Written by NotALawyer Legal AI · Reviewed by External Legal AI · Published April 7, 2026 · Last reviewed June 26, 2026
Small claims court is a fast, low-cost way for ordinary people to settle disputes without a lawyer. Use it when someone owes you money, damaged your property, or broke a contract. Most cases wrap up in a single hearing.
Each state caps how much you can sue for. Some go up to $25,000. If your claim is larger, regular civil court is the venue instead.
The court is built for people representing themselves. Some states bar lawyers entirely. Procedures are simplified, and judges routinely work with non-lawyers.
You file a complaint form describing your case and serve the other party with notice of the hearing. Fees are low, and you can often add them to your claim if you win.
Photos, receipts, contracts, texts, emails, and witness statements all help. Sort everything by date and bring copies for the judge and the other party.
A ruling in your favor gives you a judgment, but collecting is on you. If the other party won't pay, collection methods like wage garnishment may be needed.
More on this topic: the Going to Court hub
The most you can sue for in small-claims court, and which court hears it, in every state. Each figure is the statutory jurisdictional limit, cited to the state's own statute; where we haven't sourced one yet, the row says so.
| State | Claim limit | Court | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $6,000 | Small Claims Court (small claims docket of the District Court) | Ala. Code § 12-12-31 (Small Claims Actions) |
| Alaska | Not yet sourced | — | — |
| Arizona | $3,500 | Justice Court, small claims division | A.R.S. §22-503 |
| Arkansas | Not yet sourced | — | — |
| California | $12,500 | Small Claims Court (a division of the Superior Court) | Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §116.221 (natural-person limit) |
| Colorado | $7,500 | Small Claims Court | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-6-403 |
| Connecticut | $5,000 | Small Claims Court (Connecticut Superior Court, small claims session) | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-15 (Rules of procedure in certain civil actions. Small claims.) |
| Delaware | $25,000 | Justice of the Peace Court | 10 Del. C. § 9301 (Civil jurisdiction; amount in controversy) |
| District of Columbia | $10,000 | Small Claims and Conciliation Branch of the Superior Court | D.C. Code § 11-1321 |
| Florida | $8,000 | County Court (Small Claims) | Fla. Sm. Cl. R. 7.010(b) ($8,000 limit) |
| Georgia | $15,000 | Magistrate Court | Ga. Code § 15-10-2(a)(5) |
| Hawaii | $5,000 | Small Claims Division of the District Court | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 633-27 |
| Idaho | $5,000 | Small Claims Department of the Magistrate's Division | Idaho Code § 1-2301 |
| Illinois | $10,000 | Small Claims Court | Ill. Sup. Ct. R. 281 |
| Indiana | $10,000 | Small Claims Court | Ind. Code § 33-29-2-4 |
| Iowa | $6,500 | Small Claims Court | Iowa Code § 631.1(1)(b) |
| Kansas | $10,000 | Small Claims Court (Kansas District Court) | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 61-2703(a) |
| Kentucky | $2,500 | Small Claims Division (Small Claims Court) of the District Court | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 24A.230 (Jurisdiction -- Authority) |
| Louisiana | $5,000 | Small Claims Division (of city/parish courts) | La. Rev. Stat. § 13:5202 |
| Maine | $10,000 | Small Claims Court (Maine District Court) | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 7482 |
| Maryland | $5,000 | Small Claim Action (District Court of Maryland) | Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 4-405 |
| Massachusetts | $7,000 | Small Claims Court | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 218, § 21 |
| Michigan | $7,000 | Small Claims Division (of the District Court) | Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.8401 |
| Minnesota | $20,000 | Conciliation Court | Minn. Stat. § 491A.01, subd. 3a |
| Mississippi | $3,500 | Justice Court | Miss. Code Ann. § 9-11-9 |
| Missouri | $5,000 | Small Claims Court | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 482.305 (Jurisdiction of small claims court) |
| Montana | $7,000 | Small Claims Court (within Justice's Court) | Mont. Code Ann. § 25-35-502 (Jurisdiction) |
| Nebraska | $7,500 | Small Claims Court | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-2802 |
| Nevada | $10,000 | Justice Court, small claims | NRS Chapter 73 (§73.010) |
| New Hampshire | $10,000 | Small Claims Court (District Division, NH Circuit Court) | N.H. RSA § 503:1 |
| New Jersey | $5,000 | Small Claims Section of the Special Civil Part (Small Claims Court) | N.J. Court Rule 6:1-2(a)(2) |
| New Mexico | $10,000 | Magistrate Court (Metropolitan Court in Bernalillo County) | NMSA 1978, §35-3-3 (magistrate civil jurisdiction) |
| New York | $10,000 | Small Claims Part of the New York City Civil Court | N.Y.C. Civ. Ct. Act §1801 |
| North Carolina | $10,000 | Small Claims Court (magistrate) | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 7A-210 |
| North Dakota | $15,000 | Small Claims Court | N.D.C.C. § 27-08.1-01 |
| Ohio | $6,000 | Small Claims Division | Ohio Rev. Code § 1925.02 |
| Oklahoma | $10,000 | Small Claims Court | Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 1751(A)(1) |
| Oregon | $10,000 | Small Claims Department | ORS 46.405 (Small claims department; jurisdiction) |
| Pennsylvania | $12,000 | Magisterial District Court | 42 Pa.C.S. § 1515(a)(3) |
| Rhode Island | $5,000 | Small Claims Court (small claims session of the District Court) | R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-16-1 |
| South Carolina | $7,500 | Magistrate Court | S.C. Code Ann. § 22-3-10 |
| South Dakota | $12,000 | Small Claims Court | S.D. Codified Laws § 15-39-45.1 (Jurisdictional amount of claim) |
| Tennessee | $25,000 | Court of General Sessions | Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-501 (General jurisdiction) |
| Texas | $20,000 | Justice Court (small claims) | Tex. Gov't Code §27.031 |
| Utah | $20,000 | Small Claims Court | Utah Code § 78A-8-102 |
| Vermont | $10,000 | Small Claims Court | Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 12, § 5531 |
| Virginia | $5,000 | Small Claims Court | Va. Code § 16.1-122.2 |
| Washington | $10,000 | Small Claims Department (of District Court) | RCW 12.40.010 |
| West Virginia | $20,000 | Magistrate Court | W. Va. Code § 50-2-1 |
| Wisconsin | Not yet sourced | — | — |
| Wyoming | $6,000 | Small Claims (Circuit Court) | Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-201 |
General statutory information, not legal advice. Some states set higher limits for specific claim types, and filing fees vary by court. Open the cited statute and confirm the current limit for your state.
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