The amount you can sue for in small claims court varies widely. If you are considering such a legal pursuit, you should be aware of what the limit are for your area.  Some states have different limits within them as well.  An example is Tennessee where the basic limit for small claims is $15,000 but can be up to $25,000 in some counties of that state.

If you have a legal matter that involves not being paid for services rendered, goods purchased or for cases of unpaid rent due to you or for damaged property, you may file in small claims court.  You may also file a claim in this court for security deposits that have not been returned to you if they are due.  The amount of money involved in the claim must be less than or equal to the small claims limit in your state in order to use this venue of justice.  The small claims courts throughout the United States will not settle any legal matters that involve slanderous remarks, damaged reputations or libel cases. 

Generally, state courts do not allow you to file a claim against someone who does not live or own property in state that you wish to file in.  You may file a claim in the state that the person does live or own property in, but you must remember that you may be required to travel to that state when the case is being heard.

Many people make small claims even though the limit is lower than the amount of their loss.  They often do this because they find small claims court is a faster and less costly way to settle their legal matter.  This may or may not be the most effective suit for you depending on what you want out of the matter. You will most likely be unable to pursue the matter any further legally once it has been dealt with in small claims court, so if the limit is not high enough, consider your other legal options.

The small claims court limits are listed below for each state.  Remember that if you are making a claim against someone in a state other than your own, you must check the limit in the state the claim will be filed.