Fresno County Small Claims Court

Court Information

Court name

Fresno County Superior Court -- Small Claims Division (B.F. Sisk Courthouse)

Address

1130 O Street, Fresno, CA 93721-2220

Phone

(559) 457-1900

Hours

Mon-Thu 8:00am-3:00pm, Fri 8:00am-12:00pm

Official website

https://www.fresno.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 claim (Judicial Council Form SC-100) at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse, 1130 O Street, Fresno, CA 93721-2220 -- the only Fresno County Superior Court location that hears small claims cases. Submit the original claim plus one copy for the court and one copy for each defendant, along with the filing fee (or a completed Fee Waiver request, Form FW-001, if you qualify). You may file in Fresno County if the dispute or injury occurred there, or if the defendant resides or does business there.

Serving the Defendant

The defendant must be served by a sheriff or marshal, by personal or substituted service performed by someone over 18 who is not a party to the case, or by certified mail (a $15 fee applies per defendant). Service must be completed at least 15 days before the hearing if the defendant lives in Fresno County, or 20 days before the hearing if the defendant lives outside the county, and a completed Proof of Service (Form SC-104) must be filed with the court at least 5 days before the trial date.

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

Hearing Tips

Bring all your evidence to the hearing -- contracts, receipts, photos, and repair estimates -- since the court will not delay your case so you can gather more evidence.
Arrange for your own witnesses to appear in person; the court can issue a subpoena if a witness will not come voluntarily.
If you need an interpreter in a language other than Spanish, notify the court as soon as possible before your hearing date; Fresno Superior Court provides interpreting services for trial court proceedings.
You may request one written postponement of your hearing date, but it must be submitted at least 10 days before the scheduled court date and a fee applies.

✓ Interpreters available ✓ Phone appearance allowed

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