Traffic tickets now paid online at Recorder’s Court, official says
In a move to make it easier for people paying traffic citations and other fines, Columbus Recorder’s Court has teamed up with nCourt to offer the ability to use credit cards and debit cards to make payments.
The agreement with the nation’s leading independent payment processing solution for government agencies also will allow payments online and over the phone, said Donna Willingham, chief deputy clerk of Recorder’s Court. The system has been up and running for more than a week with no problems, she said.
“We are pleased with the response of the payments made online and feel that this process will provide a great service for the citizens of Muscogee County and individuals needing to make payments to Recorder’s Court,” Willingham said.
One of the most common requests to Judge Julius Hunter is providing the mobile community with the convenience of paying traffic fines online or by telephone.
“It will save foot traffic, save people time and they don’t have to take off work,” Willingham said. “They can can go online or make a phone call.”
People who want to dispute their tickets must still go to court.
Instead of waiting in line at the clerk’s office, people can access the website in English and Spanish. The system will allow out-of-state drivers the ability to pay remotely.
When using the service, payments must be remitted prior to 8 a.m., one business day before court, which doesn’t include Saturday and Sunday. No partial payments are accepted.
Willingham has no idea how many people will use the new system but nCourt indicated that about 40 percent of people facing fines will use the system.
The website is www.crcpay.com, which accepts credit card payments from Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover from 7 a.m. until 12 a.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The amount of your fine may be determined with fine calculator. The payments are confirmed promptly and there is a small fee charged by nCourt to offset the expense of using the system.
To protect card users, nCourt ensures security of every transaction with encryption to protect the cardholder data.
If you do not go online, you can make a payment by calling 706-358-4232. You will be guided through the payment process by live, bilingual customer service professionals. Payments are still processed if you want to visit a clerk at Recorder’s Court.
This story was originally published August 25, 2018 at 2:05 PM.