Study · statute-sourced · 2026

Small Claims Court Limits in All 50 States

The most you can sue for without a lawyer, a jury, or years of litigation: from $2,500 in Kentucky to $25,000 in Delaware, Tennessee — a 10× spread. Every figure is cited to statute or the state judiciary.

Quick answers

What is the maximum amount you can sue for in small claims court?

It depends on the state: from $2,500 in Kentucky to $25,000 in Delaware and Tennessee. California's limit is $12,500 (individuals) / $6,250 (entities), under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§116.220, 116.221. Above your state's limit you sue in regular civil court or waive the excess. Every state's figure is in the table below.

Which state has the highest small claims limit?

Delaware, Tennessee at $25,000. Recent increases have reshaped the top: West Virginia doubled its limit to $20,000 in July 2025, Utah reached $20,000 in January 2025, and Minnesota's conciliation court has been at $20,000 since August 2024 — many published guides still show the old figures.

Which state has the lowest limit?

Kentucky at $2,500 — a 10× gap against the top states. New York is also low outside NYC: town and village courts cap at $3,000.

In which states are lawyers not allowed?

Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Virginia and Washington restrict or prohibit attorney representation at small claims hearings (details and cites in each row) — the process is designed for people to represent themselves.

What if I’m owed more than my state’s limit?

You can sue in the regular civil court, or waive the excess and stay in small claims — which is usually faster and far cheaper. For amounts slightly over the limit, waiving often wins on legal costs alone.

$25k

the ceiling (Delaware, Tennessee)

$2.5k

the floor (Kentucky)

states restrict lawyers at the hearing

jurisdictions compared, all cited

Maximum claim, state by state — highest first

Tap a state for its full guide: court, filing fee, lawyer rules and a free demand letter.

