Late Fines to Be Cleared on May 4

Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.Attention: This post is over 2 years old and the information may be out of date.

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On May 4, we will clear late fines from all library accounts. We call this new initiative called A Fresh Start for All. This will give library users a fresh start before we resume charging late fines on September 15.

The pandemic placed many hardships on King County communities. To help, we temporarily stopped assessing late fines in March 2020. We understand you may have accumulated overdue materials. You will have until September 15 to return items before late fines resume.

Learn more about the actions we're taking to help prepare patrons for this change.

Starting May 4:
 
  • All accounts will automatically receive a one-time waiver of late fines.
  • Charges for lost and damaged materials will remain on accounts.
  • Items that are more than 30 days overdue will be processed as lost. Replacement charges for these items will appear on patron accounts. 
  • Patrons with lost materials and balances greater than $25 will receive billing notices. You will have until September 15 to return items or pay fees before accounts are blocked.

Starting September 15:

  • We will resume charging late fines.
  • Accounts with balances greater than $25 will be blocked. Blocked accounts will not be able to renew items or check out additional materials.
  • We will introduce automatic renewals. We will renew your materials if there are no other holds on them. More information about this feature will be available later this summer. 

What changes do you want to see at your library? How can we better meet your needs? Go to our comment form to share your suggestions.

Related FAQs

  • Fines-free means that we won't charge you late fines on materials that we own.

    You may get late fines for interlibrary loan items. When you borrow an interlibrary loan, you're borrowing items that we don't own. The library system that owns the materials may charge you late fines.

  • Yes, materials have due dates. We still expect you to return or renew materials on time as others are often waiting to enjoy those items too. We send several due date reminders to borrowers.  

    Please make sure your contact information in your account is current so you don’t miss these alerts. 

    Find out what kinds of due date alerts are available and how to manage them. 

  • We will notify you if you have overdue items. If you don't return the items within 60 days of the due date, we will charge you a replacement cost for the items.  

    Replacement fees vary depending on the item. You will not be able to borrow physical items if you owe more than $75 in lost fees. You will need to pay that balance down to $75 or less before you can check out physical items again. 

  • Studies have shown that late fines are not effective. Fines can actually stop people from using or returning items to the library. Libraries with fines-free policies have reported few problems and increased use.

  • Fines-free libraries report similar return rates. In addition, we run reports to let us know if we need to order additional copies of popular items.

View more about Fines