Collections

If you have received a letter from a collection agency about your court debt, or been told by a court clerk that you are in collections, please contact the collection agency directly. Court debt is assigned out to collections if the court has ordered you to pay fees/fines and you have not either paid the debt in full within 30 days, or you have not been set up on a payment plan. Case balance debt can be considered delinquent 30 days after the date of the court order.

What are Collection Fees?

Oregon law (ORS 1.202) requires the court to add a fee to any judgment that includes money owed to the court.

Examples could be: deferred filing fees on a civil or family law case, traffic fines, parking fines, and criminal fines. If a judgment is not paid in full within 30 days of the judgment being entered in the court's record, the court may impose an extra fee. In addition, if a case balance is referred to a collection agency, a fee of 28% of the balance will be added to each case. Debt that is referred to a collection agency may result in garnishment or seizure of state tax refunds.

How do I know which outside debt collector has my debt?

You should have received a letter from the debt collector. If you do not have that information, contact the court.

If your account becomes delinquent, it will be referred to a collection agency. The collection agency will notify you of the assignment of the account. For additional information, contact the appropriate collection agency:

How Can I Get My License Sanction Removed?

If you have been notified by the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that your license is suspended or that you have a pending suspension, contact the Collections Unit at 503.988.6279, option #4, with your case/citation number. Suspensions, or pending suspensions, can occur due to nonpayment of a case balance. In order to reinstate or stop a pending suspension, a clearance will need to be processed and transferred to DMV. To obtain a clearance, you will need to pay the balance in full or set up a payment plan.

What if my tax refund has been intercepted?

If you received a letter stating your tax refund was intercepted you can either follow the instructions in the letter or, contact the Oregon Judicial Department Refund Offset Program directly via email at OJD.TaxOffset@ojd.state.or.us., or, by calling 1.888.564.2828, option #3. Provide as much detail as possible, most of which is provided in the letter you received. The Refund Offset Program will respond to your email or message within 48 hours. Please wait to hear from them before contacting the court.

I Am In Collections For My Court Debt, What Can I Do?

If you have received a letter from a collection agency, or have been advised by court staff that you have debt assigned out for collections, contact the collection agency directly to resolve the debt.

Collection Agencies

If you have received a letter from a 3rd party collection agency in regards to money you owe to the court, please follow the instructions on the letter or contact the agency directly.