State Library and Archives Account. Just $5 stays with the county.
The Judicial Stabilization Trust Account is used by the state specifically to fund and support judicial branch agencies. It also was used for the 2021-2023 biennium to address state and local level costs faced after the State v. Blake decision.
As the name suggests, funds from the Washington State Legacy, State Library and Archives Account can only be used to support the Washington State Library, the state archives and oral history programs.
