Filing Small Claims Online in North Carolina

Claim limit

$10,000

Court

Small Claims Court

File online

Yes (statewide)

Appeal window

10 days

What eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies Odyssey / Enterprise Justice) is

North Carolina's statewide portal is where electronic filings go:

• System: eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies Odyssey / Enterprise Justice)
• A filer representing themselves may register and file
• 22 of the 22 North Carolina counties we cover accept an electronic filing
• Filing electronically does not change the fee, and does not serve the defendant

However you file, service of the defendant is a separate step with its own cost and its own proof.

North Carolina counties that take an electronic filing

Of the counties Small Claims Desk covers:

• Mecklenburg County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Mecklenburg County since October 9, 2023
• Wake County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Guilford County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Guilford County since April 29, 2024
• Durham County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Forsyth County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Buncombe County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Cumberland County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• New Hanover County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Gaston County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Cabarrus County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Johnston County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Onslow County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Pitt County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Iredell County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Rowan County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Davidson County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Catawba County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Randolph County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Union County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Harnett County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Nash County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)
• Cleveland County — eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies), live in Wake County since February 13, 2023 (one of the four original pilot counties)

Filing without going to the courthouse

Where the portal is closed to you, or your county is not on it, the counter is not the only route:

1. Check whether your clerk takes a mailed filing. Many do, and it is the most commonly missed option. Each county page on this site lists the filing methods that court accepts.
2. Send the complete set, not the form alone. The claim form, any document the claim is based on, the fee in the form the clerk accepts, and a return address. An incomplete mailed filing comes back, and the round trip costs a fortnight.
3. Pay in a form that survives the post. Clerks that take mailed filings generally want a money order or a cashier’s cheque rather than cash or a personal card number.
4. Remember that filing is not serving. However the case gets to the court, the defendant still has to be formally served, and that is a separate step with its own cost and its own proof.

Confirm with your clerk before posting anything. A rejected filing is charged again when you refile.

Common questions

Can you file a small claims case online in North Carolina?

North Carolina offers statewide e-filing through eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies Odyssey / Enterprise Justice). Some counties also accept in-person or mail filing.

Is e-filing open to people without a lawyer in North Carolina?

Yes — North Carolina lets a filer representing themselves register for eCourts NC — File & Serve (Tyler Technologies Odyssey / Enterprise Justice).

Does filing online cost more in North Carolina?

The filing fee is the same. Card payment may carry a processing surcharge, which your county's fee page sets out.

If I file online, is the defendant notified?

No. Filing and service are separate steps. Filing electronically does not serve anybody.