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Small claims in Bladen County covers money disputes up to $10,000 and runs on simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
Below is what you need for a small claims case in Bladen County: the limit, filing fees, which courthouse to use, how to serve the other side, your deadlines, and how to file. When you're ready, Squabble prepares everything and files it for you.
These cases are heard at the single courthouse below. Bladen 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.
Locations change. The court publishes its current small-claims address on its own page; Squabble confirms the courthouse for your case when you file.
Bladen County Magistrate District Court, in Elizabethtown, is the courthouse listed for Bladen County. About 29,777 people live in Bladen County.
Electronic filing is accepted for small claims at this court, so the opening papers need not be delivered in person.
Small claims hearings are held in person at the courthouse.
Evidence is copied for the judge and for the opposing side; electronic submission ahead of time is accepted at some courts.
Residents of Bladen County, North Carolina, a county of 29,777 people, can bring small claims cases through the North Carolina Small Claims Court, which handles claims up to $10,000. Cases are heard at the Bladen County Magistrate District Court, located at 166 E. Broad St. in Elizabethtown, 28337. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM and is closed on Saturday and Sunday. It can be reached by phone at (910) 872-7200, and further information is posted at https://www.nccourts.gov/locations/bladen-county/bladen-county-courthouse. The court serves communities across the county, including Bladenboro, Clarkton, Council, Dublin, Elizabethtown, Kelly, Tar Heel, and White Oak, covering ZIP codes such as 28320, 28332, 28392, and 28433. Bladen County lies near Sampson County, Columbus County, and Cumberland County. Electronic filing is available in this county, in addition to filings made at the courthouse during its regular business hours.
Bladen County covers these 8 towns and cities:
Bladenboro, Clarkton, Council, Dublin, Elizabethtown, Kelly, Tar Heel, White Oak.
ZIP codes:
Bladen County holds about 29,777 people, 72nd of the 100 counties in North Carolina. Bladen County Magistrate District Court, in Elizabethtown, is about 15 miles from the Sampson County courthouse in Clinton and 10 miles from the Columbus County courthouse in Whiteville.
Counties nearest to this one:
The small claims track exists for routine money disputes: fewer formalities, and a cap on what can be claimed.
Maximum claim
You generally file where the other party lives, not where the dispute happened.
You can't divide one dispute into several smaller cases to get around the limit.
The remedy here is money. Orders telling someone to do or stop something sit with higher courts.
North Carolina permits lawyers at the hearing without requiring them. Everything is built around people presenting their own case.
Minors take part through a guardian appointed by the court.
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.
Bladen County is under the same limits as nearby Sampson County and Columbus County. They are the same across all 8 Bladen County ZIP codes, from 28320 onward.
If someone owes you money, up to $10,000, small claims is built for it. These are the disputes residents bring most often.
Bladen County Magistrate District Court is the Bladen County courthouse listed below. Bladen County has about 29,777 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 other side is formally served and has the chance to respond, or to settle before the hearing.
Expect a brief session rather than a trial, in person or by video where available, with a decision at the end or soon after.
Everything below applies to a case filed in Bladen County, at the Elizabethtown courthouse. Bladen County Magistrate District Court lists (910) 872-7200 as its number.
Filing is only half of it. The defendant has to receive formal notice, a step called service of process, and in most cases you cannot hand over the papers yourself. In North Carolina, courts typically use delivery arranged by the court, email service where the court allows it or the sheriff or constable.
A sheriff, a constable, a professional server, the court clerk using certified mail, or an uninvolved adult can all serve papers, depending on local rules. Fees and permitted methods vary.
Each court sets how far before the hearing the defendant must be served. The clerk confirms your deadline when the hearing date is set. Service must be completed within 5 days of hearing. NC has close hearing dates.
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 Bladen County address carries one of its 8 ZIP codes, 28320, 28332 and 28337 among them. Sampson County and Columbus County are the counties nearest to Bladen County.
The law fixes how long you have, counted from the dispute itself. A case brought later can be refused outright.
| Kind of claim | How long you have |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 3 years |
| Oral contract | 3 years |
| Property damage | 3 years |
| Personal injury | 3 years |
They do not change from one Bladen County ZIP code to another, 28320 included. Bladen County, population about 29,777, is covered by the table above.
Money owed under a contract in North Carolina generally accrues interest at 8% per year before judgment (N.C. Gen. Stat. §24-1, §24-5).
Want to estimate what interest adds to your claim? Use the Squabble interest calculator to see the running total before you file.
Bladen County is under the same state rate as nearby Sampson County and Columbus County. It is the same rate across all 8 Bladen County ZIP codes.
Verify the figure is inside the limit and that you are still within the deadline for this claim type.
Identify the party precisely, lay out what occurred, and show the arithmetic behind the total.
File with the Bladen County small-claims court, or e-file, and pay the $30–$96 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.
Organize documents and exhibits so you can present them clearly at the hearing.
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 →Three documents recur: the claim form that begins it, the proof of service confirming delivery, and a fee waiver if eligible. Names vary locally; Squabble selects the correct versions.
Bladenboro, Clarkton and Council are among the places in Bladen County that filings come from. Bladen County papers go to Bladen County Magistrate District Court in Elizabethtown.
Small claims hearings are short and informal, and the judge asks questions directly. Most people present their own case.
Hearings in Bladen County cases are listed at Bladen County Magistrate District Court in Elizabethtown. Bladen County has about 29,777 residents.
A judgment is the court's decision. Collecting it is a separate step, with court-backed tools if the other side doesn't pay. Which tools are available depends on state law.
Where state law allows it, a portion of the debtor's earnings can be redirected to pay what the court ordered.
A court-ordered levy allows funds to be taken from the debtor's bank account.
Filing the judgment with the county can attach a lien to land or buildings the debtor owns.
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.
Sampson County and Columbus County are the counties nearest to Bladen County. The judgment in a Bladen County case comes from Bladen County Magistrate District Court in Elizabethtown.
Last checked in August 2026. Court fees, limits and procedures move; verify them with the court first.
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 Bladen County case for you.
