squabbleapp.com is now squabble.ai. Your account and any active cases are unchanged.
The small-claims court in Sampson County handles money disputes up to $10,000, with simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
Read on for the claim ceiling, the fees, the courthouse serving Sampson County, the way the other side is notified, the cut-off dates, and each filing step. Squabble prepares the paperwork and files it on your behalf.
Sampson County hears small claims at the courthouse listed here, with the venue confirmed at filing from the defendant's address or the location of the dispute.
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.
The nearest counties to Sampson County are Bladen County and Cumberland County. Small claims filings from Sampson County are handled at Sampson County Courthouse in Clinton.
Electronic filing is accepted for small claims at this court, so the opening papers need not be delivered in person.
The small claims list is heard in person, at the courthouse itself.
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.
Residents of Sampson County, North Carolina, a county of 60,404 people, can bring small claims cases through the North Carolina Small Claims Court, which handles claims up to $10,000. Cases are filed at the Sampson County Courthouse at 101 E Main St in Clinton, 28328, which can be reached at (910) 596-6600 or online at https://www.nccourts.gov/locations/sampson-county. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM and is closed Saturday and Sunday. Electronic filing is available. The county covers communities including Clinton, Roseboro, Newton Grove, Garland, Salemburg, Autryville, Turkey, Harrells, Ivanhoe, and Godwin, along with ZIP codes such as 28328, 28318, 28344, 28366, 28382, and 28441. Sampson County lies near Bladen County, Cumberland County, and Duplin County, and cases arising in this county are heard by the small claims court serving Sampson County rather than by the courts of those nearby counties.
Sampson County covers these 10 towns and cities:
Autryville, Clinton, Garland, Godwin, Harrells, Ivanhoe, Newton Grove, Roseboro, Salemburg, Turkey.
ZIP codes:
Of North Carolina's 100 counties, Sampson County is 47th by population at roughly 60,404 people. Sampson County Courthouse, in Clinton, is about 15 miles from the Bladen County courthouse in Elizabethtown and 16 miles from the Cumberland County courthouse in Fayetteville.
Neighbouring counties and the courts that serve them:
The small claims track exists for routine money disputes: fewer formalities, and a cap on what can be claimed.
Maximum claim
Where the dispute arose does not set venue in this state; where they live does.
Courts do not allow one dispute to be filed as several in order to beat the maximum.
Judgments take the form of money owed; other kinds of relief are heard elsewhere.
An attorney may appear at the hearing in North Carolina, though nobody has to have one. The process assumes you will speak for yourself.
Where a party is under 18, the court appoints a guardian to act.
Over the limit? Either bring the figure down to the maximum and remain in small claims, or file the whole amount in the regular civil court. The amount given up is usually gone for good.
These are the limits for Sampson County, population about 60,404. Sampson County Courthouse is the courthouse listed for Sampson County.
This court handles money claims to a ceiling of $10,000. Below are the kinds of case filed most often.
Sampson County has about 60,404 residents. Sampson County takes in Autryville, Clinton and Garland and the rest of the county.
It's built to be navigable without a lawyer. Here's the shape of a case from start to finish.
Prepare the claim form, work out which court covers it, and pay the court's charge.
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.
This is the route a Sampson County case takes, whether it starts in 28318 or anywhere else among the county ZIP codes. Everything below applies to a case filed in Sampson County, at the Clinton courthouse.
A filed case still has to reach the defendant. Formal notice, known as service of process, does that, and delivering it personally is generally not allowed. delivery arranged by the court, email service where the court allows it or the sheriff or constable is what courts in North Carolina normally accept.
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.
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.
Service is proved on paper. The server completes and signs a form, and it is filed before the matter is heard.
Service is where many self-filed cases stall. Squabble can coordinate professional Service of Process so it's done correctly and on time.
Bladen County and Cumberland County are the counties nearest to Sampson County. Addresses in Sampson County include places such as Autryville, Clinton and Garland.
The right to bring a claim expires. The period is measured from the moment the dispute arose, and once it has run the court can refuse the case.
| Kind of claim | Filing deadline |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 3 years |
| Oral contract | 3 years |
| Property damage | 3 years |
| Personal injury | 3 years |
Sampson County, population about 60,404, is covered by the table above. The same periods apply in Sampson County as in nearby Bladen County and Cumberland County, which are in the same state.
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).
Interest can be calculated before filing using the Squabble interest calculator.
It is the same rate across all 11 Sampson County ZIP codes. Sampson County is under the same state rate as nearby Bladen County and Cumberland County.
Two checks first: the amount must fall within the ceiling, and the claim must still be in time.
Use the other side's correct legal name, describe the dispute, and show how the money adds up.
File with the Sampson County small-claims court, or e-file, and pay the $30–$96 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.
Sort the documents and exhibits in advance so they can be handed up in order.
Appear in person or, where available, remotely, present your case, and receive the court's 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 →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.
Sampson County has a population of about 60,404. Autryville, Clinton and Garland are among the places in Sampson County that filings come from.
Expect a short, informal hearing in which the judge asks the questions. Most people present their own case.
Autryville, Clinton and Garland are among the Sampson County places a hearing can draw parties from. Hearings in Sampson County cases are listed at Sampson County Courthouse in Clinton.
The ruling establishes the debt. Recovery is a further step, supported by enforcement measures that are set by each state.
Some states permit part of the debtor's wages to be diverted to the judgment until it is cleared.
With a bank levy, the court reaches funds held in the debtor's account directly.
Recording the judgment with the county can place a lien on the debtor's real property.
There is also an examination procedure: the debtor is ordered to attend and give sworn answers about earnings and assets. Interest normally accrues at the statutory rate until payment.
Autryville, Clinton and Garland are among the Sampson County places a judgment debtor may live in. Bladen County and Cumberland County are the counties nearest to Sampson County.
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 Sampson County case for you.
