Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1962 NO. 136 >

Clerks of the superior court may not charge a fee to the state department of licenses for performing the duty required by statute of submitting to the director of licenses certified abstracts of certain traffic convictions and certified records of any judgment for damages rendered with respect to certain traffic offenses.

AGO 1958 NO. 166 >

Recording of satisfaction of a mortgage by the state of Washington does not require payment of county filing fee.

AGO 1951 NO. 171 >

Habitual drunkard proceedings are civil in nature, the prosecuting attorney is not obligated to bring the action, and filing fees and other fees are to be paid by the complainant, who may recover costs if the complaint be sustained.

AGO 1958 NO. 176 >

Rates for publishing legal notices may be determined by express contract between the parties thereto.   The publication fee may be based upon rate per column inch rather than fixed charge per folio.  Approval of a legal newspaper may not be revoked for receipt of publication fee in excess of statutory rate.

AGO 1954 NO. 191 >

The ten cent fee imposed for each motor vehicle not otherwise taxed herein by section 9, chapter 254, Laws of 1953, does not apply to trailers under four thousand pounds.

AGO 1952 NO. 263 >

(1) The increase in compensation for diking district commissioners provided by RCW 85.04.400 (chapter 30, Laws of 1951), which was approved February 28, 1951, but which had no emergency clause and therefore did not become effective until 90 days after approval, does not apply to diking commissioners whose terms of office began prior to the effective date of the act, even though such commissioners were elected and took office after the passage and approval of the act.(2) That candidates for the office of diking commissioners should file their declarations of candidacy with the board of diking commissioners but are not required to pay a filing fee.

AGO 1956 NO. 270 >

Neither the appointment of a guardian ad litem for a minor defendant in a divorce action upon the application of the plaintiff, nor the guardian's oral report to the court at the time a default judgment is entered against the defendant, constitutes an appearance requiring the defendant to pay an appearance fee to the clerk of the superior court.

AGO 1956 NO. 318 >

A sheriff may not, under the 13th paragraph of RCW 36.18.040, charge mileage fees for an unsuccessful attempt to serve an individual in addition to mileage fees charged on a second trip when service was successfully made.

AGO 1956 NO. 323 >

The county clerk may charge a judgment fee for the entry of a judgment in a guardianship proceeding against the guardian and surety, such judgment running in favor of the ward and the newly appointed guardian.

AGO 1953 NO. 488 >

No fee should be collected by the county clerk for the dismissal of a garnishee defendant or for the dismissal of supplemental proceedings since both proceedings are ancillary to the main action.