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New initiative to pardon outstanding traffic fines and fees

Birmingham, AL – The City of Birmingham has launched an initiative called Stop and Go, which will provide pardons for the 756, 531 outstanding traffic and parking violations in the Birmingham Municipal Court for the years prior to January 1, 2011. Stop and Go is an acronym for Suspend Traffic Obligations Permanently & Grant Opportunities.  

 Under Alabama Code §12-14-15, Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin is using his executive authority to remit these traffic fines and parking fees. The outstanding traffic fines and parking fees total around $35 million. The city, however, does not recognize revenue until it is collected so there is no debt associated with this within the city’s budget.  

 “For many Birmingham residents, this looming debt has been a hardship and economic roadblock from moving forward with employment, education and the ability to drive,” Mayor Woodfin said. “I hope to clear a path toward economic empowerment. This pardon offers a new day for them.” 

 The mayor’s pardon goes into effect on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Individuals with fees and fines that meet the criteria do not have to do anything. Those who desire written verification should allow time for all records to be updated. The Municipal Court and Birmingham Police Department are aware of the mayor’s executive order and will not issue punitive action based on tickets and fines that fall within those dates. The Stop and Go initiative does not apply to misdemeanors, felonies, and serious driving offenses, such as DUIs. 

Many beneficiaries of this initiative include individuals who are homeless, cannot read their parking or traffic tickets because of illiteracy, who have been incarcerated, etc. “While serving as an attorney for the City of Birmingham, I witnessed how insurmountable debt from traffic and parking fines can be crippling to those who already have financial hardships,” Mayor Woodfin said. “This is a second chance.” 

The mayor’s pardon does not authorize expungement of any city records and does not eliminate the requirement to comply with all legal requirements necessary for any request for expungement of conviction from an individual’s record.   

The Birmingham Municipal Court has records of traffic and parking fees and fines as far back as 1958. “Earnest efforts have been made to collect these monies,” said Birmingham Municipal Court Judge Andra Sparks. “Over the last ten years, we have created and implemented a number efficiencies and supportive measures to make sure backlogs and extended periods of collections do not continue.” 

A few of these measures include: the creation of Life University, a comprehensive life skills support program; the authorization of community service as a financial support and as a life skills tool; employment liaison support for unemployed and underemployed individuals as well as job placement; re-entry/assimilation support for previously convicted individuals; financial counseling for current balances; educational and literacy support; public school drop-out recovery and many others.  

For more information about the Stop and Go initiative, go to birminghamal.gov/stopandgo. If you have questions, email them to stopandgo@birminghamal.gov or call 205-254-2702 during the hours of 12-2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.