Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Reinstatement, With Change, of a Previously Approved Collection for Which Approval has Expired: Title-Census of Tribal Court Systems (CTCS)
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Department of Justice (DOJ), will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)...
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice
ACTION:
30-Day notice.
SUMMARY:
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Department of Justice (DOJ), will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES:
Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 30 days until October 2, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
If you have comments especially on the estimated public burden or associated response time, suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed information collection instrument with instructions or additional information, please contact: Steven W. Perry (email:
bjspra.comments@ojp.usdoj.gov;
telephone: 202-307-0765), Bureau of Justice Statistics, 999 North Capital Street NE, Washington, DC 20531.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The proposed information collection was previously published in the
Federal Register
on June 29, 2026, 91 FRA 39121, allowing a 60-day comment period. BJS received one comment that will be addressed in the supporting statement. Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of the following four points:
—Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the tribal court, including whether the information will have practical utility;
—Evaluate the accuracy of the tribal courts' estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
—Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and/or
—Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology,
e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of responses.
Written comments and recommendations for this information collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function and entering either the title of the information collection or the OMB Control Number 1121-0350. This information collection request may be viewed at
www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view Department of Justice, information collections currently under review by OMB. Please send a copy of comments submitted to Steven W. Perry (email:
bjspra.comments@ojp.usdoj.gov)
DOJ seeks PRA authorization for this information collection for three (3) years. OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) years without renewal. The DOJ notes that information collection requirements submitted to the OMB for existing ICRs receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review.
Overview of This Information Collection
1.
Type of Information Collection:
Reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved collection for which approval has expired.
2.
Title of the Form/Collection:
2026 Census of Tribal Court Systems (CTCS).
3.
Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the Department of Justice sponsoring the collection:
The form number is CTCS-26. The applicable component within the Department of Justice is the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), in the Office of Justice Programs.
4.
Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as well as a brief abstract: Affected Public:
Affected public are tribal courts. The 2026 CTCS is revised from the 2014 National Survey of Tribal Court Systems (NSTCS-14). BJS plans to field the 2026 CTCS from January 2027 through April 2027. Respondents will be the staff at tribal courts. The obligation to respond is voluntary.
5.
Abstract:
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has previously conducted the Census of Tribal Courts (CTCS) through a survey that collects data on the staffing, functions, case loads, training, civil and juvenile justice matters, and operations of tribal law courts serving tribal lands. The 2026 CTCS will be the second administration of this collection. It will provide insight on emerging issues and challenges facing tribal law courts since it was last conducted in 2014 and establish a time series of the data collection. BJS uses the information gathered in the CTCS in published reports and statistics. The reports will be made available to the U.S. Congress, Executive Office of the President, practitioners, researchers, students, the media, others interested in criminal justice statistics, and the general public via the BJS website.
6.
Obligation to Respond:
The obligation to respond is voluntary.
7.
Total Estimated Number of Respondents:
A projected 378 respondents from tribal courts.
8.
Estimated Time per Respondent:
Tribal courts will take an average of 65 minutes (1.08 hours) each to complete form CTCS-26, including time to research or find information not readily available. In addition, an estimated 39 respondents will be contacted for data quality follow-up at 15 minutes (.25 hours) per respondent.
9.
Frequency:
Each respondent will complete the CTCS-26 once.
( printed page 56481)
10.
Total Estimated Annual Time Burden:
The total burden hours for this collection is 417 hours.
11.
Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden:
$ 10,537.86.
total Burden Hours
Activity
Number of respondents
Frequency
Total annual responses
Time per
survey
(mins)
Total annual burden
(hours)
Hourly rate *
Monetized value of
respondent
time
CTCS Invitation Materials
378
1
378
5
31.5
$25.15
$792.23
CTCS Question Guide
378
1
378
20
126
25.15
3,168.90
CTCS Web Survey
378
1
378
40
252
25.15
6,337.80
Data Quality Follow-Up
38
1
38
15
9.5
25.15
238.93
Total
378
419
10,537.86
If additional information is required, contact: Darwin Arceo, Department Clearance Officer, Enterprise Portfolio Management, Justice Management Division, United States Department of Justice, Two Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE, 4W-218 Washington, DC 20530.
Dated: August 31, 2026.
Darwin Arceo,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.
91 FR 56480
Web Citation
Suggested Web Citation
Use this when citing the archival web version of the document.
“Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Reinstatement, With Change, of a Previously Approved Collection for Which Approval has Expired: Title-Census of Tribal Court Systems (CTCS),” thefederalregister.org (September 2, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-17960/agency-information-collection-activities-proposed-ecollection-ecomments-requested-reinstatement-with-change-of-a-previou.