Amador County Small Claims Court

Court Information

Court name

Superior Court of California, County of Amador -- Small Claims Division

Address

500 Argonaut Lane, Jackson, CA 95642

Phone

(209) 257-2603

Hours

Mon-Fri 8:00am-3:00pm (public access); Clerk's Office phone line 9:00am-3:00pm

Official website

https://amador.courts.ca.gov/divisions/small-claims

Typical hearing wait

8 weeks

Filing Fees

Max claim: $12,500 · Required forms: SC-100, SC-104

Claim amount	Filing fee
$1 – $1,500	$30
$1,501 – $5,000	$50
$5,001 – $12,500	$75

Fee waiver available if you qualify (form FW-001).

How to File

File your completed Plaintiff's Claim and Order to Go to Small Claims Court (SC-100), plus one copy for each defendant, with the Clerk's Office at 500 Argonaut Lane, Jackson, CA 95642. The Clerk's Office is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 3:00pm, and can be reached by phone at (209) 257-2603 from 9:00am to 3:00pm. If you cannot afford the filing fee, ask the clerk about a fee waiver (form FW-001).

Serving the Defendant

The defendant must be served with the claim at least 15 days before the hearing if they live in Amador County, or 20 days if they live outside the county. Service can be made by certified mail arranged through the court clerk, or by personal or substituted service through the Amador County Sheriff's Office, a private process server, or any adult who is not the plaintiff. A completed Proof of Service (SC-104) must be filed with the court before trial if the clerk did not handle service.

Allowed methods: Personal service, Substituted service, Certified mail
Deadline: Serve at least 15 days before the hearing date.

Hearing Tips

The court offers a free Small Claims Advisor on a walk-in, first-come-first-served basis every Wednesday from 9:30am to 2:30pm in Conference Room C at the courthouse.
The court does not provide foreign-language interpreters, but if it determines a party does not understand English well enough to follow the proceedings or testify, it may permit another person (not an attorney or a child) to interpret for that party.
Defendants may request a postponement of the hearing for sufficient cause using the Request to Postpone Small Claims Hearing (SC-110).
The court allows remote appearances (by video or phone via Zoom) in most non-criminal proceedings, though its website does not specifically confirm this applies to small claims hearings.

✓ Interpreters available ✓ Phone appearance allowed

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