Small Claims Court Guide
Small claims in every state.
Limits, fees and deadlines for all 50 states and DC, from official sources.
Small Claims Court Guide
Limits, fees and deadlines for all 50 states and DC, from official sources.
The number on each state is the most an individual can usually ask for.
Which courthouse, how to file, and the local traps.
Sort by limit or deadline, or search above to narrow the list.
| Court | Filing fee | Lawyers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $6,000 | District Court, Small Claims Docket | Set by claim size and varies by county. Four county court pages list $53 to $102 up to $1,500, $127 to $176 up to $3,000, and $216 to $265 up to $6,000, plus service costs. Ask your county clerk. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Alaska | $10,000 | District Court (small claims) | $50 if the claim is $2,500 or less, $100 if it is more. A fee waiver is available on form TF-920. | Lawyers allowed | 3 years |
| Arizona | $5,000 | Justice Court, Small Claims Division | $30 base fee statewide, plus any local fees. Filing an answer is $18. Fee waivers and deferrals are available. | Lawyers limited | 6 years |
| Arkansas | $5,000 | District Court, Small Claims Division | The Attorney General says typically $30 to $65, and service costs are extra. Fulton County lists $67.50 plus $50 for service, so ask your clerk. | Lawyers not allowed | 5 years |
| California | $12,500 | Superior Court, Small Claims Division | $30 for claims up to $1,500, $50 over $1,500 up to $5,000, and $75 over $5,000. $100 if you filed more than 12 small claims in California in the past 12 months. A fee waiver is available. | Lawyers not allowed | 4 years |
| Colorado | $7,500 | County Court, Small Claims Division | $31 for claims up to $500, and $55 for claims over $500 up to $7,500. A fee waiver is available on form JDF 205. | Lawyers limited | 3 years |
| Connecticut | $5,000 | Superior Court, Small Claims Session | $95 to file. A counterclaim is also $95, and moving a case to the regular docket costs $125. You also pay for service, which you may get back if you win. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Delaware | $25,000 | Justice of the Peace Court (civil) | Debt or trespass claims are $35 under $1,000, $40 for $1,000 to $5,000, and $45 over $5,000. Return of property is $55. Service by the court is included, and you can ask to proceed without paying (Form 49). | Lawyers allowed | 3 years |
| District of Columbia | $10,000 | D.C. Superior Court, Civil Division, Small Claims and Conciliation Branch | $5 up to $500, $10 up to $2,500 and $45 up to $10,000, plus a service fee for each defendant | Lawyers allowed | 3 years |
| Florida | $8,000 | County Court, Small Claims | Set by claim size. State law caps it at $50 under $100, $75 up to $500, $170 up to $2,500, and $295 above that, plus a $4 clerk fee and service costs. Miami-Dade lists $55, $80, $175 and $300. | Lawyers allowed | 5 years |
| Georgia | $15,000 | Magistrate Court | Varies by county. Fulton and Gwinnett list $60 and Cobb lists $60.50, plus $50 per defendant for service in all three. | Lawyers allowed | Check with your court |
| Hawaii | $5,000 | District Court, Small Claims Division | $35. A judge can waive it for financial hardship. Service costs are extra. | Lawyers limited | 6 years |
| Idaho | $15,000 | Small Claims Department of the Magistrate Division | $69, plus the cost of serving the defendant. | Lawyers not allowed | 5 years |
| Illinois | $10,000 | Circuit Court (small claims) | Set by county and claim size. Outside Cook County the state caps it at $94 for claims of $2,500 or less and $266 for larger small claims. Cook County charges $287 and $379. Service costs are extra. | Lawyers allowed | 10 years |
| Indiana | $10,000 | Small claims docket of Circuit and Superior Courts; Marion County Small Claims Courts | Varies by county. Wabash County, for example, charges $97 for one defendant on paper with certified mail, or $87 if e-filed. Sheriff service costs more. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Iowa | $6,500 | Iowa District Court (small claims, usually heard by a magistrate) | $115, plus the cost of serving the notice. | Lawyers allowed | 10 years |
