Government Code section 70631
(a)
In the absence of a statute or rule explicitly authorizing or prohibiting a fee by the superior court for a particular service or product, the court may charge a fee not to exceed the cost to the court of providing the service or product. A fee not explicitly authorized by statute or rule shall be approved by the Judicial Council. The fee shall be distributed to the court in which it was collected.(b)
By December 1, 2027, the Judicial Council shall submit a report to the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795, regarding each fee charged by a superior court that in the 2026–27 fiscal year for which the revenue collected by and distributed to the court as a result of the fee exceeds the court’s cost of providing the service or product, includes all of the following information:(1)
The particular service or product that is provided by payment of the fee.(2)
The amount of the fee.(3)
The cost to the court in the 2026–27 fiscal year for providing the particular service or product. If it is not feasible for the court to determine the exact cost, despite its good faith effort to do so, the court shall provide the cost basis on which the fee was calculated.(4)
The revenue collected by and distributed to the court in the 2026–27 fiscal year as a result of the fee.(5)
The number of persons who used the service or product in the 2026–27 fiscal year. If it is not feasible for the court to determine the exact number of persons who used the service or product, despite its good faith effort to do so, the court shall provide a good faith estimate of the number of persons who used the service or product in the 2026–27 fiscal year.(c)
By December 1, 2028, and December 1, 2029, the Judicial Council shall submit a report to the Legislature regarding fiscal years 2027–28 and 2028–29 that includes the information specified in subdivision (b). The report shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795.
Source:
Section 70631, https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV§ionNum=70631. (updated Jan. 1, 2026; accessed Dec. 15, 2025).
