Calaveras County Small Claims Court

Court Information

Court name

Calaveras County Superior Court -- Small Claims Division

Address

400 Government Center Drive, San Andreas, CA 95249-9794

Phone

(209) 754-9800

Hours

Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:00pm (Clerk's Office window hours 8:15am-3:00pm)

Official website

https://www.calaveras.courts.ca.gov/divisions/small-claims-division

Typical hearing wait

7 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

Small claims cases in Calaveras County are filed at the single county courthouse: 400 Government Center Drive, San Andreas, CA 95249-9794. The court's small-claims page does not describe an e-filing portal for small claims, so plan to file in person or by mail. Bring the SC-100 form plus the filing fee, or a fee-waiver request (form FW-001) if you cannot pay the fee. Small-claims forms are available through the statewide Judicial Council Forms website; the Calaveras Self-Help Legal Aid line, (209) 754-1443, can help with case preparation, venue, and procedure questions (court clerks cannot give legal advice).

Serving the Defendant

Serve the defendant at least 15 days before the hearing (20 days if the defendant lives outside Calaveras County). Service may be made by personal delivery, substituted service, or certified mail. File the proof of service (SC-104) with the court before the hearing; any correspondence sent to the court must include the case number and proof that copies were sent to all parties, or it will be rejected.

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

Hearing Tips

Small Claims courts do not provide interpreters -- if you are not fluent in English, you must bring your own interpreter with you.
Come to court organized and prepared, and arrive on time: if you arrive late, your case may be heard without you.
Bring enough photocopies of all your evidence for each party and the judge, bring all your witnesses, and have your documents ready in chronological order.
Always address the judge, not the other party. The judge usually will not announce the decision in court -- the judgment is mailed to the parties afterward.
Parties may be asked to exchange and review evidence documents with each other before the case is heard, and several other cases may be scheduled for the same time as yours.

✓ Interpreters available ✓ Phone appearance allowed

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Read the full California Security Deposit Law guide →

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