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 Oklahoma, small claims courts are part of the state's court system designed to handle disputes involving relatively small amounts of money, typically allowing individuals to represent themselves without an attorney. The jurisdictional limit for small claims in Oklahoma is $10,000, meaning that the court can adjudicate disputes where the amount in question does not exceed this limit. Common types of cases heard in small claims courts include debt recovery and landlord-tenant disputes. In Oklahoma, these courts are not referred to as JP courts, and the judges are not called Justices of the Peace. Instead, they are presided over by a special judge or a magistrate. While parties are generally encouraged to represent themselves in small claims court, Oklahoma does not prohibit attorneys from representing parties in these proceedings, unlike some other states such as California.