| Kansas | $10,000 | District Court (small claims) | $47.50 for claims of $500 or less, $67.50 for larger claims, plus $1.50 in Johnson County or $2 in Sedgwick County. Sheriff service costs extra. | Lawyers not allowed | 5 years |
| Kentucky | $2,500 | District Court, Small Claims Division | Check with your court | Lawyers allowed | 10 years |
| Louisiana | $5,000 | City Court, Small Claims Division (Justice of the Peace courts have a matching limit) | $35 per defendant in a city court small claims division, plus any cost under R.S. 13:10.3. Fees can be waived for indigent parties. | Lawyers limited | 10 years |
| Maine | $10,000 | Maine District Court (small claims) | $70, which includes a $15 mediation fee. Service costs are extra, and clerk service, where available, is $15 per party. Debt collectors may also owe a $127 surcharge. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Maryland | $5,000 | District Court of Maryland (small claim) | $44, plus service: $20 per defendant if mailed by the clerk, or $60 by sheriff or constable. | Lawyers allowed | 3 years |
| Massachusetts | $7,000 | Small claims session of the District Court, Boston Municipal Court or Housing Court | $40 to $150 depending on the claim amount, plus $7 if you e-file | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Michigan | $7,000 | District Court, Small Claims Division | $30, $50 or $70 depending on the claim amount ($25, $45 or $65 plus a $5 e-filing system fee). Service costs extra. | Lawyers not allowed | 6 years |
| Minnesota | $20,000 | Conciliation Court (a division of District Court) | $65, plus any county law library fee, and $5 more if you e-file. Defendants pay the same fee on their first filing. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Mississippi | $3,500 | Justice Court (there is no separate small claims court) | Check with your court | Lawyers allowed | Check with your court |
| Missouri | $5,000 | Small Claims Court (a docket of the associate circuit division of Circuit Court) | Varies by county. Two court schedules show about $20.50 to $25, plus about $11 to $15 for certified mail service. | Lawyers allowed | 5 years |
| Montana | $7,000 | Justice Court, Small Claims Division | About $30 according to the Montana Courts instructions; the statute's base fee is $20. Service costs extra. | Lawyers limited | 6 years |
| Nebraska | $7,500 | County Court, Small Claims Court | $58 under the fee schedule effective 1 July 2026, plus service costs. Moving the case to the regular docket costs $20 more. | Lawyers not allowed | 5 years |
| Nevada | $10,000 | Justice Court (small claims) | $45 to $175 by claim size under state law. Clark County courts charge $66 to $196 with local additions. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| New Hampshire | $10,000 | Circuit Court, District Division (small claims) | $125 for claims up to $5,000 and $180 for claims of $5,001 to $10,000, including the $20 e-filing surcharge. Card payments add 3%. | Lawyers allowed | 3 years |
| New Jersey | $5,000 | Superior Court, Law Division, Special Civil Part, Small Claims Section | $35 for one defendant plus $10 for mail service, so $45 in total. Each added defendant costs $5 plus $10 for service. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| New Mexico | $10,000 | Magistrate Court (Metropolitan Court in Bernalillo County) | $77 ($72 docket fee plus $5 mediation fee). A jury costs another $25 fee and $75 deposit. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| New York | $10,000 | Small Claims Part of NYC Civil Court, City Courts, District Courts, and Town and Village Justice Courts | $15 for claims of $1,000 or less and $20 above that in NYC Civil, City and District Courts; $10 and $15 in Town and Village Courts. | Check with your court | 6 years |
| North Carolina | $10,000 | Small Claims Court (magistrates, District Court division) | $96. Sheriff service is $30 more, or you can use certified mail. | Lawyers allowed | 3 years |
