Small Claims Court Dollar Limits in New York

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Governing law

New York's small claims rules aren't in one statute — they're in four nearly identical "uniform acts," one per court type: the New York City Civil Court Act (CCA) governs NYC's Civil Court, the Uniform City Court Act (UCT) governs City Courts elsewhere in the state, the Uniform District Court Act (UDC) governs the District Courts that serve Nassau County and western Suffolk County, and the Uniform Justice Court Act (UJC) governs Town and Village Justice Courts. Each act's Article 18 sets that court's own small claims jurisdiction and procedure in nearly identical language — the sections carry the same numbers (§§ 1801–1815) across all four acts, but the dollar limit and court name differ.

Dollar limit

There's no single statewide number. Under CCA § 1801, NYC Civil Court hears small claims up to $10,000. Under UCT § 1801 and UDC § 1801, City Courts outside NYC and District Courts (Nassau County and western Suffolk County) both cap out at $5,000. Under UJC § 1801, Town and Village Justice Courts everywhere else are capped at $3,000. Which figure applies to you depends entirely on where the defendant lives, works, or has a business — not on where you happen to live.

Limit for businesses/entities

New York doesn't give businesses a lower dollar limit — it bars them from suing in small claims court at all. Section 1809(1) (identical across all four acts) says "no corporation ... no partnership, or association and no assignee of any small claim shall institute an action or proceeding under this article." A business can still be sued in small claims court, and § 1809(2) lets it defend itself through an attorney or any authorized officer, director, or employee. If a corporation, partnership, or association wants to sue, it has to use a separate track — New York's Commercial Claims Part, created by a companion set of sections (e.g., CCA Article 18-A) — not ordinary small claims.

Court name and where to file

There's no single answer here either; it tracks the dollar-limit breakdown above. In New York City, look for the Small Claims Part of the Civil Court in the borough where the defendant is based. Outside the city, look for the Small Claims Part of your local City Court, or — in Nassau County and western Suffolk County — the District Court. Everywhere else, it's the Small Claims Part of your Town or Village Justice Court.

Can you bring a lawyer?

Yes, if you want one, but nothing requires it. None of the four acts' small claims articles contain a bar on attorneys at the hearing — unlike some states that expressly exclude them. Section 1804 keeps the hearing informal and not bound by ordinary rules of pleading, procedure, or evidence, but it doesn't touch who may appear. Section 1809(2) affirmatively allows a corporation to defend "by an attorney as well as by any authorized officer, director or employee." In practice, most individual plaintiffs represent themselves — the whole point of the forum is that you don't need a lawyer — but either side is free to hire one.

Limit on how many claims you can file

New York doesn't have California's kind of annual cap on high-dollar filings. What it has instead is narrower and aimed specifically at repeat harassment: under § 1810, if a court clerk sees that you're trying to refile the same claim you already lost after a hearing, or that you're filing "solely for purposes of oppression or harassment," the clerk can require you to get the court's permission before proceeding. That's a case-by-case screen, not a blanket numeric limit like the 2-claims-per-year rule some states use.

Can you appeal?

Yes, but on narrow grounds only, and it applies to both sides equally. Section 1807 says that by filing a small claim, you "waive all right to appeal," except that "either party may appeal on the sole grounds that substantial justice has not been done between the parties according to the rules and principles of substantive law." That's not a fresh trial — it's a limited review by the Appellate Term asking whether the outcome was fundamentally fair given the law, not a chance to re-argue the facts from scratch. The deadline is the same as any other civil appeal in New York: 30 days after you're served with the judgment and written notice of its entry (CPLR § 5513(a)).

What you can sue for

Money only. The very definition of a "small claim" in § 1801 is "any cause of action for money only" — that phrase is what limits the court's jurisdiction in the first place. There's no equivalent to the equitable-relief carve-outs some other states' small claims courts have; you can't get an order forcing someone to do or stop doing something, only a money judgment.

What trips people up

There's no one number to remember. Someone searching "New York small claims limit" often lands on the $10,000 NYC figure and assumes it's statewide — it isn't. If your dispute is outside the five boroughs, check whether you're within a City Court's, a District Court's, or a Town/Village Justice Court's territory before assuming the dollar cap.

Businesses can't file, period — not just a lower cap. A landlord LLC or a contractor's corporation that wants to chase a debt can't bring that claim in small claims court under its own name; it has to use the separate Commercial Claims Part instead, which follows different rules.

"Waived all right to appeal" sounds absolute — it isn't quite. Filing a small claim gives up your normal appeal rights, but the "substantial justice" exception in § 1807 still lets either side challenge a genuinely unfair outcome; it's just a much narrower review than an ordinary civil appeal.

Common questions

Can my LLC sue someone in New York small claims court? No — corporations, partnerships, associations, and assignees are barred from suing as plaintiffs under § 1809(1). Use the Commercial Claims Part instead, or sue as an individual if you're a sole proprietor genuinely acting in your own name.

Do I need a lawyer to go to small claims court in New York? No. It's designed for self-represented parties, and most plaintiffs go in without one. You can still hire an attorney if you want — nothing in the statute stops you.

If I lose, can I get a full new trial on appeal? No. Filing waives your ordinary appeal rights; the only route left is a narrow appeal arguing that substantial justice wasn't done, not a fresh look at the facts.

Statutes and sources

• N.Y. City Civ. Ct. Act § 1801 — "any cause of action for money only not in excess of ten thousand dollars ... within the city of New York." — https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CCA/1801 — accessed 2026-09-09
• N.Y. Uniform City Ct. Act § 1801 — "any cause of action for money only not in excess of five thousand dollars ... within the county." — https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/UCT/1801 — accessed 2026-09-09
• N.Y. Uniform Dist. Ct. Act § 1801 — "any cause of action for money only not in excess of five thousand dollars ... within a district of the court in the county." — https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/UDC/1801 — accessed 2026-09-09
• N.Y. Uniform Justice Ct. Act § 1801 — "any cause of action for money only not in excess of three thousand dollars ... within the municipality where the court is located." — https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/UJC/1801 — accessed 2026-09-09
• N.Y. City Civ. Ct. Act § 1809 — "No corporation ... no partnership, or association and no assignee of any small claim shall institute an action or proceeding under this article ... A corporation may appear in the defense ... by an attorney as well as by any authorized officer, director or employee." — https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CCA/1809 — accessed 2026-09-09
• N.Y. City Civ. Ct. Act § 1804 — "The court shall conduct hearings ... shall not be bound by statutory provisions or rules of practice, procedure, pleading or evidence." — https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CCA/1804 — accessed 2026-09-09
• N.Y. City Civ. Ct. Act § 1810 — "the clerk may in his discretion compel the claimant to make application to the court for leave to prosecute the claim in the small claims part." — https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CCA/1810 — accessed 2026-09-09
• N.Y. City Civ. Ct. Act § 1807 — "A person commencing an action upon a small claim ... shall be deemed to have waived all right to appeal, except that either party may appeal on the sole grounds that substantial justice has not been done." — https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CCA/1807 — accessed 2026-09-09
• N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 5513(a) — "An appeal as of right must be taken within thirty days after service ... of a copy of the judgment or order appealed from and written notice of its entry." — https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CVP/5513 — accessed 2026-09-09