squabbleapp.com is now squabble.ai. Your account and any active cases are unchanged.
In Carver County, money disputes up to $20,000 go to the small-claims court: simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
This page sets out the ceiling on claims, what the court charges, the courthouse that covers Carver County, how notice reaches the other party, the time limits, and the filing steps. Squabble can prepare and lodge the paperwork when you decide to go ahead.
These cases are heard at the single courthouse below. Carver 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.
Confirm the courthouse before you file. The court's own small-claims page carries its current filing location and hours, and Squabble confirms the courthouse for your case when you file.
The nearest counties to Carver County are Scott County and Hennepin County. Carver County covers 34 ZIP codes, including the Carver, Chanhassen and Chaska areas.
This court accepts electronic filing for small claims, so a case can be started without a courthouse trip.
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.
In Carver County, Minnesota, small claims cases are heard in Minnesota Conciliation Court, which handles disputes with a claim limit of $20,000. Cases are filed at the Carver County District Court (First Judicial District), located at 604 E 4th St. in Chaska, 55318. The court office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM and is closed on Saturday and Sunday. Staff can be reached at (952) 361-1420, and information is posted at https://www.mncourts.gov/Find-Courts/carver.aspx. Electronic filing is available. The court serves a county of 112,628 residents and covers communities including Chaska, Chanhassen, Waconia, Victoria, Watertown, Carver, Cologne, Hamburg, Mayer, New Germany, Norwood Young America, and Young America, along with ZIP codes such as 55315, 55317, 55318, 55322, 55360, 55386, 55387, and 55397. Carver County lies near Scott County, Hennepin County, and McLeod County. The conciliation court process exists to resolve these smaller monetary disputes within the Minnesota court system.
Carver County covers these 13 towns and cities:
Carver, Chanhassen, Chaska, Cologne, Hamburg, Mayer, New Germany, Norwood, Norwood Young America, Victoria, Waconia, Watertown, Young America.
With about 112,628 residents, Carver County ranks 11th by population among the 87 counties of Minnesota. From Chaska, Carver County District Court (First Judicial District) is roughly 2 miles from the Scott County courthouse in Shakopee and 12 miles from the Hennepin County courthouse in Brooklyn Center.
Counties nearest to this one:
Small claims handles money owed between ordinary people and businesses. Procedure is kept light, and claims are capped.
Maximum claim
Either the place the dispute arose or the place the other party lives will usually work.
One dispute cannot be broken into several cases to slip under the cap.
What this court awards is a sum of money, not an instruction to act or to hand something back.
Minnesota conciliation court rules allow a party to be represented by a lawyer admitted to practice in Minnesota, and the judge decides the extent and manner in which the lawyer participates at the trial (Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 512(d), as amended effective July 1, 2026). Corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and similar entities may instead appear through an officer, manager, partner, or authorized employee under Minn. Stat. 491A.02, subd. 4.
Under-18s are represented by a guardian the court appoints.
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.
These are the limits for Carver County, population about 112,628. They are the same across all 34 Carver County ZIP codes, from 55315 onward.
If someone owes you money, up to $20,000, small claims is built for it. These are the disputes residents bring most often.
Carver County District Court (First Judicial District) is the Carver County courthouse listed below. Carver County has about 112,628 residents.
It's built to be navigable without a lawyer. Here's the shape of a case from start to finish.
Fill in the claim, pick the courthouse that covers the dispute, and pay what the court charges.
Service puts the papers in the defendant's hands and starts their time to answer or settle.
A brief, informal hearing, in person or, where the court offers it, by video. The judge rules at the hearing or sends the decision after.
This is the route a Carver County case takes, whether it starts in 55315 or anywhere else among the county ZIP codes. Everything below applies to a case filed in Carver County, at the Chaska courthouse.
After you file, the other party must be formally notified. This is called service of process. You generally cannot serve the papers yourself.
Depending on the court: the sheriff or constable, a professional process server, the clerk by certified mail, or another adult who isn't part of the case. Methods and costs vary by county.
There is a deadline, counted backwards from the hearing, by which the defendant must have the papers. Ask the clerk for it when the date is assigned.
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.
Scott County and Hennepin County are the counties nearest to Carver County. A Carver County address carries one of its 34 ZIP codes, 55315, 55317 and 55318 among them.
Claims do not stay open indefinitely. Time runs from the events themselves, and a filing made afterwards may be shut out.
| Claim type | Deadline to file |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 6 years |
| Oral contract | 6 years |
| Property damage | 6 years |
| Personal injury | 6 years |
The same periods apply in Carver County as in nearby Scott County and Hennepin County, which are in the same state. They do not change from one Carver County ZIP code to another, 55315 included.
In Minnesota, prejudgment interest follows a statutory formula rather than a fixed rate (Minn. Stat. §549.09).
Want to estimate what interest adds to your claim? Use the Squabble interest calculator to see the running total before you file.
It is the same rate across all 34 Carver County ZIP codes. The rate above is the one for Carver County, population about 112,628.
Check that the amount is within the limit and that you're inside the statute of limitations for your claim type.
Use the other side's correct legal name, describe the dispute, and show how the money adds up.
File with the Carver County small-claims court, or e-file, and pay the $35–$75 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.
Sort the documents and exhibits in advance so they can be handed up in order.
Turn up on the day, in person or remotely where offered, present what happened, and take the decision.
Talk with Eleanor about what happened. Squabble prepares the documents, runs a Triple-Check™ for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and files your case 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.
Carver County takes in filings from 34 ZIP codes, 55315 first in the list. Carver County has a population of about 112,628.
Hearings are short and plainly run. Questions come from the judge, and most parties appear without help.
Hearings in Carver County cases are listed at Carver County District Court (First Judicial District) in Chaska. Carver, Chanhassen and Chaska are among the Carver County places a hearing can draw parties from.
The decision settles who owes what. Turning it into money is a separate stage, and the tools the court makes available differ by state.
Wage garnishment, where the state permits it, sends part of the debtor's pay toward the judgment.
With a bank levy, the court reaches funds held in the debtor's account directly.
Recording the judgment locally can place a lien against real property in the debtor's name.
You can also ask the court to order the debtor to appear and disclose income and assets under oath. An unpaid judgment generally keeps accruing interest at the rate state law sets until it's satisfied.
Carver, Chanhassen and Chaska are among the Carver County places a judgment debtor may live in. Scott County and Hennepin County are the counties nearest to Carver County.
Reviewed August 2026. Fees, limits and procedures are revised from time to time, so confirm them with the court before you file.
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 Carver County case for you.
