Online filing is one of the topics covered in California Small Claims Court: Limits, Filing, and Procedure. This article focuses on a single question: can the case be started over the internet instead of at the courthouse counter? The short answer is that it depends on which county’s court hears the case, because California gives each court the choice of whether to accept electronic filings.
Online filing depends on your county
California does not have one statewide small claims e-filing system. Instead, electronic filing is permissive and set court by court. Under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1010.6, a trial court “may adopt local rules permitting electronic filing of documents,” subject to the rules the Judicial Council sets. The word is may, not must. A court that has adopted those local rules accepts online filings; a court that has not still takes filings only in person or by mail.
The result is a patchwork. Larger courts have built online portals, often through a private electronic filing service provider that connects to the court’s case system. Other courts, especially smaller and rural ones, have not, and there the SC-100 still goes to the clerk’s window or arrives by mail. Because the rule is local, the availability of online filing can also change as a court adopts or updates its procedures.
How to check whether your court accepts online filing
The reliable way to find out is to look at the court that will hear the case. Small claims cases are filed in the county tied to the dispute, such as where the defendant lives or where a contract was performed, so the first step is identifying that court.
The California Courts find-my-court locator maps an address or county to the correct Superior Court and links to that court’s website. From the court’s own site, look for a small claims or “file online” section. Los Angeles County, for example, runs an electronic filing option for small claims through the Los Angeles Superior Court small claims division. The state self-help guide’s overview of how to file court papers also explains that filing methods, including whether online filing is offered, are set by each court.
Identify the correct court
Determine the county where the case can be filed, then use the state court locator to find that county’s Superior Court. Venue for a small claims case generally follows where the defendant lives or where the underlying event happened.
Open the court's small claims page
From the locator, go to the specific court’s website and find its small claims section. Courts that accept online filing describe it there, usually under a heading such as “eFiling,” “file online,” or “electronic filing.”
Confirm the method and any provider
If the court lists an online option, note whether filings go through a court portal or a third-party electronic filing service provider, and read the court’s instructions for small claims specifically. Some courts allow e-filing for general civil cases but route small claims differently.
How online small claims filing works
Where a court accepts online filing, the process mirrors paper filing with the documents handled electronically. The plaintiff completes form SC-100, Plaintiff’s Claim and Order to Go to Small Claims Court, the same form used at the counter, then uploads it through the court’s portal or its electronic filing service provider rather than printing and delivering it.
Plaintiff's Claim and Order to Go to Small Claims Court (SC-100)
From California Courts
URL verified June 2026 · 125 KB
After the upload, the court reviews and accepts the filing, assigns a case number, and sets a hearing date the same way it would for a paper filing. Under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1010.6, a document filed electronically is treated as filed when the court confirms receipt, and the confirmation the system returns is the record that the filing went through. The court then issues the stamped, conformed copies the plaintiff needs for the next step.
Fees for filing online
Filing online does not change the court’s filing fee. As of 2026, the fee is based on the claim amount and the plaintiff’s filing history under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.231 and related fee statutes: $30 for claims of $1,500 or less, $50 for claims above $1,500 up to $5,000, and $75 for claims above $5,000 up to $12,500. A plaintiff who has filed more than 12 small claims cases in the state in the previous 12 months pays $100 regardless of the claim amount. These amounts are set by statute and are the same whether the SC-100 is filed online, by mail, or in person. The current step-by-step fee and filing detail is covered in the guide to filing small claims in California.
Online filing can add one cost that paper filing does not. When a court uses a private electronic filing service provider, that vendor may charge its own transaction or convenience fee on top of the court’s filing fee. The provider fee is separate from the court fee and varies by vendor and court.
A plaintiff who cannot afford the filing fee can ask the court to waive it by submitting form FW-001, the Request to Waive Court Fees, along with the SC-100. Courts that accept online filing generally accept the fee waiver request through the same portal. A granted waiver covers the court’s fee; whether it covers a third-party provider’s fee depends on the court and the vendor.
What online filing does not change
Online filing changes how the paperwork reaches the court, not the rules of the case. The dollar limits are the same: under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.221, $12,500 for an individual, and $6,250 for a corporation or other non-natural-person plaintiff. The form is the same SC-100. The venue rules that decide which court hears the case are the same. And the hearing itself is in person at the courthouse on the date the court assigns; e-filing the claim does not make the proceeding remote.
Service of the defendant also remains a distinct, non-electronic step in most cases, as noted above. The broader sequence of confirming the case fits, choosing the court, completing the form, paying the fee, and arranging service is laid out in the guide to filing small claims in California, which applies whether the SC-100 is submitted online or on paper.
If your court does not offer online filing
When the court hearing the case has not adopted electronic filing for small claims, two traditional methods remain. The plaintiff can file in person at the small claims division of the Superior Court, handing the completed SC-100 to the clerk and paying the fee at the window. Many courts also accept filing by mail, sending the form and a check for the fee to the clerk’s office, though mailing adds processing time and does not provide the instant confirmation an online portal does.
The state self-help guide on starting a small claims case walks through completing the SC-100 and submitting it, and applies regardless of filing method. After the court accepts the filing and returns the conformed copies, the case proceeds the same way it would have if filed online: the defendant is served, proof of service is filed, and both sides appear at the scheduled hearing. If a properly served defendant does not appear, the court can enter a default judgment for the plaintiff after the plaintiff briefly proves the claim.
Frequently asked questions
Does every California county allow small claims cases to be filed online?
No. Electronic filing is authorized but not required by Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1010.6, which lets each trial court decide whether to permit it. Some courts offer online filing for small claims and others accept only in-person or mail filings. The court hearing the case is the only reliable source for whether online filing is available there.
Is filing online the same as a remote or video hearing?
No. Filing the SC-100 online concerns only how the case is started. The hearing is a separate event, usually held in person at the courthouse on the date the court assigns. Some courts offer remote appearances for certain hearings, but that is a distinct option set by each court and is not created by e-filing the claim.
Can the defendant be served online if the case is filed online?
Generally no. Starting a case electronically does not change service of process. A small claims defendant is served by certified mail through the clerk, by personal delivery by a non-party adult, or by another method under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.340. Email service of the initial claim is not one of the standard small claims methods.
Are the filing fees higher when filing online?
The court’s filing fee is the same online as in person, ranging from $30 to $100 as of 2026 depending on the claim amount and filing history under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.231. A court that uses a private electronic filing service provider may add a separate vendor fee, so the total paid online can be higher than the court fee alone even though the court’s own fee is unchanged.
What if the small claims limit is too low for the amount owed?
A plaintiff can either waive the amount above the limit and file in small claims for the maximum, or file in a different division of the Superior Court for the full amount. Under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.221, the individual limit is $12,500, and the limit for most business plaintiffs is $6,250. Waiving the excess is permanent, and that portion cannot be recovered later.
Sources
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1010.6 (electronic filing and service)
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.340 (service of the small claims claim)
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.221 (small claims dollar limit)
- California Courts: How to file court papers
- California Courts: Start a small claims case
- Plaintiff’s Claim and Order to Go to Small Claims Court (SC-100)
- Find my court (county court locator)