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How to Pay Fines, Fees, and Costs

The Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller collects all criminal and traffic fines, fees, and costs and distributes the proceeds according to Florida Statutes. Fees and fines can be paid all at once, or a payment plan can be established to make periodic payments towards your case.

Fines, fees, and costs may be paid by cash, cashier’s check, or money order, and most may be paid with a credit card. For credit card payments, the financial service provider charges a nonrefundable fee for each transaction. Personal checks are not accepted for criminal cases. NOTE: We do not accept cashier’s checks dated more than two (2) months from the issue date.

Credit cards accepted are Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. The only debit cards accepted are those with the Visa or MasterCard logo.

Checks and money order payments to the Clerk’s Office should be made payable to “Gary J. Cooney, Clerk of Court & Comptroller.” Be sure to make note of the case or citation number on your cashier’s check or money order.


Pay Online:

Payments of eligible traffic tickets and criminal fees & fines can be made online using the CLERKPay Online Courts Payment System. Payments can be made by credit card. The financial service provider charges a nominal, nonrefundable fee for each credit card transaction paid online.

Pay Traffic Ticket Online

Pay Criminal Fees/Fines Online

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Pay by Phone:

Payments by phone are available for all criminal fines and fees, and eligible civil traffic citations. NOTE: Payment by phone is not available for traffic citations that require proof of valid registration, driver license, or insurance.

Automated Pay-by-Phone (For civil traffic payments only):

If you are within 30 days from the date you received your traffic ticket, and you would like to pay your ticket and are not attending driver improvement school, you can call our automated voice response telephone line at (855) 984-1187 to make your payment 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

The system will prompt you for your driver license number and date of birth, and will then walk you through making your payment.

Customer-Assisted Phone Payments (For all criminal and eligible traffic payments):

To make a payment by credit card with the help of a customer service agent, call (352) 608-3008 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, or from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

The customer-assisted phone payments will be closed on the following days:

  • Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025
  • Monday, Jan. 20, 2025
  • Monday, May 26, 2025
  • Friday, July 4, 2025
  • Monday, Sept. 1, 2025
  • Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025
  • Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025
  • Friday, Nov. 28, 2025
  • Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025
  • Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025

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Pay In-Person:

Payments for court-obligated fees & fines can be paid in-person at the Lake County Courthouse, East Wing, First Floor, 550 W. Main St., Tavares, FL 32778. If using a credit card in person, a photo I.D., which matches the name of the credit card holder must be presented at the time of the transaction. The financial service provider charges a nominal, nonrefundable fee for each credit card transaction paid in-person.

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Pay by Mail:

To make a payment by mail, you can send a cashier’s check or money order (no cash) to the Lake County Clerk’s Office, ATTN: Court Payments, P.O. Box 7800, Tavares, FL 32778. Please allow ample time for delivery and processing. Be sure to make note of the case or citation number on your cashier’s check or money order.

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Pay by Drop-Box:

To make a next-business-day payment, the Clerk’s Office offers convenient drop-box locations for these services, which are available 24/7. Only check and money order payments (no cash) should be made by drop-box. Be sure to make note of the case or citation number on your check or money order. Drop-boxes are available at the following three locations:

  • Clermont
    290 Citrus Tower Blvd., Suite 116, Clermont
    Pickup Time: 10:45 a.m., Monday through Friday
  • Downtown Tavares (Guardian Ad Litem/Veterans Services Building)
    418 W. Alfred Street, Tavares
    Pickup Time: 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
  • Leesburg
    1720 N. Citrus Blvd, Leesburg
    Pickup Time: 10:30 a.m., Monday through Friday

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Payment Plans:

Payment plans are available to assist in the repayment of your fees and fines for civil, criminal, and traffic cases. There is a $25 administrative fee for each payment contract signed. To establish a payment plan, visit the Courts Management Department payment counter, located in the Lake County Courthouse, East Wing, First Floor, 550 W. Main St., Tavares, FL 32778.

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