Small claims courts are included in each state’s court system and are designed for the resolution of disputes involving a limited dollar amount—and for the parties to the dispute to represent themselves (pro se). Small claims courts are often referred to as the People’s Court, and some states such as California prohibit attorneys from representing parties in small claims court. The limit on the amount of money in dispute (the jurisdictional limit) varies from state to state within a range of $2,500 to $25,000—but is usually between $5,000 and $15,000. The disputes filed in small claims courts are often seeking to recover a debt or involving residential landlord-tenant disputes. Judges in small claims courts in some states are called Justices of the Peace, and the courts are sometimes referred to as JP courts.
In New Hampshire, small claims courts are a division of the district court system designed to handle disputes involving relatively small amounts of money in a less formal setting than regular court proceedings. The jurisdictional limit for small claims in New Hampshire is $10,000, meaning that the amount in dispute must not exceed this figure. Parties in small claims court typically represent themselves without an attorney, which is known as appearing pro se. However, unlike some states such as California, New Hampshire does not prohibit attorneys from representing parties in small claims court. The types of cases commonly heard in small claims court include those seeking to recover debts, property disputes, and landlord-tenant issues. In New Hampshire, the judges presiding over these cases are not referred to as Justices of the Peace, and the courts are not called JP courts.