When (and how) to use a waiver account for filing fees.

The e-filing system allows you to pay filing fees either through a credit card or a waiver account. You probably already have a credit card on file, but may not have a waiver account set up yet.

Here's why you might want to set up a waiver account:

1. You represent a government agency that is exempt from filing fees. One example we've come across is an attorney that represents several school districts and regularly has to file small claims cases for textbook fees. 
2. Your client is indigent and you believe that the court will grant a fee waiver to your client. The local rules on this may vary, so check with your court, but in general, most courts advise that for an initial filing that includes a motion to waive filing fees, you should use a waiver account. If the motion is denied, you will simply have to pay the fees at that time. (This approach stems from the practical acknowledgment that in government accounting systems, it's much easier to collect money later than go through the refund process for fees collected in error.)
3. You are filing a case type that usually requires a fee, but due to your client's circumstance, no fee is required. For example, most expungement (XP) cases require a filing fee, but if your client is petitioning for the removal of a juvenile arrest record that did not result in a conviction under IC 35-38-9-1, the court may not charge a filing fee. The e-filing system will assess fees based on the more common use of this case type, and to avoid being charged, you should file using a waiver account.

Before doing any of the filings described above, you should prepare by setting up a waiver account. That's very easy:

1. Click on the "e-filing" tab and then select "E-Filing Account Administration" from the actions listed on the left side of the page.
2. Click on the "New Payment Account" button in the upper right of your account information:
   
3. Give the account any name you choose, then select "Waiver" from the Account Type drop-down menu and save.
   
4. The Waiver account will now appear in the drop-down list of available payment methods whenever you file:
   

Two hiccups in the rollout of July 1 changes

This morning, we learned of two issues with changes that took effect on July 1:

Two fees displayed:

Due to a limitation in the clerk's portion of the system, in some counties both the old and new amounts will be shown for the sheriff's service fee for a few days. This will go away as soon as all filings submitted before 7/1 are processed, so probably within a week.

When you are filing, you should always select the new (higher) amount for the sheriff's service fee.

Fees displayed incorrectly: 

[This problem has been corrected, you can safely ignore the information below, but we have kept the information because it sometimes helps to know that a problem existed even after it is gone.]

For some counties, the sheriff's service fee is displayed as $29 rather than $28 in the area where you select sheriff's service. Fortunately, you can safely ignore this, because when the final fees are calculated, the correct $28 fee is assessed and displayed just before you hit the "submit" button.

This is a problem with tables that will need to be corrected by the folks at the State, so we have made them aware of the problem and expect that they will fix it later today. Unfortunately, we can't fix this on our end, so we'll have to wait for their response.

Important changes to court fees and processes starting on July 1.

On July 1, several important changes to court filing processes and fees will occur that you will need to be aware of:

In e-filing counties:

Sheriff's Civil Process Fees must be paid through the e-filing system. Previously, some counties required that you pay the sheriff directly. What this means to you is that when you are filing a document that you want the Sheriff to serve (usually the summons) you will click on "Sheriff's Service" in the "Optional Services" area. To make it easy for the Sheriff to know that you have paid the fee, we suggest that when you give the papers to be served to the Sheriff you also provide a copy of the "Notice of Electronic Filing" that shows the fee you paid. Click here for a post that describes in detail how to do this. [Update: on 7/11, we learned that you should also include the Notice of Acceptance. Details here.]

You will no longer have to pay the fee for service via certified mail to additional defendants or garnishee defendants. This is because you are responsible for completing service via certified mail now, and should not have to pay the clerk for a service no longer provided. Note that in counties that are not e-filing, the clerk still provides this service, and the fees for additional defendants remain in place.

In all counties:

Sheriff's service fees are increasing to $28. This fee may be collected once for pre-judgment and once for post-judgment. The single payment of the fee in both situations covers all attempts to serve.

