Only civil cases, not criminal cases, can be brought in small claims court. Some of the most common types of cases include:
- Property damage
- Breach of contract and business disputes
- Defective product or unsatisfactory service
- Landlord-tenant disputes
- Fraud
- Accidents and personal injury
- Unpaid debts
However, many types of cases are not suitable for small claims court. For example, if you already have a court judgment in your favor but the person has not paid, then you would need to enforce your current judgment, not file a new case. Small claims court is also not appropriate for landlords seeking to evict a tenant (but it can still be used to collect unpaid back rent).
Furthermore, every state has a monetary limit as to how much you can recover from a small claims case. Please see the chart below for the maximum claim amounts per state.
|
State |
Amount $ |
|
Alabama |
$3,000 |
|
Alaska |
$10,000 |
|
Arizona |
$2,500 |
|
Arkansas |
$5,000 |
|
California |
$7,500 |
You can only file two small claims cases over $2,500 in any year. Also, the limit for suits involving a surety company or a licensed contractor is $4,000, and the limit for suits brought by a corporation or LLC is $5,000. |
|
Colorado |
$7,500 |
|
|
Connecticut |
$5,000 |
No limit in landlord-tenant security deposit claims |
|
Delaware |
$15,000 |
|
|
District of Columbia |
$5,000 |
|
|
Florida |
$5,000 |
|
|
Georgia |
$15,000 |
No limit in landlord-tenant cases |
|
Hawaii |
$3,500 |
No limit in landlord-tenant residential deposit cases. For return of leased or rented personal property, the property must not be worth more than $3,500. |
|
Idaho |
$5,000 |
|
|
Illinois |
$10,000 |
|
|
Indiana |
$3,000 |
In Marion and Allen counties, the limit is $6,000 |
|
Iowa |
$5,000 |
|
|
Kansas |
$4,000 |
|
|
Kentucky |
$1,500 |
|
|
Louisiana |
$3,000 |
|
|
Maine |
$4,500 |
|
|
Maryland |
$5,000 |
|
|
Massachusetts |
$2,000 |
No limit for property damage caused by a motor vehicle. |
|
Michigan |
$3,000 |
$500 limit on motor vehicle damages in no-fault traffic accident. |
|
Minnesota |
$7,500 |
$4,000 limit for claims based on a personal or household consumer credit transaction |
|
Mississippi |
$2,500 |
|
|
Missouri |
$3,000 |
|
|
Montana |
$3,000 |
|
|
Nebraska |
$2,400 |
|
|
Nevada |
$5,000 |
|
|
New Hampshire |
$5,000 |
|
|
New Jersey |
$3,000 |
|
|
New Mexico |
$10,000 |
|
|
New York |
$5,000 |
In town and village justice courts, the limit is $3,000. |
|
North Carolina |
$5,000 |
|
|
North Dakota |
$5,000 |
|
|
Ohio |
$3,000 |
|
|
Oklahoma |
$6,000 |
|
|
Oregon |
$5,000 |
|
|
Pennsylvania |
$8,000 |
In Philadelphia Municipal Court, the limit is $10,000. |
|
Rhode Island |
$2,000 |
|
|
South Carolina |
$7,500 |
|
|
South Dakota |
$8,000 |
|
|
Tennessee |
$15,000 |
The limit in Shelby and Anderson counties is $25,000. No limit in eviction suits or suits to recover personal property. |
|
Texas |
$5,000 |
|
|
Utah |
$7,500 |
|
|
Vermont |
$3,500 |
|
|
Virginia |
$2,000 |
General district courts hear cases from $4,500 to $15,000. |
|
Washington |
$4,000 |
|
|
West Virginia |
$5,000 |
|
|
Wisconsin |
$5,000 |
|
|
Wyoming |
$3,000 |
In the circuit court, the limit is $7,000. |
|
