California Small Claims Filing Fees by County
Filing a small claims case in California costs $30–$75, paid to the Small Claims Clerk (Superior Court (Small Claims Division)). The fee is the same in all 58 counties.
| Filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Claim for $1,500 or less Code Civ. Proc. § 116.230(b)(1) | $30 |
| Claim for $1,500.01 to $5,000 Code Civ. Proc. § 116.230(b)(2) | $50 |
| Claim for $5,000.01 to $12,500 (natural persons only) Code Civ. Proc. §§ 116.230(b)(3), 116.221 | $75 |
| Filer with more than 12 small claims filed in the last 12 months Code Civ. Proc. § 116.230(c) | $100 |
| Notice of appeal of a small claims judgment Code Civ. Proc. § 116.760 | $75 |
Source: Superior Court of California — Statewide Civil Fee Schedule (effective Jan. 1, 2026) — schedule dated 2026-01-01, last checked 2026-08-25.
- Small claims fees are uniform in all 58 counties — the courthouse-construction surcharge in Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Francisco does not apply to small claims filings.
- Individuals can sue for up to $12,500; businesses and other entities are capped at $6,250 per claim.
- Serving the defendant is extra: certified mail by the clerk is $15 per defendant; sheriff or process-server rates vary.
Small Claims fees by county
- Alameda County$30–$75
- Alpine County$30–$75
- Amador County$30–$75
- Butte County$30–$75
- Calaveras County$30–$75
- Colusa County$30–$75
- Contra Costa County$30–$75
- Del Norte County$30–$75
- El Dorado County$30–$75
- Fresno County$30–$75
- Glenn County$30–$75
- Humboldt County$30–$75
- Imperial County$30–$75
- Inyo County$30–$75
- Kern County$30–$75
- Kings County$30–$75
- Lake County$30–$75
- Lassen County$30–$75
- Los Angeles County$30–$75
- Madera County$30–$75
- Marin County$30–$75
- Mariposa County$30–$75
- Mendocino County$30–$75
- Merced County$30–$75
- Modoc County$30–$75
- Mono County$30–$75
- Monterey County$30–$75
- Napa County$30–$75
- Nevada County$30–$75
- Orange County$30–$75
- Placer County$30–$75
- Plumas County$30–$75
- Riverside County$30–$75
- Sacramento County$30–$75
- San Benito County$30–$75
- San Bernardino County$30–$75
- San Diego County$30–$75
- San Francisco County$30–$75
- San Joaquin County$30–$75
- San Luis Obispo County$30–$75
- San Mateo County$30–$75
- Santa Barbara County$30–$75
- Santa Clara County$30–$75
- Santa Cruz County$30–$75
- Shasta County$30–$75
- Sierra County$30–$75
- Siskiyou County$30–$75
- Solano County$30–$75
- Sonoma County$30–$75
- Stanislaus County$30–$75
- Sutter County$30–$75
- Tehama County$30–$75
- Trinity County$30–$75
- Tulare County$30–$75
- Tuolumne County$30–$75
- Ventura County$30–$75
- Yolo County$30–$75
- Yuba County$30–$75
Common questions
- Is the small claims filing fee the same in every California county?
- Yes — the base filing fee is set by state law and is identical in all 58 counties. What differs locally is service of process, copies, and optional local add-on fees.
- What does the $30–$75 fee not include?
- Serving the other party (billed separately by the sheriff, constable, process server, or clerk), certified copies, publication notices where required, and attorney's fees. The notes above cover what service typically costs for this case type.