Most case filing fees will increase moderately due to the collective effect of eight changes in individual court cost fees beginning on July 1:

• As noted above, in e-filing counties, the extra defendant fees will no longer be collected. In all other counties, a $10 fee will be added for any additional defendants named in the initial filing and any garnishee defendants after the first three.
• The automated record-keeping fee has increased from $19 to $20. (It was previously scheduled to decrease to $5 in 2017, so this is actually a $15 increase over the previous plan.)
• The DNA sample processing fee has increased from $2 to $3.
• Highway worksite zone fees are variable and can be either $0.50 cents or $25.50 depending on the nature of the offense.
• Courts that adopt a local rule imposing late payment fees may add a $25 fee to fines and fees for any criminal case not paid on the due date.
• The $50 mortgage foreclosure counseling and education fee on MF cases goes away.
• Counties that have adopted an approved plan may charge a $20 Alternative Dispute Resolution fee for separation, paternity, and marriage dissolution cases
• A judge may add alcohol and drug services program fees and/or alcohol and drug countermeasure fees in any amount to any infraction/ordinance case.

Since these fees affect different filing types, the effect on total fees varies, but here's our attempt at a simple summary:

• Most Civil cases (including MF) will have a total initial filing fee of $157. In some counties, the family law cases will have the $20 ADR fee added to this.
• Probate cases increase slightly to $177.
• Small Claims cases will have a total initial filing fee of $87 in e-filing counties, but the initial fee is $97 and may be increased due to additional defendants in other counties. [This section was corrected on July 6th.]

• Juvenile cases will have court costs of $176 at a minimum but may increase depending on circumstances.

• Infraction cases will have court costs of $135 at a minimum but may increase depending on circumstances.
• Criminal cases will have court costs of $185 at a minimum but may increase depending on circumstances.

• Child Restraint and Seatbelt violations are not affected by the changes in court costs, but they are subject to the $25 late fees in courts that adopt a local rule.

• Deferral Program fees remain at $192.50 for traffic offenses and $192 for non-traffic.
• Diversion Program fees increase to $274.50 for traffic offenses and $274 for non-traffic.

Did we miss anything important? Please use the comment area below to let us know!

New Predictable Recording Fees, Effective July 1st

Filing fees for Recording Documents in Indiana are changing. Beginning July 1st, 2017, Recorders Offices across Indiana will begin using a new fee schedule meant to make your filing fees simpler and more predictable.

Keep in mind that these fees will apply based on when the documents are received in the Recorder's Office. Another small change to the fee schedule raises the fee for oversized copies (largely for plats) to $5.00 per page.

Mortgages	$55.00
including Subordinate Mortgages and re-recorded mortgages
Deeds and all other instruments	$25.00
including re-recorded documents Other recording fees to be aware of:
The flat filing fee allows up to one oversize page per document.
Each additional page over 8.5" x 14"	$5.00
For Mechanic's Liens, your filing fee includes one mail out.
Each additional mail out	$2.00
For multiple transaction documents (a/k/a blanket documents), your filing fee includes one cross reference.
Each additional cross reference	$7.00
Copy Fees:
Copies 11" x 17" or smaller, per page	$1.00
Copies larger than 11" x 17", per page	$5.00
Certification of Document	$5.00
UCC Filings have not changed, but those fees are:
UCC Filing, Continuation, Amendment, or Assignment
1 or 2 pages	$9.00
3 or more pages	$13.00
UCC-11 Information Request
single debtor name	$10.00
each additional name	$5.00

Also be aware that Marion County has an additional fund collected through the Recorder's Office for housing, and that will create a longer transition period in that county. The fees for Marion County beginning July 1st, and the anticipated final fees can be found here:

http://www.indy.gov/eGov/County/Recorder/Documents/FeeChangeNotice.pdf

For additional information about these changes and other details of Senate Bill 505, the page for that and links to the full text are here:

https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2017/bills/senate/505

New "e-filing" Tab replaces the menu under "my doxpop" tab. Don't get lost!

