Contributed by
the city of Opelika

The city of Opelika is offering its first ever Court Forgiveness Program. The program provides an opportunity for those with certain municipal court charges to clear their cases without concern of being physically arrested.

 “This program is a tremendous benefit for the citizens of Opelika,” said Judge Wes McCollum. “Our hope is that these individuals will take advantage of this opportunity.”

Court forgiveness is offered to all individuals who have received traffic or parking tickets, failure to appear or pay fines and for whom warrants have been issued or pending on these charges. Anyone wishing to take advantage of the program may do so by presenting themselves to the Municipal Court magistrates office located at 300 MLK Blvd. between Feb. 1 to March 31, 2022. Extended hours will be available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. This is drop in only. No appointments required. Eligible individuals must bring at least one form of identification. Payments can be made with cash, Visa or Mastercard. If eligible individuals cannot pay the full amount, he/she can speak with the court to arrange a payment plan. Individuals also have the opportunity to do community service or the Ready to Work program in lieu of fines and costs.

It is important to note that only individuals who have outstanding warrants for failing to pay traffic or parking fines or for failing to attend court on their assigned date are eligible for this program. It also includes probation and Time To Pay (TTP) cases since these have been adjudicated. Should any eligible individual with a warrant come into contact with law enforcement prior to taking advantage of this court forgiveness program, he/she is subject to immediate arrest. The Court Forgiveness program does not include new drug, alcohol, firearm and domestic violence cases. 

“The city incurs high expenses to deal with those people who ignore the law,” said Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller. “We simply ask that people communicate with our court clerk so that we can work with them and put their criminal case behind them.” 

For a full listing of details on the Court Forgiveness Program, visit www.opelika-al.gov or call the Opelika Municipal Court office at 334-705-5196.