San Diego County Small Claims Court Locations

Superior Court of California, County of San Diego — Small Claims Division (Central Division)

• In person at the Central Division courthouse (330 W. Broadway, San Diego)
• By mail to the Central Division

Filing locations

1

Hours

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday (Business Office phone hours 8:30-11:30 a.m.)

Filing fee

$30–$75

File without going in

Yes, by mail

Is San Diego County the right court for your case?

Which court may hear a small claims case turns on where the dispute belongs, not on where it is convenient for you to go. It is normally:

• Where the defendant lives — or, for a business, where it has its place of business.
• Where the events you are suing about actually happened.
• Where a contract was to be performed, where the claim is about an agreement.

If San Diego County fits one of those, Superior Court of California, County of San Diego — Small Claims Division (Central Division) can hear it. If none of them fits, the case belongs in another county's court and filing here costs you the fee and the time before it is transferred or dismissed.

We cannot advise you which venue to choose. Where two courts would both be proper, either is a valid filing.

Going to Superior Court of California, County of San Diego — Small Claims Division (Central Division) in person

If you are filing at the counter rather than by mail or online, this is the shape of the visit.

1. Go during filing hours, not court hours. The counter is open 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday (Business Office phone hours 8:30-11:30 a.m.). Clerks stop accepting new filings before closing, so arriving in the last half hour is how people end up coming back.
2. Bring the completed claim form and your copies. Bring a copy for the court, one for each defendant, and one for yourself.
3. Bring the fee, in a form this clerk takes. The filing fee is $30–$75. Superior Court of California, County of San Diego — Small Claims Division (Central Division) accepts 2 forms of payment — cash is not always one of them, and cards are not always one either. Service is a further $15 per defendant.
4. Know the defendant's exact legal name and address. The clerk will not look it up for you, and a judgment against a trade name that is not the legal entity is difficult to collect on afterwards.
5. Leave with your court date. San Diego County sets the first court date at filing, so you leave the counter knowing when to come back.

Court staff can explain procedure and check a form is complete. They cannot tell you what to write in your claim, or whether to bring it at all.

Ways to file without standing in line

Superior Court of California, County of San Diego — Small Claims Division (Central Division) accepts a filing:

• In person at the Central Division courthouse (330 W. Broadway, San Diego)
• By mail to the Central Division

Free help at the courthouse

San Diego County runs a self-help center for people filing without a lawyer. It can:

• Point you at the right form for your case type
• Check a form is complete before you hand it in
• San Diego Superior Court offers a Small Claims Legal Advisor for free procedural (not legal-advice) walk-in assistance Monday-Thursday 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Central Division courthouse, plus phone assistance at 858-634-1777; statewide small claims self-help guidance is at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov.

Court staff can explain procedure. They cannot tell you what to write in your claim, or whether you should file at all — that is the line they are not allowed to cross, and it is the part most people actually need.

Common questions

Where is small claims court in San Diego County?

Superior Court of California, County of San Diego — Small Claims Division (Central Division), 330 West Broadway, Room 225, San Diego, CA 92101.

What are the San Diego County small claims court hours?

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday (Business Office phone hours 8:30-11:30 a.m.). Confirm before travelling — court hours change around holidays.

Do I have to go to the courthouse to file in San Diego County?

Not necessarily. San Diego County accepts a filing in person at the central division courthouse (330 w. broadway, san diego); by mail to the central division.