(1) In every district court there shall be created and organized by the court a department to be known as the “small claims department of the district court.” The small claims department shall have jurisdiction, but not exclusive, in cases for the recovery of money only if the amount claimed does not exceed:

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Terms Used In Washington Code 12.40.010

  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • person: may be construed to include the United States, this state, or any state or territory, or any public or private corporation or limited liability company, as well as an individual. See Washington Code 1.16.080
(a) Ten thousand dollars in cases brought by a natural person; or
(b) Five thousand dollars in all other cases.
(2) For the purposes of this section, “natural person” means a human being.

NOTES:

Effective dateSubheadings not law2008 c 227: See notes following RCW 3.50.003.
Court Improvement Act of 1984Effective datesSeverabilityShort title1984 c 258: See notes following RCW 3.30.010.
Court Congestion Reduction Act of 1981PurposeSeverability1981 c 331: See notes following RCW 2.32.070.
Application, savingsEffective dateSeverability1979 c 102: See notes following RCW 3.66.020.