The most you can sue for in small claims court in all 50 states and DC, with the filing fee and the official source for each. Updated October 8, 2026.
Each state sets its own ceiling on what small claims court can award. If your claim is above it, you either sue in a higher court or give up the excess. Click a state for its forms, court and filing steps.
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| State | Dollar limit | Filing fee | Official source | Limit verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $6,000 | Check with your court | eforms.alacourt.gov | Not dated |
| Alaska | $10,000 | $50 (≤$2,500) / $100 (>$2,500) | akleg.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Arizona | $5,000 | $25 statutory base filing / $15 answer (A.R.S. 22-281) + county surcharges — e.g. $58/$46 in Maricopa | azcourts.gov | 2026-07-09 |
| Arkansas | $5,000 | ~$65 | arcourts.gov | Not dated |
| California | $12,500business/entity plaintiff: $6,250; >2 small claims over $2,500 filed this calendar year: $2,500 | $30 / $50 / $75 (≤$1.5k / ≤$5k / >$5k) | courts.ca.gov | Not dated |
| Colorado | $7,500 | $31 (≤$500) / $55 (>$500) | coloradojudicial.gov | Not dated |
| Connecticut | $5,000home improvement or new-home construction by a registered contractor (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-15(d)(2)): $15,000 | $95 | cga.ct.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Delaware | $25,000 | $35 (<$1,000) / $40 ($1,000–$5,000) / $45 (>$5,000) for debt claims | delcode.delaware.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| District of Columbia | $10,000 | $5 / $10 / $45 (≤$500 / ≤$2.5k / >$2.5k) | code.dccouncil.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Florida | $8,000 | $55 / $80 / $175 / $300 by amount tier | www-media.floridabar.org | 2026-10-06 |
| Georgia | $15,000 | ~$45–$60 + ~$50/defendant service | georgiacourts.gov | Not dated |
| Hawaii | $5,000 | $35 + service | courts.state.hi.us | Not dated |
| Idaho | $15,000 | $69 | courtselfhelp.idaho.gov | 2026-08-04 |
| Illinois | $10,000 | Check with your court | ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net | 2026-10-06 |
| Indiana | $10,000 | Check with your court | iga.in.gov | 2026-10-08 |
| Iowa | $6,500 | $115 | legis.iowa.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Kansas | $10,000 | $47.50 (≤$500) / $67 (>$500) | ksrevisor.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Kentucky | $2,500 | ~$71 | apps.legislature.ky.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Louisiana | $5,000 | Check with your court | legis.la.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Maine | $10,000 | $70 | legislature.maine.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Maryland | $5,000 | $44 + service ($20 by clerk mail, $60 by sheriff/constable, per defendant) | mgaleg.maryland.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Massachusetts | $7,000auto-accident property damage — no cap: no cap | $40 / $50 / $100 / $150 by amount | malegislature.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Michigan | $7,000 | $30 / $50 / $70 by amount | courts.michigan.gov | 2026-07-30 |
| Minnesota | $20,000consumer credit claim (collection posture; not reachable from consumer wizard): $4,000 | $65–$85 by county | revisor.mn.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Mississippi | $3,500 | Check with your court | courts.ms.gov | Not dated |
| Missouri | $5,000 | Check with your court | revisor.mo.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Montana | $7,000 | $30 | courts.mt.gov | 2026-07-09 |
| Nebraska | $7,500 | $58.00 total (official fee schedule) | supremecourt.nebraska.gov | 2026-07-09 |
| Nevada | $10,000 | Check with your court | leg.state.nv.us | 2026-10-06 |
| New Hampshire | $10,000 | $90 (≤$5k) / $132 (>$5k) | gc.nh.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| New Jersey | $5,000 | $35 for one defendant, plus $5 for each additional defendant | njcourts.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| New Mexico | $10,000 | $77 | nmcourts.gov | Not dated |
