§ 13:1899 — Assessment and disposition of costs in criminal cases; costs in juvenile matters for

Louisiana § 13:1899

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 13: Courts and Judicial Procedure

Text

§1899. Assessment and disposition of costs in criminal cases; costs in juvenile matters for
specified courts
A. Except as otherwise provided by law, in all criminal matters, including traffic
violation cases, in addition to the fine or other penalty which may be legally imposed against
every defendant who is convicted after trial or after a plea of guilty or who forfeits his bond,
the judge may assess costs of court in an amount not to exceed thirty dollars.
B.(1) Except as otherwise provided by law, the proceeds derived from these costs
shall be deposited in a special account which shall be subject to audit and used for the
operational expenses of the court or for the payment of clerical fees or other similar
expenditures as may be approved by the judge.
(2) In lieu of the requirement to use the costs assessed in criminal matters for the
operational expenses of the court pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, all fines, fees,
including probation fees, or costs of court assessed and collected by the City Court of
Alexandria pursuant to Subsection A of this Section shall be deposited in the general fund
of the city of Alexandria.
C. In all criminal matters, when the office of the marshal has derived one hundred
thousand dollars or more in revenues for the year 2004 from costs assessed pursuant to this
Subsection, the city judge shall assess, in addition to the costs assessed in Subsection A of
this Section, the sum of fifteen dollars as additional costs of court. In all criminal matters,
when the office of the marshal has derived less than one hundred thousand dollars in
revenues for the year 2004 from costs assessed pursuant to this Subsection, the city judge
shall assess, in addition to the costs assessed in Subsection A of this Section, the sum of
thirty dollars as additional costs of court. The proceeds shall be deposited in a special
account, separate and distinct from the account provided for in Subsection B of this Section,
which account shall be in the name of and under the control of the marshal or constable of
the court, shall be subject to audit, and shall be used to defray operational expenses of the
office of marshal or constable of the court, all as may be useful and necessary for the proper
conduct of the marshal's or constable's office, or for purchase of law enforcement equipment,
and all as may be proved by the marshal or constable. The city judges of any and all parishes
and the mayor's court in the town of Many in Sabine Parish shall be authorized to assess such
sum in accordance with this Section. Assessments in particular courts are governed by the
following:
(1) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty dollars
in the City Court of Houma.
(2) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty dollars
in the City Court of Ruston.
(3) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty dollars
in the City Court of Minden.
(4) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty dollars
in the City Court of Springhill.
(5) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty dollars
in the City Court of Hammond.
(6) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty dollars
in the City Court of Bastrop.
(7) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty dollars
in the City Court of West Monroe.
(8)(a) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty
dollars in the City Court of Monroe.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Subsection, the additional costs collected
in the City Court of Monroe shall be allocated as follows:
(i)(aa) For the 1995-1996 Fiscal Year, fifteen dollars to the city marshal's office to
be used to defray operational expenses of the office.
(bb) For the 1996-1997 Fiscal Year, ten dollars to the city marshal's office to be used
to defray operational expenses of the office.
(cc) For the 1997-1998 Fiscal Year and thereafter, twenty dollars to the city marshal's
office to be used to defray operational expenses of the office.
(ii)(aa) For the 1995-1996 Fiscal Year, five dollars to the police department of the
city of Monroe to be used to help defray expenses for equipment and maintenance for the city
of Monroe jail.
(bb) For the 1996-1997 Fiscal Year and thereafter, ten dollars to the police
department of the city of Monroe to be used to help defray expenses for equipment and
maintenance for the city of Monroe jail.
(9) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty dollars
in the City Court of Denham Springs.
(10) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty
dollars in the City Court of Alexandria and shall also be assessed in traffic violation cases.
(11) The additional costs provided for in this Subsection shall not exceed thirty
dollars in the City Court of Lafayette.
D. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the Lincoln Parish
police jury may by resolution assume sole responsibility for payment, in all cases thereafter
occurring in the parish, of autopsy costs as provided in R.S. 33:5713, and thereafter in all
criminal cases in the parish of Lincoln entailing the performance of an autopsy, the city or
district judge may assess the costs of autopsy, disinterment, and reinterment, if any, in
addition to the fine, penalty, or other costs which may be legally imposed against the
