California Small Claims Courts

Small Claims Courts in California

Small Claims Desk currently supports 19 courts in California. Tap a pin or a court below for its filing details, fees, and forms.

• Superior Court of California, County of Alameda — Small Claims — Alameda County
  1225 Fallon Street, Oakland, CA 94612
• Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa — Small Claims — Contra Costa County
  Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, 725 Court Street, Martinez, CA 94553
• Superior Court of California, County of Fresno — Small Claims — Fresno County
  B.F. Sisk Courthouse, 1130 O Street, Fresno, CA 93721
• Superior Court of California, County of Kern — Civil and Small Claims Division (Metropolitan Division/Justice Building) — Kern County
  1215 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301
• Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles - Small Claims Division (Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Central District) — Los Angeles County
  111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
• Superior Court of California, County of Monterey — Small Claims — Monterey County
  Monterey Courthouse, 1200 Aguajito Road, Monterey, CA 93940
• Superior Court of California, County of Orange — Small Claims Division (Central Justice Center) — Orange County
  700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana, CA 92701
• Superior Court of California, County of Riverside — Small Claims Division — Riverside County
  505 S. Buena Vista Ave. #201, Corona, CA 92882
• Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento — Small Claims Division (Carol Miller Justice Center) — Sacramento County
  301 Bicentennial Circle, Sacramento, CA 95826
• Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino — Small Claims Division — San Bernardino County
  17780 Arrow Boulevard, Fontana, CA 92335
• Superior Court of California, County of San Diego — Small Claims Division (Central Division) — San Diego County
  330 West Broadway, Room 225, San Diego, CA 92101
• Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco — Small Claims Division (Department 506) — San Francisco County
  400 McAllister Street, Room 103, San Francisco, CA 94102
• Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo — Small Claims Division — San Mateo County
  400 County Center, 1st Floor, Room A, Redwood City, CA 94063
• Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara — Small Claims — Santa Barbara County
  Anacapa Division, 1100 Anacapa Street, 2nd Floor, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
• Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara — Small Claims Division (Downtown Superior Court) — Santa Clara County
  191 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95113
• Superior Court of California, County of Solano — Small Claims Division — Solano County
  Old Solano Courthouse, 580 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533
• Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma — Small Claims — Sonoma County
  Civil and Family Law Courthouse, 3055 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
• Superior Court of California, County of Stanislaus — Small Claims Division — Stanislaus County
  300 Starr Avenue, Turlock, CA 95380
• Superior Court of California, County of Tulare — Small Claims — Tulare County
  221 S. Mooney Boulevard, Room 201, Visalia, CA 93291

Which court is the right one

Venue — which court may hear your case — normally turns on:

• Where the defendant lives, or where a business defendant has its place of business
• Where the events giving rise to the claim happened
• Where a contract was to be performed, in a contract dispute

Filing in the wrong court gets the case transferred or dismissed, and either way costs you the time. If two courts would both be proper, either is a valid choice.

We cannot advise which venue to choose. Each county page below sets out that court’s own rule where it publishes one.

Claim limit

$12,500

Court

Small Claims Court

File online

Varies by court

Appeal window

30 days

What each county page tells you

Picking your county below gives you that court’s own facts rather than a state generalisation:

• The filing address, the counter hours, and the phone number for the clerk.
• That court’s filing fee — which steps with the size of the claim in most counties — and what it charges for service.
• The forms that court requires, under the names it actually uses for them.
• Which filing methods it accepts: counter, post, or an electronic portal.
• Whether it sets your first court date when you file, or after the defendant is served.

Those facts are verified per court and re-checked quarterly, because a fee schedule or an address that is a year out of date sends somebody to the wrong building with the wrong money.

Where a county is not listed, we have not verified that court to the standard we hold ourselves to, and we would rather say so than guess.

Common questions

Where do I file a small claims case in California?

In the small claims court for the county where the defendant lives or where the dispute happened. Pick your county above for that court's address and hours.

Can I file in the county where I live?

Only if it is also proper venue — usually meaning the defendant is there or the dispute happened there. Convenience to you is not by itself a basis.

How many California courts does Small Claims Desk cover?

19. Each has its own page with the address, hours, filing methods, fee schedule and forms that court requires.

What if my county is not listed?

The California rules on this site still apply and are free to use. We add counties as their court records are verified to the standard we hold ourselves to.