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In Story County, money disputes up to $6,500 go to the small-claims court: simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
Here you will find the claim limit that applies in Story County, what filing costs, where the case is heard, how the defendant is served, the deadlines, and the order of steps. Squabble can take the preparation and filing off your hands.
These cases are heard at the single courthouse below. Story County confirms the venue from the defendant's address or where the events happened.
Tap a courthouse to see its details in the list below.
Check the filing location first. The court's small-claims page lists where papers are taken today, and Squabble confirms it for your case as part of filing.
Story County Clerk of Court, in Nevada, is the courthouse listed for Story County. About 102,498 people live in Story County.
This court takes small-claims filings electronically, so the case can be started from home.
The small claims list is heard in person, at the courthouse itself.
Have copies of your evidence for the bench and for the other party. Some courts take documents electronically before the hearing as well.
Residents of Story County, Iowa, a county of 102,498 people, can file cases through the Iowa Small Claims Court, which handles claims of up to $6500. Filings for the county are handled by the Story County Clerk of Court, located at 1315 S B Ave in Nevada, 50201. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM and is closed Saturday and Sunday. It can be reached at (515) 382-7410, and further information is posted at https://www.iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/district-court/judicial-district-2/district/2/county/story. Electronic filing is available. The county covers communities including Ames, Cambridge, Collins, Colo, Gilbert, Huxley, Kelley, Maxwell, Mc Callsburg, Nevada, Roland, Slater, Story City, and Zearing, along with ZIP codes such as 50010, 50014, 50124, 50201, and 50248. Story County lies near Marshall County, Boone County, and Polk County. The clerk's office accepts small claims filings and maintains the case records for the county.
Story County covers these 14 towns and cities:
Ames, Cambridge, Collins, Colo, Gilbert, Huxley, Kelley, Maxwell, Mc Callsburg, Nevada, Roland, Slater, Story City, Zearing.
ZIP codes:
Story County is the 8th most populous of Iowa's 99 counties, with about 102,498 residents. Story County Clerk of Court, in Nevada, is about 14 miles from the Marshall County courthouse in Marshalltown and 15 miles from the Polk County courthouse in Des Moines.
If the other side lives just over the county line, the case may belong next door:
The small claims track exists for routine money disputes: fewer formalities, and a cap on what can be claimed.
Maximum claim
Two venues are usually open: where events took place, or where the other side is based.
Courts do not allow one dispute to be filed as several in order to beat the maximum.
The court decides who pays whom and how much. Anything beyond money goes to a higher court.
An attorney may appear at the hearing in Iowa, though nobody has to have one. The process assumes you will speak for yourself.
A claim involving a minor is brought by a court-appointed guardian.
This state expects your supporting evidence to be submitted with the filing, not just brought to the hearing.
Over the limit? Two routes exist: reduce the claim to the cap and stay here, or take the full sum to regular civil court. Reducing it normally forfeits the difference.
Story County is under the same limits as nearby Marshall County and Boone County. These are the limits for Story County, population about 102,498.
Debts up to $6,500 belong in this court. These are the arguments people bring most frequently.
Story County takes in Ames, Cambridge and Collins and the rest of the county. Story County has about 102,498 residents.
It's built to be navigable without a lawyer. Here's the shape of a case from start to finish.
Set out the claim on the court's form, identify the correct courthouse, and pay the fee.
The defendant receives the papers through formal service and can reply or negotiate an end to it.
Expect a brief session rather than a trial, in person or by video where available, with a decision at the end or soon after.
Story County Clerk of Court publishes its counter hours; they are listed on this page. Story County Clerk of Court lists (515) 382-7410 as its number.
Once the case is on file, the law requires the other side to be told about it formally. That step is service of process, and the papers cannot normally come from your own hand.
Who may serve depends on the court: law enforcement, a paid process server, the clerk by certified mail, or a disinterested adult. Costs and rules are local.
Courts set their own cut-off for how many days before the hearing notice must land. The clerk gives you that date along with the hearing date.
After delivery, the server fills out a proof of service, and that goes on the court file before the hearing.
Service is where many self-filed cases stall. Squabble can coordinate professional Service of Process so it's done correctly and on time.
Marshall County and Boone County are the counties nearest to Story County. A Story County address carries one of its 18 ZIP codes, 50010, 50011 and 50012 among them.
You have a limited window to file, measured from when the dispute arose. File after it closes and your claim can be barred.
| What the claim is about | How long you have |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 10 years |
| Oral contract | 5 years |
| Property damage | 5 years |
| Personal injury | 2 years |
The same periods apply in Story County as in nearby Marshall County and Boone County, which are in the same state. They do not change from one Story County ZIP code to another, 50010 included.
In Iowa, prejudgment interest follows a statutory formula rather than a fixed rate (Iowa Code §535.2, §668.13).
To see what interest has added so far, the Squabble interest calculator works out the running total.
The rate above is the one for Story County, population about 102,498. Story County is under the same state rate as nearby Marshall County and Boone County.
Confirm the sum sits under the cap and that the time limit for this kind of claim has not run out.
Get the defendant's legal name right, set out the events, and break down how the figure is reached.
File with the Story County small-claims court, or e-file, and pay the $25–$85 fee (or request a waiver if you qualify).
Arrange service once your hearing date is set and file the proof of service with the court.
Arrange your evidence and number the exhibits so nothing has to be searched for on the day.
Come to the hearing in person or remotely where permitted, present the facts, and get the ruling.
Tell Eleanor what happened and Squabble builds the filing, Triple-Checks™ it for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and files it on your behalf.
Start for FREE →You will meet a claim form, a proof of service, and possibly a fee waiver. What each is called depends on the court, and Squabble matches them to your courthouse.
Story County takes in filings from 18 ZIP codes, 50010 first in the list. Story County papers go to Story County Clerk of Court in Nevada.
Hearings are short and plainly run. Questions come from the judge, and most parties appear without help.
Hearings in Story County cases are listed at Story County Clerk of Court in Nevada. Story County has about 102,498 residents.
A judgment says what is owed. Getting hold of the money is the next stage, and the enforcement options open to you depend on the state.
Where the law allows, an employer can be directed to send part of the debtor's pay to the court.
A court-ordered levy allows funds to be taken from the debtor's bank account.
Lodging the judgment with the county can create a lien over property the debtor owns.
Courts can also summon the debtor to answer questions about income and property under oath. Until the balance is paid, interest usually continues to run at the statutory rate.
Ames, Cambridge and Collins are among the Story County places a judgment debtor may live in. The judgment in a Story County case comes from Story County Clerk of Court in Nevada.
Checked August 2026. Because courts revise fees, limits and procedures, confirm the current position before filing.
Talk with Eleanor about what happened. Squabble prepares your demand letter and court-ready documents, Triple-Checks them for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and files your Story County case for you.