On Thursday, June 22nd we will be moving Doxpop's E-filing features to their own tab. We believe you will get used to this change quickly, but it may be disorienting for the first few hours, so here is what to expect.

The most important thing to remember is that you will no longer find the e-filing features under the "my doxpop" tab:

Within the e-filing tab, you'll find the menu options that were previously under the "my doxpop" tab available through large buttons along the left side:

In the top right corner, you will find the options for locating cases to file on. All of these searches will put you directly into the e-filing screen when you locate the case.

The top search tool is for situations where you have the exact case number, and is the method you must use to locate confidential cases or appeals. This tool uses few of Doxpop's advanced search features, so we don't charge you a search to locate a case using this method, but it is less user-friendly than other approaches. As you type the case number, the system will try to determine the location automatically. This works in most situations but in counties such as Tippecanoe where two case tracking systems are in use, you may need to specify "Quest" or "Odyssey":

Moving down the right side, the second search tool is for situations where you are searching for cases by party or attorney name. This search will not return confidential cases or appeals cases, but is an easy way to quickly locate cases where you just have a name. This search uses Doxpop's advanced search features, and thus "uses" one of your allotted searches. You must begin this search by specifying the court location:

Finally, the third search tool allows you to list all cases attached to a service contact in your firm. This method of locating cases does not use one of your searches:

As always, if you have questions or would like assistance with your firm administration and service contacts, please don't hesitate to give us a call!

Make sure that important email doesn't go in the spam can!

Updated 8/6/21

In the context of e-filing, it has become especially important that your email from the court makes it through unfettered and in a timely fashion. Here are some tips on how to make that happen:

First, make sure you control the filtering. Some Internet Service Providers "helpfully" remove those messages that they deem to be spam before it even gets to your email client. You should view this practice with caution, because it means you aren't in direct control.

Second, recognize that there are several types of email to make sure you don't classify as spam:

• Notice of Acceptance: Emails acknowledging receipt or acceptance of e-filing. These always come back to the filer only (not necessarily the attorney).
• Notice of Service: These go to an attorney's public service contact, which may mean that administrative copies are being sent to an assistant as well as the attorney.
• Notices of Orders & Judgments: These aren't really part of e-filing, but are equally important. This is how most counties now deliver documents signed by the judge to you. These always go to a single email address.
• Doxpop Notifications: If you are a Doxpop subscriber, you may also have configured our service to send you notifications of changes in specific cases or more broadly, notification of any change to your hearing schedule.

Third, configure your email client to never flag emails as spam if they come from any of the known court domains or addresses This is called "whitelisting."

In Outlook, you can do this manually by going to [Junk] -> [Junk Email Options] -> [Safe Senders] -> [Add…]

In Google Mail, you can do this manually by [Gear Icon] -> [Settings] -> [Filters and Blocked Addresses] -> [Create New Filter]

Below are the senders you should whitelist. We'll update this as new services or counties are added:

Here's the list of domains that you should always accept email from:

• doxpop.com
• efilingmail.tylertech.cloud
• tylerhost.net
• tylertech.com
• courts.in.gov

 And some specific addresses:

• enotifications@courts.in.gov
• notify@switzerlandcountycourthouse.org
• notify@warrickcounty.gov
• notify@randolph.in.gov

If you use Google Mail or Outlook, we’ve already created filters for you that do all of this, and you can just download & import them. Here are the instructions:

Google Mail:

• Download the filter here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1d5n4sdsYyq4x7fL9cbhKmp7-JRRMLuTn
• Go to [Gear Icon]->[Settings]->[Filters and Blocked Addresses].
• Near the bottom of the page, just right of center, click on "Import Filters".
• Click on "Choose File".
• Browse to where you saved "Doxpop_Gmail_Court_Whitelist" and double-click the file.
• Click on "Open File"
• Scroll down to the bottom and click on "Create Filters"

Outlook:

• Download the filter here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BJgL0F-d5dy05_Rhuxwo0zRl-LpxURDF
• Go to [Junk]->[Junk Email Options...]->[Safe Senders].
• Click on [Import from File…]
• Browse to where you saved "Doxpop_Outlook_Court_Whitelist" and double-click on it.
• Click on [OK]

E-Filing adoptions and how to pay the special fees.

