Fine Free Policy

The Bitterroot Public Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously at their August board
meeting to approve eliminating overdue fees for most items at the library effective Sept.
1, 2020.

According to the board:
– No overdue fees will be assessed on most items. Interlibrary loan items, Wi-Fi
hotspots, and other special items will still be charged $1 per day fines.
– After 30 days overdue, patrons will be charged for the item and their account
blocked until the item is returned or the amount owed is under $10.
– After 90 days overdue, the item will be discarded from the library’s collection and
the user charged the lost item fee and remain blocked from the library.
By Sept. 1, any current late fines owed by BPL card holders will be wiped from their
account and late fees will no longer accrue on most items checked out by BPL patrons.
Users may still owe other library fees, including for lost items and Inter Library Loans
(ILLs), a service that provides items from other libraries in the U.S. BPL patrons will still
need to return all items on time. All items can be renewed online, by phone or in person
two more times unless there is a previous hold. If a BPL patron uses another library that
imposes fines, they may be charged for overdue items.