Payment of Centre County ARD Costs and Fees

After a person is formally admitted into the ARD program by a Centre County judge, the person meets with the probation department to sign a payment contract for the ARD costs and fees. While a person participating in the ARD program is not convicted of the charges and thereby does not have to pay any fines, the costs of ARD are still very high. Many DUI cases are approximately $2,500.00, and non-DUI cases such as Possession of a Small Amount of Marijuana or Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor are approximately $1,400.00.

It must be emphasized that this review of ARD conditions covers the majority of routine ARD cases in Centre County, but this review of the program cannot cover all situations as the district attorney and probation department can impose special ARD conditions when deemed appropriate. The ARD costs can be substantially increased if restitution is added. For example, if the underlying criminal charge involved damage to property, then the person is required to pay for that damage via restitution, and restitution amounts are added to the ARD costs and fees. In some cases, the district attorney may also mandate that restitution amounts are paid in full on the date of ARD placement.

ARD Payments

In Centre County, a person is normally not required to pay any ARD costs and fees prior to being placed on the program. After being placed, the ARD participant signs a payment contract that generally gives the person 10 months to pay all ARD costs and fees. The first payment is due one month after ARD placement. A person can pay in full if they so desire. A failure to make timely payments could result in a participant’s removal from the ARD program.

Payments can be made in-person with cash or check at the probation department office, checks can be mailed, or a person can access the ePay system through the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) website at https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/ePay/Default.aspx.