There has been some confusion about how the various fees are paid when an adoption case is filed.

When you e-file a petition for adoption, the e-filing system will automatically assess the case filing fee. (Usually $156)

In addition, you will need to deliver to the clerk's office two checks made out to the Indiana State Department of Health:

• A $20 check for the adoption history fee. (Sometimes called a medical history fee.)
• A $50 check for the putative father registry fee.

The clerk's office in the county where you are filing will attach the checks to the portion of the paperwork that goes to the Health Department and submit the packet for processing.

The confusion is due to the fact that prior to e-filing, some clerks collected these fees along with the filing fees and then disbursed the money to the State agencies themselves. For consistency, it was decided to have the filer supply these fees with separate checks in all counties where e-filing has been implemented.

Filename length for e-filing extended to 100 characters.

Good news!-

The folks operating the Indiana State E-filing Manager just increased the maximum length for filenames from 50 characters to 100 characters. That will make life easier for folks who use long filenames that include case numbers or party names to organize their PDF documents.

The 100 character limit includes the ".pdf" portion, so effectively you have 96 characters to work with.

Note that the "file" and the "description" are two different fields. More than 1000 characters are allowed in the description. The picture below shows the difference.

This change takes effect immediately.

Kosciusko begins e-filing, here's what you need to know about them.

Kosciusko County started e-filing last Friday (5/8/17), and Clerk Ann Torpy reports that so far everything is running smoothly. E-filing is voluntary for the next couple of months and will become mandatory on July 3rd. (We'll celebrate with fireworks the next day!)

If you are new to e-filing or want a refresher on the rules and process, Doxpop will be doing a training session at Noon on May 17th in Warsaw that qualifies for 1.5 hours of CLE credit for attorneys. If you'd like to attend that session (no cost), contact Kosciusko Co. Bar Association President Robert Bishop to RSVP. (574-372-2421 or rbishop@kcgov.com)

As always, remember that if you already have a doxpop account, you can begin e-filing through our system at no additional cost, and without having to learn a new system. Just give us a call at 866-369-7671 to get started.

Here are a couple of details to help you get started e-filing in Kosciusko:

1) For Sheriff's Service of civil process, pay for the service through the e-filing system when you file the summons, then deliver 3 copies of the documents to the Sheriff's Department. If you are unfamiliar with this method of paying for service, please refer to our earlier blog post for Vanderburgh that explains how to pay for service through the e-filing system and provide proof of payment to the Sheriff. The process is essentially identical for Kosciusko.

2) Orders and Judgments will be sent to you using the county's e-notice system. Since they don't use the Odyssey system, the e-mail address they send these notices to is controlled locally. That means it's worth calling the clerk's office to make sure they have the correct email address for you. Their phone number is (574) 372-2331, and they are very friendly people to work with.

When you receive judgments & orders, they will come from notify@kcgov.com. Make sure your email client doesn't put anything from that address in the spam can!

The information above has been added to our general survey of counties found here (for Sheriff's service) and here (for judgment & orders.)

Doxpop lets you order minute entries both ways.

Last week, we responded to numerous suggestions to reverse the chronological order of minute entries in case details, so the most recent events would be easy to find at the top of the list.

Then we heard from a small but important group of people who really liked it the old way.

In the long run, we plan to make the order of minute entries something that each user can set in their personal preferences, but that's part of a project that won't happen until late summer, and in the meantime, we want to serve both groups of people as well as we can manage.

So the short-term solution is that minute entries will continue to be in reverse chronological order on the "Case Details" screen, but anyone who needs chronological ordering can get it using the "CCS" view. There are two ways to get to that view:

You can either go to it directly from your search results...

...Or you can switch to the CCS view from within case details: