The numbers we have verified
The lowest figure we verified is $20.50 (Barton County Circuit Court (28th Judicial Circuit, Small Claims), Barton County) and the highest is $100 (Morgan County Circuit Court (Small Claims), Morgan County). The Missouri list includes 1 independent city alongside the counties.
Counts and ranges are generated from our verified data when this page is built. A county without a verified fee says so on its own page and never gets an estimated number.
One claim limit, several common fees
A Missouri judge sitting as a small claims court hears civil cases "where the amount in controversy does not exceed five thousand dollars, exclusive of interest or costs" (RSMo 482.305). That limit is the same in every county.
The filing fee is not. Most of the counties we verified charge one of two amounts, and the two most common figures are exactly $15 apart. The tables below are generated from the fees we verified on each court's own schedule.
| St. Louis County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| St. Louis County Circuit Court (21st Judicial Circuit, Associate Division - Small Claims) | $20.50 |
| Greene County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Greene County Circuit Court (Small Claims) | $35.50 |
| Jackson County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Jackson County (Small Claims) | $27.50 |
| Platte County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Platte County Circuit Court (Small Claims) | $40.50 |
Each circuit can add a surcharge
State law lets the judges of each circuit add a surcharge to civil filings. "The judges of the circuit court, en banc, in any circuit in this state may require any party filing a civil case in the circuit court, at the time of filing the suit, to deposit with the clerk of the court a surcharge in addition to all other deposits required by law or court rule" (RSMo 488.426(1)).
The cap is $15 in most circuits and $20 in Jackson County and in circuits that reimburse the state for family court commissioners (RSMo 488.426(2)). A $15 gap between the two most common Missouri fees is consistent with some circuits using that surcharge and others not, but the courts' schedules do not itemize it, so we report each court's published total.
Service is usually extra, and it varies most
Most Missouri schedules list service separately. Some courts charge a set amount for certified mail per defendant, some send you to the sheriff, whose fee is paid to the sheriff, and a few include certified-mail service in the filing fee. Platte County's figure, for example, includes service by certified mail, restricted delivery. Because service can cost more than the filing fee itself, each county page says what the published figure includes.
Courts in the same circuit often share one schedule, so neighboring counties can have identical fees. The 28th Judicial Circuit, for example, publishes one schedule for Barton, Cedar, Dade and Vernon counties.
What this means if you are filing in Missouri
Check the circuit clerk's schedule for the county where you will file, and add the cost of the service method you plan to use for each defendant. Our Missouri county pages show the verified filing fee, what it includes, and a link to the court's own schedule; if a county is not verified yet, its page says so instead of guessing.
If the fee is a hardship, see our Missouri fee waiver guide for how to ask the court to let you file without paying costs in advance.
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Sources
- RSMo 482.305, Jurisdiction of small claims court (effective August 28, 2011) (read October 2026, archived copy of 2026-06-06)
- RSMo 488.426, Deposit required in civil actions; surcharge (effective August 28, 2014) (read October 2026, archived copy of 2025-12-28)
- Platte County Circuit Clerk, Civil Filing Fees (read September 2026)
- Cedar County Circuit Clerk, 28th Judicial Circuit court costs schedule (effective September 16, 2025) (read October 2026)
The Missouri Revisor of Statutes site was not reachable from our location, so both sections were read from the Internet Archive's copies on the capture dates shown. Check the current text before relying on it for a filing.
This is general information, not legal advice. Fees change; confirm the current amount with the court before you file. How we check our data: methodology.