defendant. The funds derived from such assessment shall be paid into the treasury of the
parish or municipality in which the court is situated and deposited in a special account. The
police jury or municipal governing body may expend these funds to defray the costs of
coroner's investigations and autopsies as provided in R.S. 33:1563.
E. In all criminal matters, including traffic violations, in addition to the costs
otherwise provided by this Section or any other law, and in addition to the fine or other
penalty which may be legally imposed against every defendant who is convicted after trial
or after a plea of guilty or who forfeits his bond, the judge of the City Court of Winnsboro
may assess a sum not to exceed five dollars as additional costs of court, the proceeds from
which shall be used to defray operational expenses of the City Court of Winnsboro, as may
be approved by said judge.
F. The City Court of Houma is hereby authorized to hire a court reporter for civil and
criminal cases. Compensation for the court reporter shall be paid from the costs collected
in criminal matters.
G. Instead of the fee provided for in Subsection C of this Section, in all criminal
matters in the city court of Morgan City, including traffic violation cases, the city judge shall
assess, in addition to all other foregoing costs, the sum of twenty dollars as additional costs
of court, the proceeds from which shall be deposited in a special account, separate and
distinct from the account provided for in Subsection B, which account shall be in the name
of and under the control of the marshal of the court, shall be subject to audit, and shall be
used to defray operational expenses of the office of marshal of the court, all as may be useful
and necessary for the proper conduct of the marshal's offices, for maintenance and
improvement of jail facilities, or for purchase of law enforcement equipment, and all as may
be approved by the marshal.
H. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law and specifically notwithstanding
any contrary provision of this Section, the City Court of Bossier City may use the proceeds
derived from the costs authorized in Subsection A and deposited in a special account subject
to audit in either or both of the following ways:
(1) The proceeds may be used for operational expenses of the court, for the payment
of clerical fees, for the payment of salary supplements for personnel other than the judge or
city marshal, or other similar expenditures as may be approved by the judge, pursuant to
Subsection B.
(2) The proceeds may be used for capital expenditures for the offices of the City
Court of Bossier City, such expenditures to include but not be limited to furniture, filing
cabinets, furnishings, and similar items as may be approved by the judge.
I.(1) In all criminal matters, including traffic violations, in addition to any costs
authorized by this Section or any other provision, the City Court of Ville Platte may assess
a witness fee not to exceed nine dollars per witness as additional costs of court, the proceeds
from which shall be used to defray the costs of processing subpoenas in criminal
proceedings.
(2) In all criminal matters in the City Court of Ville Platte, including traffic
violations, when the court suspends the imposition or execution of a sentence and places the
defendant on supervised probation, the city judge may assess, in addition to any costs
authorized by this Section or any other provision, and in addition to the fine or other penalty
which may be legally imposed, a supervision fee not to exceed twenty-five dollars per month
as additional costs of court, the proceeds from which shall be used to defray the costs of
supervision.
J. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, any fees received by the City Court
of East St. Tammany pursuant to Code of Criminal Procedure Article 895.1(C) in excess of
the amount needed to defray the costs of supervision in criminal, traffic, and juvenile cases
may be used for the operational expenses of the city court.
K. If the additional costs that the city court judge is required to assess in all criminal
matters pursuant to any of the provisions of Subsection C of this Section are to be used by
a municipal police department to defray expenses for equipment and maintenance for a city
jail, in the event of closure of the jail, all of the additional costs required to be assessed, not
to exceed ten dollars, shall be used by the police department to defray expenses for housing
and maintenance of prisoners and detainees of the municipality.
NOTE: See Acts 2009, No. 88, §2, and the La. Register, 8/20/09, Vol. 35,
No. 08, pg. 1828. The Judicial Council did not approve the cost provided for
in Subsection L, as enacted by that Act.

Legislative History

Acts 1993, No. 643, §1, eff. June 15, 1993; Acts 1995, No. 125, §1; Acts 1995, No. 611, §1; Acts 1996, 1 st Ex. Sess., No. 17, §1; Acts 1997, No. 324, §1; Acts 1997, No. 326, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1073, §1; Acts 1999, No. 614, §§1, 2; Acts 1999, No. 740, §1; Acts 2001, No. 219, §1; Acts 2001, No. 993, §1, eff. June 27, 2001; Acts 2002, 1 st Ex. Sess., No. 158, §1; Acts 2005, No. 269, §1; Acts 2009, No. 88, §1; Acts 2014, No. 730, §1; Acts 2020, No. 205, §1, eff. June 11, 2020; Acts 2023, No. 121, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2024; Acts 2023, No. 121, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 2026; Acts 2025, No. 74, §2.