New Hampshire: Small Claims Court Dollar Limits
The short answer
New Hampshire's small claims limit is $10,000, the same figure for individuals and businesses. Small claims is a simplified procedure inside the Circuit Court's District Division, not a separate court. Attorneys are allowed for either side. A defendant can force a full jury trial in superior court if the claim exceeds $1,500, and claims over $5,000 without a jury demand go through mediation first. Either party can appeal to the New Hampshire Supreme Court within 30 days, but it's a review of the trial record, not a fresh trial.
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This is the general rule in New Hampshire. Ezel applies current New Hampshire law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. (RSA) ch. 503, §§ 503:1 to 503:13 (Litigation of Small Claims) |
|---|---|
| Dollar limit | $10,000, exclusive of interest and costs, effective July 1, 2015 (RSA 503:1, I, amended by 2014, 186:5), up from a prior $5,000/$7,500 progression |
| Limit for businesses/entities | Same $10,000 limit as an individual: RSA 503 does not lower the dollar cap or bar a business plaintiff |
| Court name and where to file | Small claims is a simplified procedure within the Circuit Court: District Division (the statute still uses the older term 'district or municipal court'), not a freestanding small claims court |
| Can you bring a lawyer? | Not barred: an attorney may appear for any party, but must file a written appearance and serve it on all opposing parties at least 7 days before the hearing (RSA 503:2-a); a non-attorney officer, employee, partner, owner, or trustee of a corporation, partnership, LLC, or trust may also represent the entity without a lawyer, if the entity files a signed, acknowledged written authorization under oath (RSA 503:11) |
| Limit on how many claims you can file | None found in RSA ch. 503 or the District Division small-claims rules |
| Can you appeal? | Either party may appeal to the New Hampshire Supreme Court within 30 days of the notice of judgment (RSA 503:10, II); the trial justice's findings of fact are final, and the appeal is a review of the trial record (a party may request, at their own cost, a sound recording of the hearing before trial for this purpose), not a trial de novo; the trial court may also transfer pure questions of law to the Supreme Court on its own (RSA 503:9) |
| What you can sue for | Money debt or damages up to $10,000; a defendant may demand a jury trial for any claim over $1,500, which transfers the whole case to superior court for trial there instead of proceeding as a small claim (RSA 503:1, II-III); a claim over $5,000 with no jury demand must go through mediation first (RSA 503:1, IV); the statute is framed around debt and damages, with no separate provision for equitable or possessory relief |
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Requirements one by one
Governing law
RSA chapter 503, §§ 503:1 through 503:13, sets the dollar limit, procedure, attorney and business-representation rules, and appeal process for small claims.
Dollar limit
$10,000, exclusive of interest and costs, since July 1, 2015. The figure climbed there through several earlier increases (it was lower in 1998, 2009, and 2010) before landing at the current $10,000.
Business/entity limit
No lower tier. The $10,000 limit applies the same way to an individual or a business.
Court and forum
Small claims is a simplified procedure inside the Circuit Court's District Division, using the statute's older term "district or municipal court", it isn't a separately named small claims court.
Can you bring a lawyer?
Yes. An attorney can appear for any party, but must file a written appearance with the court and give all opposing parties a copy at least 7 days before the hearing. A business doesn't need a lawyer either: an officer, employee, partner, owner, or trustee can represent the business instead, as long as the business files a signed, notarized written authorization presented under oath.
Limit on how many claims you can file
None found. New Hampshire doesn't cap how many small claims a plaintiff can file in a year.
Can you appeal?
Yes, either party, to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, within 30 days of the notice of judgment. This is not a fresh trial, the trial justice's findings of fact are final, and the Supreme Court reviews the trial record (a party can arrange, at their own expense, to have the hearing recorded ahead of time for exactly this purpose). Separately, the trial court itself can send a pure question of law up to the Supreme Court on its own.
What you can sue for
Debt or damages up to $10,000. New Hampshire builds in an unusual escape valve: if the amount claimed is over $1,500, the defendant can demand a jury trial, and doing so transfers the entire case out of small claims and into superior court to be tried there instead. If the claim is over $5,000 and nobody demands a jury, the parties have to go through mediation first. The statute is framed around money debts and damages, without a separate provision reaching equitable or possessory relief.
What trips people up
The $1,500 jury-demand threshold is a real strategic fork: a defendant facing a claim just over that line can force the case out of the informal small-claims track entirely and into superior court, where the stakes, cost, and complexity go up substantially for both sides.
Several secondary sources describe New Hampshire's small-claims appeal as a district-level "trial de novo," but the statute doesn't support that, the actual appeal goes to the state Supreme Court, on the existing trial record, not to a fresh hearing at a different court.
Common questions
Can the other side force a jury trial in my small claims case? Only if the claim is over $1,500. Below that, there's no jury-trial option, and the case stays in the small-claims track.
Do I need mediation before my case is heard? Only if the claim is over $5,000 and neither side has demanded a jury trial, in that situation, mediation happens first.
If I lose, do I get a new trial on appeal? No. The appeal goes to the New Hampshire Supreme Court and is based on the existing trial record (and an optional sound recording), not a new trial.
Statutes and sources
- RSA 503:1, https://www.gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LI/503/503-1.htm (accessed 2026-07-09)
- RSA 503:2-a, https://www.gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LI/503/503-mrg.htm (accessed 2026-07-09)
- RSA 503:9, https://www.gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LI/503/503-9.htm (accessed 2026-07-09)
- RSA 503:10, https://www.gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LI/503/503-mrg.htm (accessed 2026-07-09)
- RSA 503:11, https://www.gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/LI/503/503-11.htm (accessed 2026-07-09)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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