Small claims court limits by state (as of 2026) — each row cites its statute
State	Maximum claim	Source
Delaware	$25,000	10 Del. C. §9301
Tennessee	$25,000	Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-501
Minnesota	$20,000	Minn. Stat. § 491A.01; Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 512 (representation)
Texas	$20,000	Tex. Gov't Code § 27.031; Tex. R. Civ. P. 500-507
Utah	$20,000	Utah Code § 78A-8-102
West Virginia	$20,000	W. Va. Code § 50-2-1 (as amended by HB 2761, eff. July 7, 2025)
Georgia	$15,000	O.C.G.A. §15-10-2(5)
North Dakota	$15,000	N.D.C.C. ch. 27-08.1
California	$12,500 $12,500 (individuals) / $6,250 (entities)	Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§116.220, 116.221
Pennsylvania	$12,000	42 Pa.C.S. § 1515(a)(3); 42 Pa.C.S. § 1123(a)(4) (Philadelphia)
South Dakota	$12,000	SDCL 16-12C-13 (jurisdictional limit); SDCL ch. 15-39 (small claims procedure)
Alaska	$10,000	Alaska Stat. §22.15.040; Alaska District Court Civil Rules 8-22
District of Columbia	$10,000	D.C. Code §11-1321
Illinois	$10,000	Ill. Sup. Ct. Rules 281-289; 705 ILCS 105/27.1b (fees)
Indiana	$10,000	IC 33-29-2-4; IC 33-28-3-4; IC 33-34-3-2 (Marion County); Indiana Small Claims Rules
Kansas	$10,000	K.S.A. 61-2703 (limit); 61-2707 (attorneys); 61-4001 (fees)
Maine	$10,000	14 M.R.S. § 7482 (as amended by PL 2025, c. 261); Maine Rules of Small Claims Procedure
Nevada	$10,000	Nev. Rev. Stat. ch. 73 (NRS 73.010)
New Hampshire	$10,000	N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. (RSA) 503:1
New Mexico	$10,000	NMSA 1978 § 35-3-3 (Magistrate Court); NMSA 1978 § 34-8A-3 (Metropolitan Court)
New York	$10,000	NYC Civil Court Act § 1801; UCCA § 1801; UJCA § 1801
North Carolina	$10,000	N.C.G.S. § 7A-210
Oklahoma	$10,000	12 O.S. § 1751; fees: 28 O.S. § 152
Oregon	$10,000	ORS 46.405, 46.415(4) (circuit court); ORS 55.011, 55.090 (justice court)
Vermont	$10,000	12 V.S.A. § 5531
Washington	$10,000	RCW ch. 12.40 (limit at RCW 12.40.010)
Wisconsin	$10,000	Wis. Stat. § 799.01
Florida	$8,000	Fla. Small Claims Rule 7.010; Fla. Stat. §34.041
Colorado	$7,500	Colo. Rev. Stat. §13-6-403 (limit); §13-6-407 (attorneys)
Nebraska	$7,500	Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 25-2801 to 25-2807 (limit: § 25-2802); Neb. Ct. R. § 6-1462
South Carolina	$7,500	S.C. Code Ann. § 22-3-10 (jurisdiction); § 8-21-1010 (fees)
Massachusetts	$7,000	Mass. Gen. Laws c. 218 § 21; Uniform Small Claims Rules
Michigan	$7,000	MCL 600.8401 (limit); MCL 600.8408 (no attorneys); MCL 600.8420 (fees)
Montana	$7,000	Mont. Code Ann. § 25-35-502
Iowa	$6,500	Iowa Code § 631.1; § 631.6 (fees)
Alabama	$6,000	Ala. Code §12-12-31
Ohio	$6,000	O.R.C. ch. 1925 (limit: § 1925.02)
Wyoming	$6,000	Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-201
Arizona	$5,000	Ariz. Rev. Stat. §22-503 (limit); §22-512 (attorneys)
Arkansas	$5,000	Ark. Code Ann. §§16-17-601 to -613 (attorney bar at §16-17-606)
Connecticut	$5,000 $5,000 (up to $15,000 for home-improvement claims)	Conn. Gen. Stat. §51-15; Conn. Practice Book §§24-1 et seq.
Hawaii	$5,000	Haw. Rev. Stat. §633-27 (jurisdiction); §633-28 (no appeal; representation)
Idaho	$5,000	Idaho Code §1-2301 (limit); §1-2307 (attorney bar — pre-2000 numbering was §1-2308)
Louisiana	$5,000	La. C.C.P. art. 4911; La. R.S. 13:5200 et seq. (city court small claims); La. R.S. 13:2590 (JP fees)
Maryland	$5,000	Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 4-405; Md. Rule 3-701 (procedure)
Missouri	$5,000	§ 482.305 RSMo; Mo. Sup. Ct. Rules 140-155 (small claims rules)
New Jersey	$5,000	N.J. Ct. R. 6:1-2(a)(2)
Rhode Island	$5,000	R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-16-1 (ch. 10-16, Small Claims and Consumer Claims)
Virginia	$5,000	Va. Code § 16.1-122.1 et seq.
Mississippi	$3,500	Miss. Code Ann. § 9-11-9
Kentucky	$2,500	KRS 24A.230; KRS 24A.270 (fee)

How to read these numbers (methodology)

Figures are the general maximum for a small claims case as of 2026, using the base cap where a state splits limits by plaintiff type (individuals vs businesses) or by court (New York City vs town courts) — the split is noted under each bar. Several limits changed recently (WV 7/2025, UT 1/2025, ME 1/2026, WI rising to $15,000 in 2027): the cited statute on each row is authoritative. This is a comparison, not legal advice.

This study is free to cite and reproduce (CC BY 4.0) — we only ask for a link to https://sealforms.com/us/small-claims-limits/.

Download CSV / JSON: small-claims-limits.csv · small-claims-limits.json — 51 rows, one per jurisdiction. Each row carries the statute it comes from (cite, the authority) and a link to read it (sourceUrl — not always the official site: some rows link a secondary copy or summary of that statute), plus the dataset’s as-of year (asOf). CC BY 4.0; the CSV header is on line 1.

Ready to act? Each state guide includes a free demand letter generator — the step judges expect before you file. See also the eviction notice periods study.