Minnesota Small Claims Court (Conciliation Court): Limits, Fees, Forms, and Where to File
Minnesota small claims (Conciliation Court): $20,000 limit, $65 fee plus county law library fee, form CCT102. Where to file and the basic steps.
Quick answer: Minnesota Conciliation Court has a $20,000 limit for most claims. The limit is $4,000 when a seller or lender sues a person over credit for buying something for personal, family or household use. The filing fee is $65 plus a county law library fee. You file form CCT102, and you don't need a lawyer.
Filing in Minnesota? See a filled-in sample first.
Everything on this page is free. The Small Claims Playbook adds a filled-in sample of Minnesota's Conciliation Court Plaintiff's Statement of Claim (CCT102), using a made-up case, with a box-by-box guide. One membership covers every state. $149 for your first year (introductory offer), then $199 a year. Join now.
How small claims works in Minnesota
Minnesota's small claims court is called Conciliation Court, a division of the District Court in every county, with the same limits, rules and claim form statewide. There's no jury, and the judge may try to help you settle before deciding.
Checked October 2026. Sources: official sources are linked in each section and under Official links below.
What is the small claims limit in Minnesota?
$20,000 for most claims, for money or to get personal property back.
- $4,000 when a seller or lender sues a person over credit for buying something for personal, family or household use. This lower cap doesn't apply to a buyer suing the seller.
- Cases it can't hear include evictions, medical malpractice, title to real estate or boundary lines, libel or slander, class actions, injunctions and orders to perform a contract, family and juvenile cases, and probate (wills and estates).
How much does it cost to file in Minnesota Conciliation Court?
- Filing fee: $65 (plaintiff, and a defendant filing a first paper)
- Plus a law library fee that varies by county
- Removal to district court: $310; with a jury: $410
Ask the court administrator for the total. If you can't afford the fees, you can file an affidavit asking to proceed without paying.
Sources: Minnesota Judicial Branch: Conciliation Court; Minn. Stat. § 491A.01; § 491A.02; § 357.022; Judicial Branch fees. Checked 2026-10-08.
Where do I file a small claim in Minnesota?
- Usually the county where the defendant lives. With several defendants, any one defendant's county.
- A landlord-tenant damages claim: the county where the rental is.
- Out-of-state corporations or defendants, and bounced checks: other options exist, so ask the court administrator.
How to file in Minnesota Conciliation Court: the basic steps
- Check that your claim is within the limit and isn't one the court can't hear.
- Fill out and sign CCT102, Plaintiff's Statement of Claim (instructions on CCT100). The court administrator must help you fill it out if you ask.
- File with the court administrator in the right county and pay the fees.
- The court sets a hearing at least 28 days after the summons goes out. For claims of $2,500 or less, the court mails it. Over $2,500, you serve it by certified mail and file proof.
- Submit your electronic exhibits through the Minnesota Digital Exhibit System and share them with the other side at least 3 days before the hearing.
- At the hearing, the judge may try to help you settle. If you don't, the judge decides.
Minnesota conciliation court forms
Ready to do these steps yourself?
Service depends on the amount: for claims over $2,500, you serve the summons by certified mail and file proof. The steps above are free. The Playbook helps you do each one, with a filled-in sample of CCT102 and every box explained, plus your Minnesota Playbook section: a step-by-step filing walkthrough (made-up example), serving the other side, what to bring to your hearing, collecting a Conciliation Court judgment, appeals (removal to district court and vacating a default), and common mistakes with a printable checklist.
You also get prep guides that work in any state: a document checklist, exhibit labels, a prep timeline and a hearing-day outline. $149 for your first year (introductory offer), then $199 a year. Join now.
Do I need a lawyer for Minnesota Conciliation Court?
No. You can bring one, but the judge decides how much the lawyer takes part. A corporation, partnership, LLC, sole proprietorship or association can appear through an officer, manager or partner, an employee, or a commercial property manager, with written proof of authority filed with the claim or brought to the hearing. If a corporation removes the case to district court, its lawyer must sign the removal demand.
Sources: Minn. Stat. § 491A.02; Gen. R. Prac. 512; Rule 521.
Small claims court by Minnesota county
The ten largest counties, largest first (Census 2024 estimates). Every county uses the same $20,000 limit, CCT102 form and $65 filing fee; plus a law library fee that varies by county. County guides are coming soon.
| County | Filing fee | Where to file |
|---|---|---|
| Hennepin | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
| Ramsey | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
| Dakota | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
| Anoka | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
| Washington | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
| St. Louis | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
| Olmsted | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
| Stearns | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
| Scott | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
| Wright | $65 + county law library fee | Conciliation Court, District Court |
Know your county? Next, get your proof in order.
You can present your own case. The Playbook's exhibit-label guide and hearing-day outline help you put your documents in order and explain them clearly, step by step. General legal information, not advice about your case.
Minnesota small claims FAQ
What is the small claims limit in Minnesota?
$20,000 for most claims in Conciliation Court. The limit is $4,000 when a seller or lender sues a person over credit for buying something for personal, family or household use.
How much does it cost to file in Minnesota Conciliation Court?
The filing fee is $65, plus a county law library fee that each county sets. If you can't afford the fees, you can file an affidavit asking to proceed without paying.
What form do I use for small claims in Minnesota?
CCT102, Plaintiff's Statement of Claim, with instructions on CCT100. The court administrator must help you fill it out if you ask.
Where do I file a small claim in Minnesota?
Usually in the county where the defendant lives. A landlord-tenant damages claim goes in the county where the rental is.
When is the hearing in Minnesota Conciliation Court?
The court sets a hearing at least 28 days after the summons goes out.
Do I need a lawyer for Conciliation Court in Minnesota?
No. You can bring one, but the judge decides how much the lawyer takes part. Businesses can appear through an officer, manager, partner, or employee with written proof of authority.
What can't Conciliation Court hear in Minnesota?
Cases it can't hear include evictions, medical malpractice, title to real estate or boundary lines, libel or slander, class actions, injunctions and orders to perform a contract, family and juvenile cases, and probate (wills and estates).
Official links
Related guides: Ready to sue · Just got sued · Small claims court basics · 10 things to do before you sue · How to save text messages as evidence · Sued in small claims? What to do next
Other states: pick your state on the map. Free: the Small Claims Starter Kit (basic timeline and checklists). Go deeper: preview the Playbook.
What's in the Minnesota Playbook section
- How to file step by step (made-up example)
- Serving the summons, including certified mail for claims over $2,500
- Counterclaims: the 14-day deadline
- What to bring to your hearing, digital exhibits, and a talking-point outline
- Collecting a Conciliation Court judgment
- Appeals (removal to district court) and vacating a default
- Common mistakes and a printable checklist
You do the work. The Playbook hands you the plays.
This page covers the Minnesota rules. The Playbook coaches you from filing to hearing day: a filled-in sample of CCT102, your Minnesota Playbook section, and step-by-step prep guides. Every state and DC has a filled-in sample claim (for Mississippi, Oklahoma and Wyoming it's a sample layout we made, so you'd get the real form from the court clerk). One membership covers every state.
Small Claims Coach is built to help you handle your case yourself, without a lawyer — but if your situation is complicated, does not fit our samples, or a deadline is close, you may want to call a lawyer.
Small Claims Coach uses public information to build the Playbook, which coaches you as you organize and present your own case. We are not your lawyer, there is no attorney-client relationship, and we don't want the details of your case.
This information is for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice.