Conciliation Court (Small Claims Court)

You can file a claim in Conciliation Court for up to $20,000. If your claim involves consumer credit, then the maximum amount is $4,000. These are the maximum amounts allowed before you add the court filing fee (see “What is the fee to file in Conciliation Court?” below).

Court Administration cannot accept claims over $20,000. You can choose to lower your claim to the limit of Conciliation Court, but you cannot later ask for more through another claim or split your claim into multiple smaller claims if they involve the same circumstances.

• Security deposit
• Property damage
• Return of pet(s)
• Return of seized vehicle or other property
  

• Title to real estate
• Libel or slander
• Medical malpractice
• Actions against deceased people
• Injunctions

• If the case involves "bad checks," the claim should be filed in the District Court of the county where the checks were written.
• If the case involves a landlord-tenant dispute, the case may be filed in the District Court of the county where the rental property is located.
  

• Use Minnesota Guide & File to create the forms you need. For more information, visit our Guide & File Help Topic.
• Download the Statement of Claim and Summons form.
• Get the paperwork from your local courthouse.
   
  

• your name and address;
• The name and address of the defendant (home address if the defendant is a person; address of principal place of business if a business entity);
• the amount of your claim; and
• the legal reason for the claim and the date your claim occurred.
   

If you need to ask the court to reschedule your court date (called a continuance), your request must be in writing and filed at least 5 days before your court date. You may have to pay costs of up to $50 before you get a new court date. Each party can only ask for a new court date once.

No, the law requires Conciliation Court hearings to be in front a judge or referee.

All parties must appear for the hearing. If you do not appear at the hearing, the judge may dismiss your claim or counterclaim, or award a "default" judgment against you. If neither party appears for the hearing, the judge may dismiss the case, or court administration may strike the case from the calendar.

• If the deadline in the judge’s order has not passed, follow Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 520(a). You must complete and file the Affidavit before the deadline in the judge’s order.
• If the deadline in the judge’s order has already passed, Minn. Gen. R. Prac.  520(b) requires that you file a motion with the court within a “reasonable” time after learning of the judgment. The judge will decide whether the time period has been reasonable. You must serve a copy of your motion to all other parties, and file the motion and Affidavit of Service with court administration.