Sacramento County Small Claims Court

Court Information

Court name

Sacramento County Superior Court — Small Claims Division (Carol Miller Justice Center)

Address

301 Bicentennial Circle, Room 200, Sacramento, CA 95826

Phone

(916) 875-7746

Hours

Mon-Thu 7:00am-5:00pm (closed Fridays and court holidays)

Official website

https://www.saccourt.ca.gov/small-claims/small-claims.aspx

Typical hearing wait

6 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

All Sacramento County small claims cases (damages up to $12,500) must be filed at the Carol Miller Justice Center, 301 Bicentennial Circle, Room 200, Sacramento, CA 95826 — the county's civil courthouse (Cantil-Sakauye) does not hear small claims. You may file in person, by mail, via the secure document drop box, or through an approved Electronic Filing Service Provider (e-filing has been available for small claims since June 17, 2024 and is optional but encouraged to avoid processing delays). Bring the SC-100 claim form plus the filing fee, or a fee-waiver request (form FW-001). Note: items placed in the Carol Miller drop box on a Friday are not filed until the following court day; if you must file on a Friday, documents can instead be dropped at the William R. Ridgeway Family Relations Courthouse.

Serving the Defendant

Serve the defendant at least 15 days before the hearing (20 days if the defendant lives outside Sacramento County). Service can be made by a county sheriff for a fee, by a registered process server, or by any adult who is not a party to the case, using personal, substituted, or certified-mail service. File the proof of service (SC-104) with the court before the hearing.

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

Hearing Tips

Hearings are in person by default at the Carol Miller Justice Center. Appearing remotely requires filing a Notice of Remote Appearance (form RA-010) at least 10 court days (but no later than 5 court days) before the hearing, and remote appearances are conducted by video (Zoom) — appearing by telephone instead requires a separate written application and court permission granted at least 3 days before the hearing date.
If you need an interpreter, call the Small Claims clerk's office at (916) 875-7746 as soon as possible; note that interpreter services are not available during the monthly Night Court session.
Any evidence you want the judge to consider must be submitted to the court and to the opposing party at least 3 business days before the hearing — the court prefers evidence emailed to scvideohearing@saccourt.ca.gov (name/case number/hearing date in the subject line, 50-page limit), or it can be mailed or dropped at the courthouse with a completed Proof of Service by Mail (POS-030). You must still appear and present the evidence at the hearing, or it will not be considered.
The court orders both parties to make a good-faith effort to resolve the case before the hearing date; free mediation assistance is available by emailing scudadvisors@saccourt.ca.gov or calling (916) 875-7846.
Night Court (video hearings, mediation, and the advisory clinic) is held on the second Wednesday of each month from 5:15-6:15pm, moving to the second Thursday if the Wednesday is a court holiday.

✓ Interpreters available ✓ Phone appearance allowed

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