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H 7643Civil Procedure

Courts and Civil Procedure - Procedure in Particular Action - Small Claims and Consumer Claims

Increases small claims court filing fees to $75 and raises the maximum claim limit from $2,500 to $5,000.

Signed into law36 Yea0 Nay1 Not voting
Population
Affected
35
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 11, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation updates the rules for small claims court cases in Rhode Island. It increases the filing fee required to start a case from $55 to $75. A portion of this fee is specifically allocated to pay for mediation services to help resolve disputes. Additionally, the bill raises the maximum amount of money a person can sue for (the jurisdictional limit) in small claims court from $2,500 to $5,000. It also establishes a standard $75 fee for filing appeals in these cases.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules for "small claims court," which is a place where people go to solve arguments about money. Before, you could only ask the court for up to $2,500, but now you can ask for up to $5,000. The bill also changes how much it costs to start a case. Instead of paying $55, people will now have to pay $75. Some of that extra money will be used to pay for helpers called mediators, who try to help people agree on a solution without needing a judge to decide.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
PlaintiffsDefendantsSmall business ownersDebt collectorsCourt mediators
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
Plaintiffs: $75/filing, Defendants: $75/appeal

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Increases the maximum claim amount to $5,000, allowing low-income individuals to seek justice for larger financial losses without the need to hire an expensive attorney.
  • Allocates specific funding for mediation services, which can help resolve disputes more amicably and efficiently, reducing the stress and burden of trial on regular citizens.
  • Simplifies the fee structure by making the entry fee inclusive of surcharges, potentially making the costs clearer and more predictable for self-represented litigants.
  • Raises the filing fee from $55 to $75, creating a higher financial barrier for poor and working-class individuals seeking access to the court system.
  • Imposes a $75 fee for appeals, which could discourage individuals with limited financial means from challenging unfavorable decisions made by the court.
  • While the claim limit is raised, the increased upfront costs associated with filing and appealing may disproportionately affect the poor compared to corporate entities.
For Conservatives
  • Increases the jurisdictional limit to $5,000, allowing small businesses to recover larger debts through a streamlined process without the high costs of formal litigation.
  • Adjusts filing fees to better cover administrative costs, ensuring that the specific users of the court system contribute more to its operation rather than relying solely on general taxpayers.
  • Promotes mediation through specific funding, potentially clearing court dockets and reducing the strain on judicial resources and efficiency.
  • Increases government fees on citizens and businesses who are simply trying to resolve disputes or collect debts owed to them.
  • Creates a "restricted-receipt account" for mediation, which expands government bureaucracy and administrative overhead within the court system.
  • Raising the claim limit to $5,000 exposes small businesses to larger potential liabilities in a small claims setting that lacks the full procedural safeguards of the Superior Court.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 25 additions · 11 deletions

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Sections 10-16-4, 10-16-9 and 10-16-14 of the General Laws in Chapter 10- 16 entitled "Small Claims and Consumer Claims" are hereby amended to read as follows: 10-16-4. Filing fee — Waiver of appeal.

(a) The plaintiff shall pay into the court an entry fee of fifty-five dollars ($55.00) seventy- five dollars ($75.00), inclusive of a civil case processing fee and a technology surcharge assessed in accordance with § 8-15-11, and of which twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be placed in a “small claims mediation restricted-receipt account” together with an amount equal to the then-prevailing postal rate, for mailing notices in the case, which shall be deemed the beginning of the action. The “small claims mediation restricted-receipt account” shall be established under the control of the state court director of finance; the chief judge of the district court shall be authorized to pay for the services of qualified mediators and other related expenses from the “small claims mediation restricted-receipt account.” In addition to the entry fee, the court shall apply a technology surcharge in accordance with § 8-15-11.

(b) The plaintiff shall also file with his or her any claim a written waiver of right of appeal.

(c) The defendant shall file with any compulsory counterclaim a written waiver of the right to appeal the counterclaim only. 10-16-9. Filing of defense — Counterclaim. Prior to or upon the date set for answering the defendant shall in writing file in court his or her answer or defense to the plaintiff’s claim and may claim any compulsory counterclaim he or she may have against the plaintiff’s claim, as he or she might plead the claim in an action begun by complaint and summons, and shall file a statement in writing of his or her compulsory counterclaim with the court, and the court shall determine which of the parties is entitled to decision against the other, and in what amount, and enter decision accordingly, but not exceeding the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) five thousand dollars ($5,000). If the defendant’s counterclaim shall exceed the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) five thousand dollars ($5,000), and in the opinion of the court there shall be due the defendant thereon an amount greater than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) five thousand dollars ($5,000), the court shall enter decision against the plaintiff as in case of nonsuit, and for the defendant for his or her costs only, and shall not further adjudicate upon the claim of the defendant, whose right to sue for the claim shall remain in the same manner as before the commencement of the action. The court may continue the hearing from time to time as may be necessary. 10-16-14. Appeals by defendant Appeals.

(a) The defendant, if aggrieved by the decision of the district court in a cause brought under the provisions of this chapter, shall have the same right of appeal, and under the same terms and conditions, as are provided under the practice in ordinary civil actions in district courts. The defendant shall, at the time of claiming the appeal, pay a seventy-five dollar ($75.00) filing fee, inclusive of a civil case processing fee and technology surcharge, if applicable, assessed in accordance with § 8-15-11.

(b) If the plaintiff is filing a claim of appeal on a counterclaim, the plaintiff shall pay an appeal filing fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00), inclusive of a civil case processing fee and technology surcharge, if applicable, assessed in accordance with § 8-15-11.

(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in cases in which the plaintiff is the purchaser of a consumer product seeking to recover damages against the seller and/or manufacturer of that product, if the defendant is defaulted for failure to answer and defend the claim, the judgment of the district court shall be final. In such event, the defendant shall be deemed to have forfeited all rights to appeal and shall not be entitled to a trial de novo in superior court.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.