Court filing fees by state · Missouri
Missouri · before you file
Court filing fees in Missouri
Missouri has no single statewide small claims filing fee: Your circuit clerk's cost sheet has the total. Below is how the fee is set, what cited courts charge, and the fees at the other court levels.
Fees at each court level
- Small claims (up to $5,000)
- Supreme Court base of $10 plus statutory surcharges and local fees; circuits post totals around $20.50 when e-filed
- Limited or county civil
- Associate circuit: $15 base plus surcharges; totals about $48.50
- General civil
- Circuit civil: $45 base plus surcharges; totals about $100.50
Who sets the fee
Supreme Court Court Operating Rule 21.01 sets the clerk's base costs under RSMo 488.012; statutory surcharges and local fees stack on top, so each circuit posts its own cost sheet. The courts' website blocks scripted requests.
Locally: Your circuit clerk's cost sheet has the total.
Sources and verification
- Schedule
- Missouri Courts, Court Operating Rule 21.01 (Effective July 1, 2003)
- Authority
- RSMo §488.012; COR 21.01, via revisor.mo.gov
- Last confirmed
- 2026-10-22, by hand (the publisher refuses automated requests)
- Usually changes
- Supreme Court order; statutes August 28
What this page does not include
Last reviewed: October 2026
- Service of process: a sheriff or constable fee per defendant, or certified mail through the clerk. See the service of process cost tool.
- Jury demands, motions, subpoenas, appeals and post-judgment filings, each with its own fee.
- Fee waivers. Every court has one for filers who cannot pay; the fee waiver checker covers the usual tests.
Informational only, not legal advice. Every figure is cited to the judiciary's schedule or the statute; confirm with the clerk before filing.
Also for Missouri: post-judgment interest rate
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to file a small claims case in Missouri?
There is no single statewide figure. Supreme Court Court Operating Rule 21.01 sets the clerk's base costs under RSMo 488.012; statutory surcharges and local fees stack on top, so each circuit posts its own cost sheet. The courts' website blocks scripted requests.
What does it cost to file a regular civil case in Missouri?
Associate circuit: $15 base plus surcharges; totals about $48.50. Circuit civil: $45 base plus surcharges; totals about $100.50.
Does the filing fee include serving the defendant?
Almost never. Service of process is a separate charge, a sheriff or constable fee per defendant or certified mail through the clerk, and it is not in the figures on this page. A jury demand, a motion or an appeal also carries its own fee.
Can the fee be waived?
Every state court system has a fee waiver for people who cannot afford the fee, usually by filing an affidavit of indigency or an application to proceed without payment with the clerk. The Missouri schedule linked above is where the court publishes its form, and this site's fee-waiver eligibility checker explains the usual tests.
Related tools
See exactly what it costs to file a small claims case, by state — cited to your court's own fee schedule.
Open tool →Total Cost to Sue CalculatorThe full out-of-pocket cost to sue in small claims court — filing fee plus service of process, added together and cited to each court's own fee schedule.
Open tool →Small Claims Limit CheckerSee whether your claim qualifies for small claims court and what the dollar limit is, by state and by plaintiff type — individual or business.
Open tool →Fee Waiver Eligibility CheckerSee whether you qualify to have your small claims filing fee waived for financial hardship, by state — cited to each court's own fee-waiver rule.
Open tool →Service of Process Cost CalculatorSee what it costs to serve a defendant, by state and by method — sheriff, court-arranged mail, or certified mail — cited to each state's own fee schedule.
Open tool →Small Claims Court Costs by StateFiling fees, claim limits, and service costs for every covered state, side by side.
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