# California — Small Claims Court Dollar Limits by State

For California, dollar limit is twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500); court name is small claims court; statute citation is Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.221, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31.

- **state:** California _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **dollar limit:** twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500) _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **court name:** small claims court _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **statute citation:** Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.221 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> In addition to the jurisdiction conferred by Section 116.220, the small claims court has jurisdiction in an action brought by a natural person, if the amount of the demand does not exceed twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500), except as otherwise prohibited by subdivision (c) of Section 116.220 or subdivision (a) of Section 116.231.

## Source

- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=116.221.&lawCode=CCP

Last verified: 2026-08-31. Review by: 2027-08-31.
Part of [Small Claims Court Dollar Limits by State](https://referencesource.org/small-claims-court-limits-by-state/).