Ohio: State guide

This is general information, not legal advice. Ohio's small claims divisions are established in municipal courts and county courts under Revised Code chapter 1925. Section 1925.02 says such a division has jurisdiction in civil actions for the recovery of taxes and money only, for amounts not exceeding $6,000, exclusive of interest and costs. The code site shows the section effective April 9, 2025, from Senate Bill 237 of the 135th General Assembly. Money only, plus tax recovery, is the subject-matter line. The $6,000 figure is exclusive of interest and costs. Municipal and county courts are local. The clerk of the court that has a small claims division gives you the form.

Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.

Section 1925.02 also lists what the division does not hear. The retrieved text excludes libel, slander, replevin, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process. Further exclusions continue in the section. Read all of division (A)(2) before you file, because a case can be under $6,000 and still be the wrong kind of case. Replevin, a suit to get property back, is named in the exclusion. If you need the item itself rather than money, this division is not the place the statute describes. Tax-recovery cases are expressly included, which is the opposite of some states that removed tax cases from small claims.

The April 9, 2025 effective date is a reason to ignore undated flyers. The code site is the text. Six thousand dollars exclusive of interest and costs is the amount. Ask for interest as interest. Costs are requested under the court's cost rules. The division is a division of an existing court, so the complaint is filed with that clerk, not with a separate small-claims agency. Venue follows the municipal or county court's rules and the venue statutes. Ask the clerk which court covers the address. Ohio has many municipal courts with boundaries that do not match a whole county.

Hearings are designed for people without lawyers, and lawyers are allowed unless another paragraph of chapter 1925 limits appearance on a particular claim. Read the rest of the chapter for the defendant's counterclaim and for transfer when a case no longer fits. This directory does not state a fee or an appeal deadline. After a judgment for money, the clerk can identify the collection forms that court uses. If the amount exceeds $6,000, file a regular civil action in the municipal, county, or common pleas court that has jurisdiction. Do not shave a $6,000 demand off a larger claim unless you intend to abandon the rest.

Official resources in Ohio

Ohio Revised Code § 1925.02

Statute giving small claims divisions money and tax jurisdiction not exceeding $6,000.

Ohio codes site

Official revised code, including chapter 1925.

Supreme Court of Ohio

Judicial branch site for municipal and county court information.

Key facts for Ohio

Ohio small claims divisions sit in municipal and county courts.
Section 1925.02 limits them to taxes and money only, not exceeding $6,000, exclusive of interest and costs.
The code site shows an effective date of April 9, 2025.
Libel, slander, replevin, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process are excluded.
The division is part of the local municipal or county court.
A larger claim is filed as a regular civil action.

What to do next

Keep the amount at or under $6,000 before interest and costs.
Do not file a replevin or defamation case in the small claims division.
Check the municipal court's boundary. It may not be the whole county.
Read the rest of chapter 1925 if the defendant may file a counterclaim.

Looking for your city or county in Ohio?

We haven't found official court-level pages for Ohio 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 Ohio, 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.
Supreme Court of Ohio
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 Ohio 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.

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