The numbers we have verified
The lowest figure we verified is $35 (Spokane County District Court, Spokane County) and the highest is $50 (Yakima County District Court, Yakima 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.
One state fee, one optional county surcharge
Small claims are filed in the small claims department of the district court. "A filing fee of thirty-five dollars plus any surcharge authorized by RCW 7.75.035 shall be paid when the claim is filed" (RCW 12.40.020).
The surcharge is a county decision. "A county legislative authority may impose ... a surcharge of up to fifteen dollars on each filing fee for small claims actions for the purpose of funding dispute resolution centers" (RCW 7.75.035(1)). Thurston and Benton counties, for example, say on their own pages that $15 of their small claims fee goes to dispute resolution.
Most of the counties we verified add the full surcharge. Spokane County's schedule lists the small claims filing fee at the state amount alone, so it is the lower figure in the tables below, which are generated from the fees we verified on each court's own page.
| King County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| King County District Court | $50 |
| Thurston County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Thurston County District Court | $50 |
| Benton County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Benton County District Court | $50 |
| Spokane County court | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Spokane County District Court | $35 |
Counterclaims cost the same
A defendant who files a counterclaim, cross-claim or third-party claim pays the same fee: "a filing fee of thirty-five dollars plus any surcharge authorized by RCW 7.75.035" (RCW 12.40.020). That is why most county schedules list the same amount for a small claims filing and a small claims counterclaim.
Who can sue for how much
The claim limit depends on who is suing, not on the county. The small claims department hears money claims that do not exceed "ten thousand dollars in cases brought by a natural person" or "five thousand dollars in all other cases" (RCW 12.40.010), so a business suing in small claims is limited to $5,000. The filing fee is the same either way.
What this means if you are filing in Washington
Expect the state fee plus your county's surcharge, and add the cost of serving the defendant, which is separate. Our Washington county pages show the verified fee and link to each district court's own schedule.
If the fee is a hardship, see our Washington fee waiver guide for how to ask the court to waive it.
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Sources
- RCW 12.40.020, Small claims action: commencement and fee (read October 2026)
- RCW 7.75.035, Surcharge by county legislative authority (read October 2026)
- RCW 12.40.010, Small claims department: jurisdictional amount (read October 2026)
- Spokane County District Court, Fee Schedule (read September 2026)
- Thurston County District Court, Small Claims (read September 2026)
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.