Small claims in New York
New York's small claims limit runs to $10,000, and which figure applies depends on where you file. What that means for a dispute your size, and what the state's consumer law adds on top.
The ceiling
$10,000, and what sits above it
$10,0001
The small-claims limit is tiered by court, not uniform statewide: $10,000 in NYC Civil Court, $5,000 in City Courts, $3,000 in Town and Village Courts.
That is the top of the range, and the line above says which figure applies where. A dispute worth less than the ceiling you would file under fits inside the route, and you can run it without a lawyer. A dispute worth more has to be cut down to stay there, and the difference is money you give up to keep the simpler process.
Cutting a claim to fit is a real choice rather than a technicality. Above this line the question stops being how to file and starts being whether the amount justifies a different route.
What the statute adds
New York consumer law, on fees and damages
GBL Sec 349/350: actual damages or a statutory minimum ($50 or $500); the court may, in its discretion, treble damages for a willful or knowing violation, capped at $1,000 (Sec 349) or $10,000 (Sec 350); attorney's fees are discretionary.
This matters before you file, not after. A statute that shifts the other side’s costs onto them changes what a business stands to lose by ignoring you, which is the calculation they are actually making.
Before you file
Ask for it in writing first
Most businesses that pay do it before a filing fee is ever spent. A dated written demand naming the amount and a deadline is what turns an argument into a record, and it is the same document a court will want to see if you do end up filing.
None of this is legal advice, and we are not a law firm.2
The other route
Or hand us the chasing
Filing is the part people manage. Chasing is the part they stop doing. We work out who decides, put it in writing, and follow up until the business answers. If small claims is genuinely your better route in New York, we say so.
Disclosures
- 1.Small claims ceilings are set by state statute and change. This figure was read from the source linked above on 2026-08-30. Several states set a different limit in named counties or in particular courts, so confirm the figure with the court you would actually file in before relying on it.
- 2.Satisfy is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and cannot represent you in court. This page reports a published statutory limit and what a state’s consumer statute says; it does not tell you whether to file, what to claim, or what you would recover.