Small Claims

The purpose of the Small Claims Department is to decide certain civil disputes promptly and economically. Claims between $10 and $5000 may be filed in the Small Claims Department. There is a fee associated with the filing of a small claims. Before filing the claim, the plaintiff must have made a bona fide effort to collect the claim from the defendant such as a written letter of demand. An instruction sheet and a claim form are available in Room 107 of the Linn County Courthouse and on this website.
The hearings are informal. Unless the Court has given prior approval for an attorney to be present, all parties appear without an attorney.
Linn County provides Mediation on small claims cases. The mediation orientation scheduled by the Court requires mandatory attendance by all parties, though actual participation in the mediation process is voluntary.
The Mediator or Judge will listen to the argument and make a decision. A judgment is the final decision. There is no appeal from a small claims case.
THE COURT IS NOT A COLLECTION AGENCY. IT IS UP TO THE PERSON WHO WAS AWARDED THE JUDGMENT TO SEE THAT THE JUDGMENT IS SATISFIED. WHENEVER THE JUDGMENT IS SATISFIED, IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE JUDGMENT HOLDER TO NOTIFY THE COURT, IN WRITING, OF THE SATISFACTION.

A defendant served with a notice of a small claims action can request a jury trial. HOWEVER, by law, where a jury trial has been requested for a small claims matter the matter must be transferred to a civil case and additional fees will be incurred by each party.


Procedures and Instructions
Small Claims Defendant's Instructions
Mediation of a small claim
Judgment / Satisfaction in a small claim