The County Court Fees (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026

Made: 3rd March 2026

Coming into operation: 1st April 2026

The Department has, in accordance with section 116(1) of that Act, consulted with the Lady Chief Justice.

Citation and commencement

1

This Order may be cited as the County Court Fees (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026 and shall come into operation on 1st April 2026.

Amendment of the County Court Fees Order (Northern Ireland) 1996

2

The County Court Fees Order (Northern Ireland) 1996[^f00004] is amended as follows.

3

For Schedule 1 substitute the new Schedule 1 set out in the Schedule to this Order.

SCHEDULE

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Justice on 3rd March 2026

Naomi Long — Minister of Justice

The Department of Finance concurs in the making of this Order.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance on 3rd March 2026

John O’Dowd — Minister of Finance

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Order amends the County Court Fees Order (Northern Ireland) 1996 (S.R. 1996 No. 103) to increase the fees payable in respect of proceedings in the county court over a three-year period (5% increase effective from 1st April 2026, 2% increase effective from 1st April 2027 with a further 2% increase effective from 1st April 2028). It also amends the 1996 Order to introduce new fees, including some which are consequential to the increase in the jurisdiction of the Small Claims Court made by the County Courts (Financial Limits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2022 (S.R. 2022 No. 158).

An Explanatory Memorandum and a Regulatory Impact Assessment have been produced and are available from the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, Laganside House, 23-27 Oxford Street, Belfast BT1 3LA or online alongside this Statutory Rule at www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1978 c. 23as amended by Article 15(1) and paragraph 6(h) of Schedule 17 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010 No. 976); and s.59 of the Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (2016 c.21 (N.I.)).

[^f00002]: Article 15(4)(b) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010 No. 976).

[^f00003]: Formerly the Department of Finance and Personnel, see the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (2016 c.5 (N.I.)), Section 1(4) and Schedule 1.

[^f00004]: S.R. 1996 No. 103 to which relevant amendments are made by S.R. 2007 No. 378, S.R. 2017 No. 15, S.R. 2019 No. 177 and S.R. 2023 No. 166.

Editorial notes

[^key-3b1075505071cdd48a9ad7dad714a302]: Art. 1 in operation at 1.4.2026, see art. 1

[^key-ea0bd775113bdad736aeae6e87f30071]: Art. 2 in operation at 1.4.2026, see art. 1

[^key-67edfaebc49e4e8bfea3971bad384c28]: Art. 3 in operation at 1.4.2026, see art. 1

[^key-c9a555b3c66b968ff380d985ad374f6c]: Sch. in operation at 1.4.2026, see art. 1