Article 28: Small Claims Court · Last amended 2024 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceNebraska’s Small Claims Court can hear any civil dispute over money, damages, or personal property worth no more than the current jurisdictional cap — seven thousand five hundred dollars beginning July 1, 2025 — as long as the defendant resides or does business in the county, or the claim arose there.
Full Text of § 25-2802
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(1) The Small Claims Court shall have subject matter jurisdiction in all civil actions of any type when the amount of money or damages or the value of the personal property claimed does not exceed the jurisdictional amount specified in subsection (4) of this section, exclusive of interest and costs.
(2) The Small Claims Court shall have subject matter jurisdiction in civil matters when the plaintiff seeks to disaffirm, avoid, or rescind a contract or agreement for the purchase of goods or services not in excess of the jurisdictional amount specified in subsection (4) of this section, exclusive of interest and costs.
(3) The Small Claims Court shall have jurisdiction when the party defendant or his or her agent resides or is doing business within the county or when the cause of action arose within the county.
(4) The jurisdictional amount is six thousand dollars from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. The jurisdictional amount is seven thousand five hundred dollars beginning July 1, 2025.
This section sets Small Claims Court’s subject-matter jurisdiction. It reaches civil actions of any type where the amount of money, damages, or the value of personal property claimed does not exceed the jurisdictional cap, not counting interest and costs. That covers the everyday disputes people bring to small claims: unpaid debts, property damage, and similar money claims that fall under the cap.
The court also has jurisdiction when a plaintiff seeks to disaffirm, avoid, or rescind a contract or agreement for the purchase of goods or services, again as long as the value involved does not exceed the same cap.
Beyond the dollar limit, the case has to have a real connection to the county: the defendant, or the defendant’s agent, has to reside or do business there, or the cause of action has to have arisen there. As for the dollar figure itself, it has moved recently — six thousand dollars from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, and seven thousand five hundred dollars starting July 1, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money can I sue for in Nebraska Small Claims Court?
Up to the current jurisdictional amount, which is seven thousand five hundred dollars beginning July 1, 2025, not counting interest and costs.
Has the Small Claims Court dollar limit changed recently?
Yes. It was six thousand dollars from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, and rose to seven thousand five hundred dollars starting July 1, 2025.
Can I use Small Claims Court to get out of a contract instead of collecting money?
Yes. The court has jurisdiction over claims to disaffirm, avoid, or rescind a contract or agreement for goods or services, within the same dollar cap.
Where do I file if the person I am suing lives in a different county?
File where the defendant or the defendant’s agent resides or does business, or where the cause of action arose — the court needs one of those connections to the county.
Does the jurisdictional amount include interest and court costs?
No. The cap applies exclusive of interest and costs.
What if my claim is worth more than the Small Claims Court limit?
Small Claims Court’s jurisdiction does not reach a claim above the cap, so a claim of that size would need to be brought as a regular county court case instead.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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