Small Claims Court
Idaho Code § 1-2301 and Idaho Code § 1-2311 — claims to $15,000, no lawyers at the hearing, and thirty days to appeal
Up to $15,000. The small claims department of the magistrate's division hears claims for money of no more than $15,000, and for personal property worth no more than $15,000. It does not award punitive damages or damages for pain and suffering.
The case is brought in the county where the defendant lives or where the claim arose. Each side may offer evidence and bring witnesses, and there is no jury.
No lawyers at the hearing. No attorney may appear for a party at trial or on motions in small claims. A lawyer may still advise a party and help prepare exhibits and papers, and may appear after judgment to collect it.
A party who loses may appeal within thirty days of the judgment to a lawyer magistrate other than the one who decided it. The appeal fee is $20, and a party who loses the appeal too pays the winner's attorney's fee.
A defendant sued in the wrong county may ask to move the case. A particular claim is a question for the court clerk or a licensed Idaho attorney.
Sources for this section (4)
- Idaho Code § 1-2301 — Small claims department — Creation — Scope of claims — Venue
- Idaho Code § 1-2307 — Attorneys at law — Collection agencies — Witnesses and evidence — Judgment
- Idaho Code § 1-2311 — Appeal to lawyer magistrate
- Idaho Code § 1-2315 — Jury trial not allowed
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Idaho attorney.