Small claims court is designed to be a “do-it-yourself” kind of court, where ordinary people can handle their own cases, whichever side they’re on. Small claims court is for claims up to $25,000.

Note: On June 1, 2017, the limit for small claims will increase to $35,000 from $25,000. The Civil Resolution Tribunal will also begin accepting small claims disputes up to $5,000. See the Provincial Court's resource, Important Changes to Small Claims Court for more information.

Good starting points include:

• Small Claims BC, from the Justice Education Society, is a website that provides information about what to expect in small claims court. If you are going to court in Vancouver or Richmond, this site has information about the special small claims procedures in those locations.
• Replying to a Claim in Small Claims Court, from the provincial government, covers what is involved if someone is making a claim against you in small claims court.
• Being Sued in Small Claims Court, a fact sheet from the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch, provides an overview of your options.
• What to Do If You Are Sued In Small Claims Court, from the University of Victoria Law Centre, provides detail on the options if you are being sued in small claims court.

As of December 2016, the Civil Resolution Tribunal's Solution Explorer is available to beta test for Small Claims matters. This means you can find more resources and tools to help you with your small claims matters. After the testing period, the CRT will be taking the Solution Explorer beta offline to add some new legal information and tools, before starting to accept small claims disputes.

See our related common questions:

• I need to take someone to small claims court
• Provincial Court resources for everyone: small claims court
• See all common questions about courts & tribunals

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small claims court, going to court, representing yourself, replying to a claim, being sued, self-represented litigants, self-help