Broward County Small Claims Court

Filing in Broward County

Broward County small claims cases go through the County Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit. The small claims division handles civil disputes up to $8,000, following the same statewide rules and fee schedule that apply across all 67 Florida counties.

File in person at the Broward County Clerk of the Circuit Court, by mail, or electronically through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (myflcourtaccess.com). Self-represented filers can use the portal without an attorney account — register as a Pro Se filer.

Local Forms

Broward's clerk lists a County Court / Small Claims Information Sheet with its County Civil forms. Its small-claims filing instructions list a Statement of Claim, summons/notice, and supporting copies for each defendant; the statewide Form 1.997 civil cover sheet is not required for small claims.

Mediation may take place at the pretrial conference, but it is not a separate statewide filing requirement. Check the clerk's current local instructions before filing.

Choose the Statement of Claim form for your claim. Form 7.332 covers work and materials, and Form 7.330 covers auto negligence; Form 7.322 is the summons/notice to appear for the pretrial conference, not a claim form. Broward's clerk also provides local Statement of Claim forms.

Fees

Add $10 per summons and $40 for sheriff service per defendant. E-filing through the portal adds a 3.5% credit card surcharge or $5.00 flat for e-check.

Broward's clerk publishes multi-page PDF filing packets on its website. They're comprehensive but dense — sorting through them for the specific forms relevant to small claims takes time. The packets include general civil forms that don't apply to small claims, which confuses first-time filers.

Service of Process

After the clerk issues the summons, you need to serve the defendant. Options:

• Broward County Sheriff's Office — $40 per defendant, standard personal service
• Certified process server — private servers certified under Fla. Stat. § 48.021
• Clerk's certified mail — available for Florida residents; the return receipt may be signed by the defendant or someone authorized to receive mail at the defendant's residence or principal place of business

Initial process and the Statement of Claim must be served within 120 days after filing. If you need more time, request it before the 120 days expire; the rule provides an additional 120 days.

If your defendant is a business, pull its registered agent from Sunbiz before arranging service. Filing against a trade name alone is a procedural error — you need the legal entity name.

Make sure the Return of Service is filed with the clerk before your pretrial date. If it's not on file, the clerk may cancel the conference and reschedule.

Pretrial Conference and Trial

Broward's pretrial conference follows the statewide schedule: the clerk must set it no more than 50 days after filing. Mediation may take place at the conference; if the case does not settle, the court must set it for trial within 60 days after the conference.

Broward is one of the busiest judicial circuits in Florida. Expect the docket to be full — hearings may start late, and the judge hears many cases in a single session. Arrive early, be prepared, and keep your presentation tight.

For the complete Broward County filing process mapped to the state rules and forms, our Florida Small Claims Filing Guide includes county-specific details for every step from filing through enforcement.

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