| North Dakota | $15,000 | Small Claims Court (District Court) | $20. It's refunded if the judge dismisses the case as unsuitable for small claims. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Ohio | $6,000 | Small Claims Division of the Municipal or County Court | Varies by court, so check your local court. You can file a poverty affidavit if you can't afford it. | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Oklahoma | $10,000 | District Court, Small Claims Division | Base fee is $45 for claims of $5,000 or less and $150 for claims over $5,000 up to $10,000. Other assessments and mailing costs can raise the total, so ask the county clerk. | Lawyers allowed | 5 years |
| Oregon | $10,000 | Circuit Court Small Claims Department (Justice Court in some areas) | $57 for claims of $2,500 or less, $102 for claims over $2,500 (circuit court). A defendant pays the same fee to ask for a hearing. | Lawyers limited | 6 years |
| Pennsylvania | $12,000 | Magisterial District Court (Philadelphia Municipal Court in Philadelphia) | Outside Philadelphia, $68.50 to $171 depending on the amount, plus postage. In Philadelphia, $94.75 up to $2,000 or $116.75 above that, with one Philadelphia defendant. | Lawyers allowed | 4 years |
| Rhode Island | $5,000 | District Court (Small Claims) | About $75.75: $55 filing fee, $17.50 processing fee and $3.25 technology surcharge, plus 3.25% if you pay by card. Service costs extra. | Lawyers allowed | 10 years |
| South Carolina | $7,500 | Magistrates Court | $70 in statewide fees now ($45 plus a $25 assessment), rising to $105 on 1 January 2027 ($65 plus $40). Other costs, such as service, are extra. | Lawyers allowed | 3 years |
| South Dakota | $12,000 | Magistrate Court or Circuit Court (small claims procedure) | $24.84 to $42.84 depending on the claim, including postage, plus $11.84 for each extra defendant | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Tennessee | $25,000 | General Sessions Court (no separate small claims court) | Varies by county, so ask your clerk. Rutherford County lists $268.50 in total for a civil warrant as of 1 January 2026 | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Texas | $20,000 | Justice Court (small claims cases) | About $54 plus a service fee of about $80 per defendant in the county schedules checked. Varies by county | Lawyers allowed | 4 years |
| Utah | $20,000 | Small Claims Court, usually in a city or county Justice Court | $60 for $2,000 or less, $100 from over $2,000 to under $7,500, and $185 from $7,500 up to $20,000 | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Vermont | $10,000 | Civil Division of the Vermont Superior Court (small claims) | $65 for claims of $1,000 or less, $90 for larger claims | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Virginia | $5,000 | General District Court, Small Claims Division | Varies by court. The state calculator shows $52 in Fairfax County for a claim over $500, before any sheriff’s fee | Lawyers not allowed | 5 years |
| Washington | $10,000 | District Court, Small Claims Department | $35 or $50, depending on whether the county adds a dispute resolution surcharge. Service costs are extra | Lawyers limited | 6 years |
| West Virginia | $20,000 | Magistrate Court (no separate small claims court) | $50 up to $500, $55 up to $1,000, $60 up to $2,000 and $70 up to $20,000, plus service fees | Lawyers allowed | 10 years |
| Wisconsin | $10,000 | Circuit Court, small claims | $124 from 1 November 2026: $39 filing fee, $61 court support surcharge and $24 justice information surcharge. Milwaukee County adds $7.50 | Lawyers allowed | 6 years |
| Wyoming | $6,000 | Circuit Court (small claims) | $10, plus any service costs | Lawyers allowed | 10 years |
Useful when the other side is in a different state. Where to file usually depends on where they are or where it happened.
We open each state's own court site or statute, and every fact links to the page it came from. If we can't confirm something on an official page, we say check with your court rather than guess.
Tell us what happened, and compare lawyers and their prices before you pay anything.
General information to help you get organized, last checked November 1, 2026. It isn't legal advice, and SueYou isn't a law firm. Laws change and every case is different, so confirm anything important with a lawyer or the court. No lawyer has reviewed this page yet.