Florida County Small Claims Resources
County-specific filing links, fee notes, and local FAQs for Miami-Dade, Orange, and Hillsborough.
County court finder
Florida clerk sites often split small claims guidance across multiple pages.
For SEO and for real users, the useful work is tying together the county small claims page, county civil fee table, self-help resources, and the practical clerk details that explain how the case actually gets opened.
How To Use These County Pages
Use the local court links first, then confirm filing channel, fee schedule, service rules, and help-desk availability before you submit anything.
State cap, county execution
Florida small claims cases are generally capped at $8,000 excluding costs, interest, and attorneys' fees, but counties still control forms, self-help, and hearing logistics.
Read both fee pages
Many counties publish a small claims page and a broader county civil fee schedule. Use both, because the fee table often has the current dollar brackets even when older PDFs are still floating around.
Expect a pretrial step
Miami-Dade, Orange, and Hillsborough all push litigants into pretrial conferences, self-help review, or clerk-managed intake steps that are easy to miss on a generic state page.
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade Clerk Of The Court And Comptroller Small Claims
Miami-Dade has one of the clearest clerk-side small claims pages in Florida. It lays out venue, filing locations, fee brackets, service basics, and the reality that a pretrial date is assigned soon after filing.
Official Links
Miami-Dade Small Claims Page
Official small claims overview with venue, service, fees, and pretrial guidance.
Civil Court Fee Table
County civil fee table that shows the current filing brackets used by the clerk.
Civil Court Contact Information
Phone numbers and office contacts for the civil court office before you file.
Filing Details
- Miami-Dade says claims up to $8,000 can be filed as small claims and must be brought where the defendant resides, where the cause of action occurred, or where the property is located.
- Forms are available in Room 137 of the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center and at district court locations, which matters if you are filing outside the downtown courthouse.
- The clerk publishes current filing fees of $55 for claims under $100, $80 for $100.01-$500, $175 for $500.01-$2,500, and $300 for $2,500.01-$8,000.
Where can I file a Miami-Dade small claims case?
The clerk says you can file at the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center and at district court locations, depending on where the case belongs.
What happens after I file in Miami-Dade?
The clerk assigns a pretrial date after the suit is processed. Winning the case does not automatically collect the money, so plan for post-judgment collection work if the defendant does not pay voluntarily.
Orange County
Orange County Clerk Of Courts County Civil Small Claims
Orange County pairs a solid small claims page with a genuinely useful self-help center. That gives you both the filing instructions and a local answer to the usual 'what if I do not have a lawyer' problem.
Official Links
Filing Details
- Orange County says small claims cases are filed in county civil court for disputes up to $8,000, excluding costs, interest, and attorneys' fees.
- The clerk tells filers to download and complete a Plain Statement of Claim and a Notice to Appear for a Pretrial Conference, or buy the county packet.
- The Self Help Center offers document review, notary services, and low-cost attorney consultations for small claims users in downtown Orlando and Winter Park.
Can the Orange County clerk help me if I do not have a lawyer?
Yes, but only in a limited way. The Self Help Center reviews documents, answers process questions, and offers paid attorney consultations; it does not become your law firm or appear for you in court.
Where do I go for local small claims help in Orange County?
Orange County runs self-help support from the downtown courthouse and the Winter Park branch, with separate hours and appointment options listed on the clerk's FAQs page.
Hillsborough County
Hillsborough Clerk County Civil / Small Claims
Hillsborough spreads its small claims material across clerk service pages, self-service tools, and filing PDFs. Once you tie them together, you get a much clearer picture of what a self-represented filer actually needs to do.
Official Links
Filing Details
- Hillsborough's filing handout says the clerk may assist with and provide forms for claims that do not exceed $8,000.
- The county's court-services navigation groups County Civil / Small Claims with self-represented litigant resources, which is the practical starting point if you are filing without counsel.
- Hillsborough's monthly court output reports still separate county civil small claims into up-to-$5,000 and $5,001-$8,000 tracks, which is a useful signal when you are checking local fee handling and routing.
Can I file a Hillsborough small claims case without an attorney?
Yes. Hillsborough routes self-represented filers through county civil / small claims and self-service options, including clerk appointments for civil filing business.
Will the clerk fill out the whole case for me?
No. Hillsborough's Help File #6 says the clerk may assist and provide forms for claims up to $8,000, but the clerk still cannot give legal advice or make strategic decisions for you.
Find Another Florida County
Use the statewide Florida courts and your county clerk site together if your county is not on this page yet.
Open the statewide rules page first, then jump to the county clerk where the dispute will be filed. Florida counties often keep the most current fee and packet instructions on clerk websites rather than on the statewide page.
Local court disclaimer
Florida counties update fee tables, intake packets, and pretrial instructions independently. Check the county clerk page you plan to use on the day you file so you are not relying on an older PDF or cached fee table.