Why does each county have its own row?

Small claims filing is county-specific. The court, limit, form, and fee differ by county, so each county is stated separately and no figure is borrowed from another county.

Why are only five counties in the table?

Only Harris, Maricopa, Los Angeles, Cook, and Miami-Dade counties have a county filing guide with figures verified on primary pages. Other counties are omitted rather than filled from secondary sources.

Is there a tool that compares counties?

Yes. The Small-Claims Court Finder shows the court, limit, form, fee, and venue rule for each of the five counties, and compares an entered amount against a single-number limit where one applies.

Small-Claims Courts by County

Small-claims courts by county

County	Limit	Form	Fee
Harris County, Texas	$20,000*	Petition*	$139.00*
Maricopa County, Arizona	$5,000 or less	Complaint*	$58 / $46*
Los Angeles County, California	$12,500 / $6,250*	Form SC-100	$30 / $50 / $75*
Cook County, Illinois	$10,000 or less*	Complaint*	$287.00 / $379.00*
Miami-Dade County, Florida	Up to $8,000*	Statement of Claim*	$55 / $80 / $175 / $300*

Table notes: Maricopa County's fees are $58.00 for a complaint and $46.00 for an answer. The courts are the Harris County Justice of the Peace Courts; the Maricopa County Justice Courts, small claims division; the Los Angeles County Superior Court, small claims division; the Cook County Circuit Court, First Municipal District (Chicago); and the Miami-Dade County Court, Clerk of the Court and Comptroller. The forms are the Justice Court Petition form in Harris County; the Complaint, Summons and Notice in Maricopa County; the Small Claims Complaint and Small Claims Summons in Cook County; and the Statement of Claim, form CLK/CT. 333, in Miami-Dade County. Harris County's $20,000 limit includes attorney fees and excludes statutory interest and court costs; the $139.00 total is $54.00 court costs plus $85.00 constable service per defendant served, per the January 2025 schedule. Los Angeles County's limits are $12,500 for a natural person and $6,250 for a business or public entity; the $30 / $50 / $75 fees run by amount, with a $100 frequent-filer fee and sheriff service at $50. Cook County's $10,000 limit excludes interest and court costs; the fees are $287.00 up to $2,500 and $379.00 over $2,500 to $15,000, per a dated schedule copy, and require confirmation with the division. Miami-Dade County's $8,000 limit excludes costs, interest, and attorneys' fees; the fees run by amount, plus a service fee the clerk page does not state.

Conflicts and omissions are disclosed in the county guides and are not smoothed over in this table: Maricopa County's April 2023 handout states $3,500 against the current $5,000; Los Angeles County's $50/$75 fee boundary is $5,000 on the county fee page and $6,250 in the section 116.230 text located; Cook County's fee figures come from a dated schedule copy and require confirmation; Miami-Dade's service-fee amount is omitted because the clerk page does not state it. Harris County secondary fee figures of $34, $49, $65, and $124 were not verified and appear nowhere in this directory.

Withheld-deposit small claims guides

These guides cover filing a small claims case for a withheld deposit in the same court systems, state by state. Each is linked only where the live sitemap verified the page exists.

Tools

Use the Small-Claims Court Finder to see the court, limit, form, fee, and venue rule for one county at a time, with conflicts stated in the result. Open the county guide before acting; a directory row is not a filing decision.

Source

Court, limit, form, and fee figures from the county court and clerk pages opened for the five county guides, verified 2026-11-03. Withheld-deposit guide links verified against the live box sitemap on 2026-11-03; only the eight slugs present in the sitemap are linked. Facts verified 2026-11-03.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to the court.

Small-Claims Courts by County

Small-claims courts by county

Withheld-deposit small claims guides

Tools

Source

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