Beginning January 1, 2007, a fee of one dollar shall be taxed as costs in each criminal proceeding, including traffic infractions and misdemeanors, filed in all courts of this state for violations of state law or city or village ordinances. No such fee shall be collected in any juvenile court proceeding or when waived under section 29-2709. Such fee shall be remitted to the State Treasurer on forms prescribed by the State Treasurer within ten days after the close of each calendar quarter. The State Treasurer shall credit the money to the Civil Legal Services Fund.
§ 25-3010.Civil Legal Services Fund; how funded.
Article 30: Legal Aid and Civil Legal Services Programs · Last amended 2006 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section funds the Civil Legal Services Fund with a one-dollar fee taxed as costs in most criminal and traffic cases statewide, exempting juvenile proceedings and fees waived under section 29-2709, with quarterly remittance to the State Treasurer.
Full Text of § 25-3010
Source
Laws 2006, LB 746, § 6.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-3010 answers where the Civil Legal Services Fund gets its money. Beginning January 1, 2007, every court in Nebraska taxes a one-dollar fee as costs in each criminal proceeding it handles for violations of state law or a city or village ordinance, including traffic infractions and misdemeanors. Two carve-outs apply: no fee is collected in juvenile court proceedings, and none is collected when a court waives it under section 29-2709.
Courts do not send the money in one lump sum. Each court remits the fee to the State Treasurer, on forms the treasurer prescribes, within ten days after the close of every calendar quarter. The State Treasurer then credits that money to the Civil Legal Services Fund, keeping the program running on a steady stream of small fees collected across nearly every criminal case in the state rather than on a single annual appropriation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the Civil Legal Services Fund funded?
By a one-dollar fee taxed as costs in each criminal proceeding, including traffic infractions and misdemeanors, filed in Nebraska courts for violations of state law or a city or village ordinance.
Does the fee apply to traffic tickets?
Yes. Traffic infractions are included among the proceedings where the one-dollar fee is taxed as costs.
Are any proceedings exempt from the fee?
Yes. Juvenile court proceedings do not carry the fee, and it is not collected when waived under section 29-2709.
How often must courts remit the fee to the state?
Within ten days after the close of each calendar quarter, on forms the State Treasurer prescribes.
Who ultimately receives the money collected under this fee?
The State Treasurer credits it to the Civil Legal Services Fund, which section 25-3007 uses to fund grants under the Civil Legal Services Program.
When did this fee start being collected?
Beginning January 1, 2007.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: one dollar court fee nebraskacivil legal services fund funding sourcecriminal case surcharge nebraska legal aidtraffic fine legal aid fee nebraska