| New York | $10,000City court outside NYC, or Nassau/Suffolk District Court: $5,000; Town or Village Justice Court: $3,000 | $15 (≤$1k) / $20 (>$1k); town/village differ | nycourts.gov | Not dated |
| North Carolina | $10,000 | $96 + $30/defendant sheriff service | ncleg.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| North Dakota | $15,000 | $10 | ndlegis.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Ohio | $6,000 | Check with your court | codes.ohio.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Oklahoma | $10,000 | ~$58 + service | oscn.net | 2026-10-06 |
| Oregon | $10,000 | $55 (≤$2.5k) / $102 (>$2.5k) | oregonlegislature.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Pennsylvania | $12,000 | $68.50 (≤$500) / $91 (≤$2,000) / $114 (≤$4,000) / $171 (≤$12,000), 2026 court costs; service extra | legis.state.pa.us | 2026-10-06 |
| Rhode Island | $5,000 | $75.75 (official instructions; 2026 legislation may have adjusted — confirm) | courts.ri.gov | 2026-07-09 |
| South Carolina | $7,500 | $80 | scstatehouse.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| South Dakota | $12,000 | $24.84 (≤$100) / $30.84 ($100–$1,000) / $40.84 ($1,000–$3,999) / $42.84 ($4,000–$12,000), incl. surcharges and postage | sdlegislature.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Tennessee | $25,000recovery of personal property — no cap (not reachable from money-claim wizard): no cap | ~$90–$225 by county | tncourts.gov | Not dated |
| Texas | $20,000 | ~$54 + $75–$100/defendant service | txcourts.gov | Not dated |
| Utah | $20,000 | $60 ≤$2,000 / $100 $2,000–$7,500 / $185 ≥$7,500 (Utah Code 78A-2-301) | utcourts.gov | 2026-07-09 |
| Vermont | $10,000consumer credit / medical debt collection (12 V.S.A. §5531(e); not reachable from consumer wizard): $5,000; medical debt collection (12 V.S.A. §5531(e)): $5,000 | $65 ≤$1,000 / $90 >$1,000 (32 V.S.A. § 1431(c)(1)) | vermontjudiciary.org | 2026-07-09 |
| Virginia | $5,000 | $36 + ~$12/defendant sheriff | law.lis.virginia.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Washington | $10,000plaintiff is not a natural person: $5,000 | $35–$50 by county | app.leg.wa.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| West Virginia | $20,000 | $30 (≤$500) / $35 (≤$1,000) / $40 (≤$2,000) / $50 (>$2,000), statutory filing fee | courtswv.gov | 2026-07-09 |
| Wisconsin | $10,000vehicle-accident damage — a tort claim (Wis. Stat. § 799.01(1)(cr)): $5,000; property damage — a tort claim (Wis. Stat. § 799.01(1)(cr)): $5,000; seller fraud — a tort claim (Wis. Stat. § 799.01(1)(cr)): $5,000 | $94.50–$114.50 | docs.legis.wisconsin.gov | 2026-10-06 |
| Wyoming | $6,000 | $10 filing fee, plus the sheriff or private process server fee for service | wyoleg.gov | 2026-10-06 |
Dollar limit is the general limit for a person suing for money. Some states set a different limit for a business plaintiff, a particular court or a particular kind of claim; those exceptions are listed under the figure.
Filing fee is shown where our sources for it are good enough to print (43 of 51 rows). Where they are not, the table says “Check with your court” rather than guess. Fees often vary by claim size and by county.
Limit verified is the date we last read the limit against the statute or the court’s own published rules, where we recorded one (40 of 51 rows). Every row with a source links the official page it comes from (51 of 51), so you can check it yourself.
Filing deadlines are not in this table because they depend on the type of claim, not just the state. A broken contract and a damaged car often have different deadlines in the same state. Use the statute of limitations lookup to find yours.
Answer 10 plain-English questions and get a completed draft of your state’s official claim form in 22 states, or a Statement of Claim to copy onto your court’s own form in the other 29 (in New York, the clerk prepares the form with you in person), plus a script for the hearing, for $19.
Check if your claim qualifies