The numbers we have verified
The lowest figure we verified is $35 (Fairfield Municipal Court, Butler County) and the highest is $151 (Adams County Court (Small Claims Division), Adams County).
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.
Ohio law leaves the fee to each court
Ohio's small claims divisions sit inside its municipal courts and county courts. The small claims statute sets the claim limit, not more than $6,000 exclusive of interest and costs (R.C. 1925.02(A)(1)), but it does not set a fee. When a small claims case starts, the plaintiff pays "a filing fee as determined by the court" plus the deposit required under R.C. 1901.26(C) or 1907.24(C) (R.C. 1925.04(A)).
For municipal courts, R.C. 1901.26(A)(1)(a) says the court "by rule, shall establish a schedule of fees and costs to be taxed in any civil or criminal action or proceeding." There is no statewide fee table to look up. Each court publishes its own schedule, and those schedules are what our county pages report.
One county can have many courts
A municipal court's reach is defined by law: R.C. 1901.02(A) gives each municipal court jurisdiction within the corporate limits of the municipality where it sits (the Clermont County and Erie County municipal courts also cover the unincorporated territory around them). That is why a single Ohio county can contain several courts, each with its own fee schedule.
Cuyahoga County and Summit County show the effect. The table below is generated from the fees we verified on each court's own published schedule.
| Summit County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Akron Municipal Court | $133 |
| Barberton Municipal Court | $99 |
| Stow Municipal Court | $139 |
What the fee includes differs too
Two courts with similar fees do not always charge for the same things. In the Cuyahoga County courts we verified, Cleveland Municipal Court's figure includes certified-mail service on one defendant, while Parma Municipal Court lists certified mail as $20 extra and Lakewood Municipal Court as $10 extra. Berea Municipal Court's figure covers one defendant, with $10 for each additional one.
Each county page notes what the published figure covers, so you can compare like with like. Where a court publishes only a combined figure, we show that figure and say so.
What this means if you are filing in Ohio
Find the court that covers where the defendant lives or where the claim arose, then read that court's schedule. Our Ohio county pages list the courts we have verified and link to each court's own page. If your court is not verified yet, the page says so and shows the verified range instead of guessing, and the clerk can give you the exact total for your claim amount.
If the fee is a hardship, Ohio courts accept fee waiver requests. See our Ohio fee waiver guide.
A professionally written demand letter template that puts the other party on notice before you file. Courts expect a demand letter before you sue — and it gets you paid 40% of the time without ever stepping foot in a courtroom. Works in all 50 states.
See exactly what you get- 6 variants included: General, Landlord/Tenant, Contractor, Unpaid Loan, Property Damage, Follow-Up Notice
- Fillable HTML — open in any browser, click fields to type, print to PDF when done
- Editable Word (.docx) — fill in Microsoft Word using Find & Replace
- Certified mail instructions included — how to send, what to keep as proof
- Instant download — ready to fill in and send today
HTML, Word (.docx)
Secure checkout via Payhip · Instant delivery · 30-day guarantee
Sources
- Ohio Revised Code § 1925.02, Jurisdiction (effective April 9, 2025) (read October 2026, archived copy of 2026-06-10)
- Ohio Revised Code § 1925.04, Commencing an action (effective July 1, 2000) (read October 2026, archived copy of 2025-05-21)
- Ohio Revised Code § 1901.26, Costs (effective November 25, 2025) (read October 2026, archived copy of 2026-06-10)
- Ohio Revised Code § 1901.02, Jurisdiction of municipal courts (effective October 24, 2024) (read October 2026, archived copy of 2025-05-22)
The Ohio Laws site was not reachable from our location, so each section was read from the Internet Archive's copy of the page on the capture date shown. The effective date printed on each section is given above; 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.