Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Oregon Judicial Department Logo

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General

​Generally the answer is no. Communicating with a judge about your case or ticket, without the other party present, is called "ex parte" contact. Mostly likely your case or ticket does not qualify for "ex-parte" contact with a judge.
​
Court clerks are prohibited from providing legal advice.

Yes.  Call us at 503-325-8555 to set up a payment plan. The minimum monthly payment is $50.00.  If your case is not paid in full within 30 days after judgment [ORS 1.202(2)] and obligation is more than $500, a fee of $50 will be assessed.​

​Instructions for requesting copies of court documents or audio recordings of hearings can be found on our Court Records page.

​You must either pay the full amount you owe or be set up on a payment plan. Once you have resolved your past due debt to the court, DMV or ODFW will be notified to reinstate your license. There may be additional fees you need to pay to DMV.

Civil

​To file an eviction (FED) with the court you will need both a Complaint form and a Summons form, along with the notice of eviction that was given/served to your tenant(s). These forms and Instructions are available at the courthouse and on our website.  Please review our fee schedule for the required filing fee.

Name change forms can be found on the court website. An attorney can also file a name change for you. Forms for a name change of a minor/child are different than for an adult so be sure to select the correct forms. Please review the fee schedule for the required filing fee.

Contact the Family Resource Center to obtain a Restraining Order or Family Abuse Prevention Act (FAPA) packet.  There is no charge to obtain or file this packet. You may also utilize OJD’s iForms which is an online application that generates forms based on your responses to a set of questions. You will need to print your completed documents. Once completed, your petition for the Restraining Order will be filed with the court and you will be given a court date to appear before a judge.

​To file a Small Claim you will need to file a Claim and Notice of Forms are available on our website. The maximum claim for this type of filing is $10,000.00. Please Review our fee schedule for the required filing fee.​

Traffic/Violations

​​No. Clatsop County Circuit Court does not accept or offer traffic school for traffic violations.

You may handle your case prior to your appearance date any of these ways:

Online: 

https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/epay.aspx

Phone: 503.325.8555

Email: Criminal.Clatsop@ojd.state.or.us

Please include your summons number and full name as written on your citation.

Mail: P.O. Box 835, Astoria, OR 97103

Be sure to complete the plea section of the citation and send it to the court with a check or money order for the entire presumptive fine amount listed on your citation.

In person:  749 Commercial, Astoria, OR​​

​No. You may enter your plea (no contest or not guilty) any time prior to your appearance date without having to come to the courthouse. You may respond in writing, by telephone or at the customer service windows in the courthouse. If you find you have missed your appearance date you have until 5:00 p.m. the following business day to contact the court and enter your plea. If you fail to contact the court within this time frame, a default judgment of conviction will be entered against you and the full presumptive fine amount will be due and payable immediately.