Fees, Payment & Appeals
What a Virginia district court adds to a fine in fixed fees, how to pay it over time, and the 10-day right to a brand-new trial on appeal.
2 guides
Two things decide what a traffic or misdemeanor case actually costs: the fine the judge imposes, and the statutory fees the clerk adds whatever the fine is. The fees are not discretionary and not negotiable — § 16.1-69.48:1 fixes them at a flat amount per case — but § 19.2-354 lets a court spread them over time or take community service instead.
And a district court's decision is not the last word. § 16.1-132 gives an automatic right of appeal to the circuit court within 10 days, and the appeal is a completely new trial, not a review of the first one.
All guides
- Virginia Appeals from District Court: The 10-Day New Trial
A Virginia appeal from a district court conviction must be noted within ten days, and the circuit court then tries the case over from the start.
- Virginia Court Fees: What a District Court Charges on a Case
Court fees in Virginia are fixed by statute: $61 in a district court misdemeanor and $51 in a traffic infraction, added to any fine on conviction.