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In Wayne County, money disputes up to $7,000 go to the small-claims court: simplified procedures, and no attorneys at the hearing.
What follows covers the maximum you can claim in Wayne County, court fees, the right courthouse, serving the defendant, the deadlines that apply, and the filing process itself. Squabble handles the documents and the filing if you want that.
Small claims are split between several hub courthouses across Wayne County. The court assigns a case by ZIP code, following the defendant or the events.
Tap a courthouse to see its details in the list below.
Not sure which courthouse? Use the court's official court locator to match your ZIP code to the correct location, or let Squabble identify it for you automatically. Hub courthouses can change; confirm before you file.
Wayne County covers 93 ZIP codes, including the Allen Park, Belleville and Canton areas. 3 courthouses serve Wayne County, Plymouth District Court (35th District Court) among them.
You can open a small claims case here online, without travelling to the courthouse to hand the papers in.
Hearings in small claims are attended in person at the courthouse.
Two sets of evidence are needed, one for the judge and one for the other side, and some courts also take it electronically in advance.
Wayne County, Michigan, has a population of 1,771,063 and includes communities such as Detroit, Livonia, Dearborn, Canton, Plymouth, Inkster, Hamtramck, and Grosse Ile, along with ZIP codes including 48101, 48126, 48141, 48150, and 48168. Cases are heard through the Michigan Small Claims Court, which handles claims up to $7,000. Several district courts in the county accept small claims filings. The Plymouth District Court (35th District Court), located at 660 Plymouth Rd. in Plymouth, 48170, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM and closed Saturday and Sunday, and can be reached at (734) 459-4740. The Dearborn 19th District Court sits at 16077 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn, 48126, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The Inkster District Court (22nd District Court) handles small claims at 26279 Michigan Ave in Inkster, 48141, with hours of 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM on weekdays. Electronic filing is not available. Wayne County lies near Monroe County, Oakland County, and Washtenaw County.
More than one location takes small claims here. The court matches a case to a location by address.
A case filed here usually comes from one of these 32 communities:
Allen Park, Belleville, Canton, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, Ecorse, Flat Rock, Garden City, Grosse Ile, Grosse Pointe, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, Highland Park, Inkster, Lincoln Park, Livonia, Melvindale, New Boston, Northville, Plymouth, Redford, River Rouge, Riverview, Rockwood, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Trenton, Wayne, Westland, Wyandotte.
With about 1,771,063 residents, Wayne County ranks 1st by population among the 83 counties of Michigan. From Plymouth, Plymouth District Court (35th District Court) is roughly 16 miles from the Monroe County courthouse in Monroe and 10 miles from the Oakland County courthouse in Pontiac.
If the other side lives just over the county line, the case may belong next door:
Small claims handles money owed between ordinary people and businesses. Procedure is kept light, no attorneys at the hearing, and claims are capped.
Maximum claim
Filing is generally possible in the county of the events or the county of the defendant.
One dispute cannot be broken into several cases to slip under the cap.
The court decides who pays whom and how much. Anything beyond money goes to a higher court.
Lawyers do not appear for either party at the hearing. You may speak to one before it or after it.
A claim involving a minor is brought by a court-appointed guardian.
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.
Wayne County has 3 courthouses listed on this page. These are the limits for Wayne County, population about 1,771,063.
This court handles money claims to a ceiling of $7,000. Below are the kinds of case filed most often.
Wayne County takes in Allen Park, Belleville and Canton and the rest of the county. Wayne County has about 1,771,063 residents.
It's built to be navigable without a lawyer. Here's the shape of a case from start to finish.
Write up what is owed on the claim form, select the courthouse, and settle the filing fee.
Service puts the papers in the defendant's hands and starts their time to answer or settle.
Expect a brief session rather than a trial, in person or by video where available, with a decision at the end or soon after.
Plymouth District Court (35th District Court) lists (734) 459-4740 as its number. This is the route a Wayne County case takes, whether it starts in 48101 or anywhere else among the county ZIP codes.
The defendant must be given formal notice after filing. This is service of process, and as a rule you are not permitted to serve the papers yourself. In Michigan, courts typically use delivery arranged by the court, email service where the court allows it, personal delivery by an approved server or the sheriff or constable.
Courts accept service by a sheriff or constable, a professional server, the clerk via certified mail, or an adult who is not party to the case. Permitted methods and charges change by county.
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.
Whoever serves the papers completes a proof of service, which is filed with the court 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.
A Wayne County address carries one of its 93 ZIP codes, 48101, 48111 and 48112 among them. Addresses in Wayne County include places such as Allen Park, Belleville and Canton.
The law fixes how long you have, counted from the dispute itself. A case brought later can be refused outright.
| Claim type | Deadline to file |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 6 years |
| Oral contract | 6 years |
| Property damage | 3 years |
| Personal injury | 3 years |
They do not change from one Wayne County ZIP code to another, 48101 included. The same periods apply in Wayne County as in nearby Monroe County and Oakland County, which are in the same state.
In Michigan, prejudgment interest follows a statutory formula rather than a fixed rate (Mich. Comp. Laws §600.6013).
A running total including interest can be worked out with the Squabble interest calculator.
Wayne County is under the same state rate as nearby Monroe County and Oakland County. It is the same rate across all 93 Wayne County ZIP codes.
Confirm the sum sits under the cap and that the time limit for this kind of claim has not run out.
State the party's full legal name, explain the events, and set out the calculation.
File at the Wayne County hub courthouse for your dispute's ZIP code, or e-file, and pay the $30–$70 fee (or request a waiver if you qualify).
Once the court fixes a date, have the papers served and return the proof of service to the file.
Put the evidence in order, with exhibits marked, so the account is easy to follow.
Turn up on the day, in person or remotely where offered, present what happened, and take the decision.
Go through the events with Eleanor. The documents are prepared, Triple-Checked™ for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and filed for you.
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.
Allen Park, Belleville and Canton are among the places in Wayne County that filings come from. Wayne County has a population of about 1,771,063.
Expect a short, informal hearing with no attorneys present. The judge asks the questions.
Wayne County hearings are held at one of its 3 listed courthouses, depending on where the case is filed. Wayne County has about 1,771,063 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 state law allows it, a portion of the debtor's earnings can be redirected to pay what the court ordered.
A levy lets the court reach money sitting in the debtor's bank account.
Filing the judgment with the county can attach a lien to land or buildings the debtor owns.
You may also apply for an order compelling the debtor to attend and disclose income and assets on oath. Interest generally continues at the rate the state sets until the debt is met.
Monroe County and Oakland County are the counties nearest to Wayne County. A Wayne County judgment comes from one of its 3 listed courthouses.
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 Wayne County case for you.
