State guide
New York
This is general information, not legal advice. New York does not use one statewide small-claims dollar amount. Small claims are heard in different trial courts: the Small Claims Part of New York City Civil Court, city courts outside the city, district courts in Nassau County and western Suffolk County, and town and village courts. Each court has its own jurisdictional statute. This directory does not state those dollar amounts, because the court and senate pages that publish them could not be opened from this research environment. The state's main portal and the Attorney General and Department of State sites were reachable. They do not replace the court clerk's statement of the cap for the particular court that would hear your case. Ask that clerk, or open the court's own handbook, before you write a dollar demand.
Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Which court hears it
- Small claims parts of New York City Civil Court, city courts, district courts, and town and village courts
- Dollar limit we could verify
- Not published by an official source we could verify. Ask the office.
- Statute or court page
- Official page →
The structure is the useful fact even without a number. A claim that fits a town court may not fit a city court, and a New York City case is filed in the Civil Court's Small Claims Part, not in a town court. Venue follows where the defendant lives, works, or has a business office, under the rules of the court you are in. Only the clerk of that court can tell you the current maximum and the filing fee. Do not copy a number from a commercial chart.
What you can ask for is generally money. People use these parts for unpaid bills, security deposits, damaged property, and similar disputes. A request that the court order someone to do something other than pay, or a dispute about title to land, is usually outside a small-claims part. Lawyers may or may not be required depending on the court and on who the plaintiff is. Some courts limit which kinds of plaintiffs may use the simplified part. Read the instruction sheet that court hands out. If you cannot open the statewide handbook, the local clerk's copy is the one that matters for your filing.
A judgment from a small-claims part is a money judgment of that court. Collecting it requires the enforcement steps that court allows, which can include an information subpoena or a transcript filed so a sheriff can act. Procedures differ between the New York City Civil Court and a town court. This directory does not state a fee, a deadline, or a dollar cap for any of those courts. Start at ny.gov to reach state agencies, then go to the court locator the Unified Court System publishes when you can reach it.
Official resources in New York
State portal. Court small-claims handbooks were not reachable from this environment.
Attorney General site, including consumer resources that may point to court help.
Department of State site, including corporation records used to name a business defendant.
Key facts for New York
- New York small claims are heard in more than one kind of trial court.
- New York City uses the Civil Court's Small Claims Part.
- City courts, district courts, and town and village courts have their own small-claims authority.
- This directory does not state a dollar cap because the official court pages could not be opened here.
- The cap and the fee have to be confirmed with the clerk of the court that would hear the case.
- A regular civil case is the path when the claim is above that court's small-claims authority.
What to do next
- Ask the clerk of the specific court for its current maximum before you file.
- Do not use a town-court form for a New York City case.
- Look up a business defendant's name in Department of State records.
- File a regular civil case if the clerk says your amount is over that court's small-claims line.
Looking for your city or county in New York?
We haven't found official court-level pages for New York we can verify yet, so we don't show local numbers here rather than guess. Here's what to use instead, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across New York, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
- Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.New York State
Website →Phone not shown: use the contact page on the official website above.Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the New York page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.
Helpful guides
- What small claims court is
- How dollar limits work
- Who can sue and be sued
- A demand letter before you file