Rule 3.57.Amount of lien for waived fees and costs

Division 2. Waiver of Fees and Costs · Adopted 2009 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026

In one sentenceRule 3.57 lets any party in a case with a granted fee waiver ask the court clerk to calculate the total amount of fees and costs waived so far, which sets the amount of the court’s lien.

Full Text of Rule 3.57

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To determine the amount of the court lien for waived fees and costs, any party to a civil action in which an initial fee waiver has been granted may ask the clerk to calculate the total amount of court fees and costs that have been waived as of the date of the request.

Plain-English Summary

Waived fees are not necessarily gone for good. California law allows the court to recover them later out of money the fee-waiver recipient wins or receives in the case, through a lien. Rule 3.57 gives any party a way to find out how big that lien currently is: ask the clerk, and the clerk calculates the running total of fees and costs waived as of that date.

That figure matters most at settlement or judgment, when the parties need to know what the court is owed before money changes hands. Rule 3.57 makes getting that number a clerical request rather than something that requires a motion or a hearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you find out how much is owed on a California court fee-waiver lien?

Any party may ask the clerk to calculate the total fees and costs waived as of the date of the request, under Rule 3.57.

Does a fee waiver mean the fees are gone for good?

Not necessarily. The waived amount can become a lien the court may later recover, which is why Rule 3.57 provides a way to calculate the current total.

Amendment History

Rule 3.57 adopted effective July 1, 2009.

Source & verification. Rule text is reproduced verbatim from the Judicial Council of California. Adopted by the Judicial Council of California. Last verified July 29, 2026. · Official source

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