Clallam County staff said the county will hold a public hearing on Aug. 26 to consider changes to the fee schedule required by a recent state law that added a $50 surcharge to most civil and domestic filing fees.

A county staff member described House Bill 1207 as adding a $50 surcharge; of that surcharge, $45 is remitted to state accounts and $5 must be retained by the county clerk for administering the charge. "Of that $50, 45 of it goes to state funds, and 5 of it must be retained by the county for use of clerk," the staff member said, describing updates to the county's fee schedule and noting the prosecutor's office had reviewed the changes.

County staff also proposed raising the clerk’s bench copy fee to cover e‑filing costs. The clerk currently charges $10 for bench copies for the first 100 pages, with each additional 50 pages adding $5; staff proposed increasing the initial bench‑copy fee to $15. A commissioner asked about the budgetary impact of the county’s retained $5; staff estimated preliminary annual revenue from the $5 retention to be about $2,200 to $2,500 depending on case counts.

A commissioner confirmed other fees are set by state statute (RCW) and the county has limited discretion for those. Commissioners set a public hearing on Aug. 26 to consider the amended schedule and directed staff to finalize the hearing notice.