San Diego County Small Claims Court

Court Information

Court name

Superior Court of California, County of San Diego -- Small Claims Division (Central Division, Hall of Justice)

Address

330 W. Broadway, Room 225, San Diego, CA 92101

Phone

(858) 634-1919

Hours

Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:00pm (business office); phone hours Mon-Fri 8:30am-11:30am

Official website

https://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/sdcourt/smallclaims2

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

All San Diego County small claims actions must be filed at the Hall of Justice, Central Division, 330 W. Broadway, Room 225, San Diego, CA 92101 -- you can mail the claim form to this address or walk it into the drop box on the 2nd floor of the Hall of Justice. Bring the completed SC-100 claim form along with the filing fee, or a fee-waiver request (form FW-001) if you cannot afford the fee.

Serving the Defendant

The defendant must be served with the claim at least 15 days before the trial date if they live in San Diego County (25 days if served by substitute service), or 20 days if they live outside the county (30 days if by substitute service). Service may be made by personal delivery, by substitute service (leaving a copy with a competent household or business member and mailing a second copy), or by certified mail arranged through the court clerk for a fee. File the Proof of Service (SC-104) with the court at least 5 days before the trial.

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

Hearing Tips

If appearing in person, arrive at the courthouse at least 30 minutes before your scheduled hearing and report directly to the assigned courtroom.
Remote appearance is available by video or audio conference (Microsoft Teams, or Zoom during any Teams outage); your camera starts disabled and is enabled by the clerk once you're admitted, and you must complete a CAPTCHA to enter.
If you need an interpreter, submit the Interpreter Request/Cancellation form (SDSC Form #ADM-348) to the business office as far in advance of your hearing as possible -- the court cannot guarantee availability without adequate notice.
Trial exhibits/evidence may be submitted online through the court's Exhibit Upload Application, but other filings (Proof of Service, requests to postpone/dismiss, interpreter requests, etc.) must be filed through the Small Claims Business Office instead.

✓ Interpreters available ✓ Phone appearance allowed

Know Your Rights Under California Law

California Civil Code § 1950.5 requires landlords to return your deposit or provide an itemized statement within 21 days of move-out. If they fail to do so, you may be entitled to your deposit back plus up to 2× the deposit amount in statutory damages.

Read the full California Security Deposit Law guide →

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