Oregon Small Claims Response Form: Which Form Defendants Actually File

The Form You Need: SC-Response

For Circuit Court small-claims cases, the official defendant response form is titled Defendant's Response and carries the designation SC-Response. The current version was revised in January 2026 to reflect the new 30-day deadline under House Bill 2463. Justice Courts may use different forms.

You can get the form three ways:

• It should have been included in the packet served to you alongside the Notice of Claim
• Download it from the Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) website under statewide small claims forms
• Generate a completed version through Oregon's Guide & File interactive system, which walks you through each field

F0577 Is Not Your Form

The service packet sometimes includes a bulky instruction document labeled F0577 (also written as 05-77). This confuses a lot of defendants. Form F0577 is the Plaintiff's Instruction Packet — it explains to the person who filed the claim how to serve papers and request a default judgment. It was included in the mailing because the court prints a complete form set, but it has nothing for you to fill in.

The defendant instructions are part of Form F0508 (SC_DefendantsResponseFormAndInstructionsF0508). That is the combined instruction and response package for defendants. The response form itself is the last pages of F0508.

What Goes on the Form

SC-Response has these sections:

1. Court caption and case number. Copy these exactly from the Notice of Claim. Include the judicial district and county.
2. Response selection. Select the applicable response choices: payment of claim, denial and hearing demand, jury trial demand (if the claim exceeds $750), or counterclaim. A counterclaim may be combined with a denial and hearing demand.
3. Counterclaim details (if applicable). Describe what the plaintiff owes you, the dollar amount, and the factual basis.
4. Interpreter request. If you need a court-provided interpreter, check the box and specify the language.
5. Your information. Full legal name, mailing address, phone number, and email. Sign and date.

Every field matters. A missing case number or unsigned form can be rejected by the clerk.

Where to File It

Three filing channels:

• In person at your county courthouse's civil clerk window during business hours
• By mail to the courthouse address listed on the Notice of Claim (must arrive by the deadline — postmarks don't count)
• Electronically through OJD Guide & File (timestamp must be before 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the deadline date)

For Circuit Court cases, submit the appearance fee with your response: $57 for claims up to $2,500, $102 for claims over $2,500 up to $10,000. Justice Courts set separate fee schedules. If you are admitting and paying in full, no appearance fee is required, though you must reimburse the plaintiff's filing fee and service expenses. If you cannot afford the fee, file a Fee Deferral or Waiver Application (Form AFF-1) at the same time.

Justice Court Forms Are Different

If your case is in a justice court rather than a circuit court, the forms may differ. Justice courts operate under ORS Chapter 52, and some explicitly reject circuit court forms. Deschutes County Justice Court, for example, returns OJD circuit court forms without processing them. Check your Notice of Claim caption: if it reads "Justice Court of the State of Oregon," contact that specific court for its response form.

Common Mistakes

• Filing F0577 instead of SC-Response
• Mailing the form on the last day and having it arrive late
• Forgetting the appearance fee or not including a fee waiver application
• Using an old form with the 14-day deadline language (pre-2026 versions)
• Filing with the wrong court (justice court form sent to circuit court, or vice versa)

The Oregon Small Claims Response Guide includes a forms checklist so you can verify you have the right documents before filing.

See more Oregon guides →