Clallam County commissioners approve new court fee schedule
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 22, 2026
PORT ANGELES — The fees charged by Clallam County Superior Court have been amended.
Superior Court Clerk Nikki Botnen presented the reasons for new fees to the Clallam County commissioners on Tuesday.
“In recent legislation, House Bill 2543 was passed, amending RCW 36.18.020, which directs what fees the clerk can charge for services,” Botnen said during a public hearing on the new fee schedule. “The language in the RCW was outdated and didn’t fall in line with rules set out for appeal and how the clerk should provide copies of exhibits for council.”
The RCW directs how the clerk’s office can provide electronic copies of audio and also photographs of physical exhibits as well as what type of medium they can be provided on, Botnen said.
“It just helps the clerk so that we can better serve our appellate attorneys,” she said.
The court clerk used to charge $15 for providing bench copies to the court as a way to offset expenses for the e-filing system, but the clerk’s office has switched to a new system with no charge.
“There’s no longer a need for us to offset any costs,” Botnen said. “And so we’ve eliminated that service from our office. We’ll still provide copies at no charge if they’re delivered to us to the court. But there’s no longer a reason for us to charge for a service that we don’t need to provide.”
The fee schedule the clerk will now use includes $5 for each photo of an exhibit, $25 for providing a copy of an electronic exhibit, and $5 for copies delivered on an electronic storage medium. The fee for electronic files will change from 25 cents to 50 cents, and there will be a $25 fee for audio recordings of court proceedings.
No one spoke during the public hearing before commissioners approved the new fee schedule.
Also Tuesday, commissioners approved an easement with Clallam County PUD for a new junction box and connection for the county’s Lake Creek shop. The project will include boring under U.S. Highway 101 to bring the upgraded utilities to the shop, according to county documents.
Commissioners also approved awarding an annual supply contract for the hot mix asphalt to Lake Industries, Inc. of Port Angeles. The county went out to bid for the services and received just one bid back by April 14. Lakeside Industries’ total bid price was $393.455.70.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
