Small Claims Court Filing Fees by State

Nationwide, the typical filing fee runs from about $10 to $300, with most states charging under $100. Many states use tiered fees that rise with the amount you are claiming. For example, California charges $30, $50, or $75 depending on the claim size, while Florida's tiers run $55 to $300. The table above shows the typical range for every state.

In many states the legislature sets a base fee and lets each county add local surcharges for courthouse operations, law libraries, or dispute-resolution programs. That is why states like Texas, Ohio, Georgia, and Illinois show a range rather than one number: two neighboring counties can charge different amounts for the same claim. The "official source" link in each row takes you to a court-published fee schedule you can verify against.

Claim limits range from $2,500 (Kentucky) to $25,000 (Tennessee and Delaware), and several states set different limits by court type or county. The "Max claim" column above gives each state's headline limit. If your dispute exceeds the limit, you can either reduce your claim to fit or file in a higher court.

In most states, yes. Courts generally offer a fee-waiver or "inability to pay" application for low-income filers; a judge reviews your income and expenses and may waive the filing and service fees entirely. Ask the court clerk for the waiver form when you pick up your filing packet.

Usually the winning party can ask the judge to include court costs, including the filing fee and service costs, in the judgment, so the loser reimburses you. You still have to pay the fees up front when you file, and collecting the judgment is a separate step.