Court and Case Information
Identify which California Superior Court you are filing in and confirm this is the right county.
CALIFORNIA STATEWIDE
Start your California small claims case — no lawyer needed, no legalese.
Form SC-100 is the court form you file to start a small claims lawsuit in California. It tells the court who you are, who you are suing, how much you are claiming, and why you have the right to sue in your county.
Average time
20–45 minutes to fill out; filing at the courthouse takes an additional 15–30 minutes
Difficulty
moderate
Best for
Anyone in California who is owed up to $12,500 (or $6,250 for a business) and wants to sue without paying for a lawyer.
Get your small claims case officially started so the court schedules a trial date and the defendant is notified and must respond.
You cannot appeal if you started the case and you lose. The judge's decision is final for the plaintiff. Make sure you have proof — receipts, photos, emails — before filing.
Identify which California Superior Court you are filing in and confirm this is the right county.
Your name, contact information, and address. If there are two of you filing together, add the second plaintiff here.
The defendant's exact legal name, address, and contact details. Using the wrong name can make any judgment worthless.
Describe what the defendant did, when it happened, and how you calculated the amount you are asking for.
Confirm whether you asked the defendant to pay before filing — this is required by California law.
Pick the legal reason this county is the right place to file your case.
Answer a few extra questions if you are suing about attorney fees, if the defendant is a government agency, or if you have filed many small claims recently.
Type or print your name to declare that everything on the form is true.
Docgle asks calm, plain-English questions and keeps the official source attached for review.
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