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California Small Claims Court

Superior Court, Small Claims Division, for claims up to $12,500.

Last checked November 1, 2026

The most you can ask for$12,500
LawyersLawyers not allowed
Time to sue on a contract4 years
Good to know

Individuals up to $12,500. Businesses and other non-individuals generally up to $6,250. You can file only two claims over $2,500 anywhere in California in a calendar year. A bill to raise the limit to $15,000 failed in August 2026.

Lawyers: You can get a lawyer's advice before court, and lawyers may take part in a superior court appeal hearing, but they can't represent you at the small claims hearing.

How it works in California

  1. Ask the other side for what you want, and check that your deadline to sue hasn't passed.
  2. Fill out Plaintiff's Claim and ORDER to Go to Small Claims Court (form SC-100).
  3. File with the small claims clerk in person, by mail, or online where your court allows it, and pay the fee or ask for a waiver. The clerk gives you a case number and court date.
  4. Have an adult who isn't part of the case serve the papers at least 15 days before the court date, or 20 days if the person is in another county. You can't serve them yourself.
  5. File Proof of Service (form SC-104) at least 5 days before the hearing.
  6. Bring your evidence to court. You must collect the money yourself if you win.

What it costs

$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.

How long you have to sue

Written contract4 years
Spoken agreement2 years
Damage to property3 years
Personal injury2 years

Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §§ 337 (written), 339 (oral), 338(b) and (c) (real and personal property), 335.1 (personal injury). These are general limits. The clock can start late, pause or be much shorter, as it is for claims against a government agency.

If you lose

Only the defendant can appeal, or a plaintiff who lost on the defendant's claim, within 30 days after the clerk delivers or mails notice of the judgment; the appeal is a new hearing in superior court before a different judge.

AB 1827 (2026) would have raised the limit to $15,000 and the yearly count of claims over $2,500. It passed the Assembly 77-0 but was held under submission in Senate Appropriations on 13 August 2026, so it did not become law and the limit stays $12,500. SB 71 (Stats. 2023, Ch. 861) set the $12,500 and $6,250 limits, effective 1 January 2024, per the history note on § 116.221. The court's self-help page says that as of 1 October 2025 a landlord can no longer sue in small claims for unpaid COVID-19 rental debt above $12,500.

Sources

Cities in California

CaliforniaAnaheimSuperior Court of California, County of Orange (Central Justice Center)CaliforniaBakersfieldSuperior Court of California, County of Kern (Metropolitan Division, Justice Building)CaliforniaFresnoSuperior Court of California, County of Fresno (B.F. Sisk Courthouse)CaliforniaLong BeachSuperior Court of California, County of Los Angeles (Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse or Bellflower Courthouse)CaliforniaLos AngelesSuperior Court of California, County of Los Angeles (Small Claims Division)CaliforniaOaklandSuperior Court of California, County of AlamedaCaliforniaRiversideSuperior Court of California, County of Riverside (Moreno Valley or Corona Courthouse, by ZIP)CaliforniaSacramentoSuperior Court of California, County of Sacramento (Carol Miller Justice Center)CaliforniaSan DiegoSuperior Court of California, County of San Diego (Central Division, Hall of Justice)CaliforniaSan FranciscoSuperior Court of California, County of San Francisco (Small Claims Division, Dept. 506)CaliforniaSan JoseSuperior Court of California, County of Santa Clara (Downtown Superior Court)

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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.