UJS Launches New Website to Pay Court Fees, Fines and Costs

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Aug. 21, 2024
Contact:Alisa Bousa, Public Information Officer
[email protected]| 605.773.2031

UJS Launches New Website to Pay Court Fees, Fines and Costs

PIERRE, S.D.- The South Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) has launched a new ePay website for people to pay their court fees, fines, costs and restitution online. The new court payment website is now available at https://UJSepay.sd.gov.

UJS designed the new payment website to provide a more user-friendly interface, making it easier and faster for individuals to locate their court cases and make a payment. The new payment portal allows users to search for criminal and traffic cases with outstanding financial balances by simply entering their last name and date of birth. One of the key features of this system is the ability to perform wildcard searches, where users can input just a portion of their last name (a minimum of three characters). This is especially useful in situations where the exact spelling of a last name is uncertain, such as with hyphenated or double last names.

With the previous payment system, people had to know either their ticket citation number or court case number to find their balance due and make an online payment. The new payment site will continue to allow people to search by citation or case number if they so choose.

"The South Dakota Unified Judicial System's new payment platform will allow case parties to pay their criminal court fees, fines, costs and restitution conveniently and securely online using a debit or credit card," said State Court Administrator Greg Sattizahn.

Search results will display's a person's case number, county where the case was filed, balance due, file date, and financial due date or payment plan if the person is on a payment plan. The system will show if a person can make a payment online, if they need to contact the Clerk of Courts office, or if there is an active warrant on the case. The system will allow people to make a minimum payment of $25 (unless the balance owed is less than $25), the full amount due, or any amount between the $25 minimum and full balance.

New court cases may not be available for online payments for up to 14 days. Also, it can take 24 to 48 hours for the court to receive a payment after it is submitted online. Those who do not pay their citation before their court date and do not appear in court may be issued a warrant for failure to appear. Payments cannot be made on cases with an active warrant or if the case has been sent to the collection agency.

Court users who go to the old payment portal will automatically be directed to the new UJS ePay website. Those who experience any technical difficulties with the ePay website should contact the UJS Help Desk via email at [email protected]or their Clerk of Courts office. For a list of Clerk of Courts offices, visit https://ujs.sd.gov/Circuit_Court/Default.aspx.

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About South Dakota Courts:The Unified Judicial System (UJS) consists of the Supreme Court, Circuit Courts and State Court Administrator's Office. The Supreme Court is the state's highest court and final decision maker on South Dakota law. The Circuit Courts are the state's trial courts where criminal proceedings and civil litigation are handled. The State Court Administrator's Office provides centralized administrative assistance and support services for the South Dakota judiciary. Learn more at https://ujs.sd.gov.

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