Rule 2.140.Application for Waiver or Deferral of Fees or Court Costs
Current through August 1, 2026 · Last verified September 12, 2026
Full Text of Rule 2.140
Plain-English Summary
Asking a court to waive or defer fees means describing your finances, and this rule keeps that description private. The court must segregate an application for waiver or deferral of fees or court costs filed under ORS 21.698 from documents that are subject to public inspection, and public inspection of the application is prohibited except as this rule or another provision of law authorizes. The protection is automatic. Unlike UTCR 2.100 and UTCR 2.110, nothing here requires you to file a request, complete a separate form, or pay for the privilege.
The access rules are short and firm. You may inspect an application you filed. No other party to the proceeding may inspect an application filed by another party, which means an opponent cannot use the application as a window into your finances. Oregon Judicial Department personnel may have access when court business requires it.
One limit is worth reading carefully. The rule does not cut off a person's legal right to inspect the application where ORS 21.698 or another provision of law allows it. What the rule does is close the ordinary route by which anything in a court file becomes public, and close the door to the other parties in the case; it does not override a right of access that exists somewhere else in the law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my fee waiver application public in Oregon?
No. The court must segregate an application for waiver or deferral of fees or court costs filed under ORS 21.698 from documents subject to public inspection, and public inspection is prohibited except as this rule or another provision of law authorizes.
Can the other party in my case look at my application?
No. The rule states that no other party to a proceeding may inspect an application filed by another party. Your financial circumstances do not become discoverable to your opponent by the act of asking the court for relief from fees.
Can I see my own application?
Yes. A party may inspect an application described in this rule that was filed by that party.
Who at the court can see it?
Oregon Judicial Department personnel may have access to the application when it is required for court business. That is the staff access the rule allows, and it is tied to the work rather than open to anyone within the Department.
Does anyone outside the case have a right to inspect it?
Possibly. The rule preserves a person's legal right to inspect the application where ORS 21.698 or another provision of law allows it. What the rule removes is the default of public inspection and access by other parties, not a right of access granted elsewhere in the law.