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Small claims in Franklin County covers money disputes up to $5,000 and runs on simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
This page sets out the ceiling on claims, what the court charges, the courthouse that covers Franklin 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. Franklin 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.
Picking the right building matters. A ZIP code lookup on the court's official locator will name it, or Squabble pinpoints it automatically. Assignments do change, so confirm it first.
Franklin County covers 22 ZIP codes, including the Bombay, Brainardsville and Brushton areas. About 47,086 people live in Franklin 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.
Franklin County, New York, which has a population of 47,086, handles small claims matters through its City, Town and Village Courts, where the claim limit is $5,000. One such court is the Malone Town Justice Court, located at 27 Airport Rd., Malone, 12953, which can be reached at (518) 481-6634 or online at http://www.malonetown.com/. Its hours are Monday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with the court closed Saturday and Sunday. Electronic filing is available. The county covers communities including Malone, Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, Chateaugay, Brushton, Fort Covington, and Paul Smiths, along with ZIP codes such as 12953, 12983, 12986, 12920, and 12937. Franklin County lies near Clinton County, Essex County, and St. Lawrence County.
A case filed here usually comes from one of these 22 communities:
Bombay, Brainardsville, Brushton, Burke, Chateaugay, Constable, Dickinson Center, Fort Covington, Gabriels, Hogansburg, Lake Clear, Malone, Moira, North Bangor, Owls Head, Paul Smiths, Rainbow Lake, Saint Regis Falls, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, Vermontville, Whippleville.
ZIP codes:
Franklin County is the 49th most populous of New York's 62 counties, with about 47,086 residents. Malone Town Justice Court in Malone lies around 22 miles from the Clinton County courthouse in Plattsburgh and 21 miles from the Essex County courthouse in Au Sable Forks.
If the other side lives just over the county line, the case may belong next door:
Everyday disputes over money belong in the small claims division, where the rules are simplified, and the sum in question has an upper bound.
Maximum claim
You generally file where the other party lives, not where the dispute happened.
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.
An attorney may appear at the hearing in New York, though nobody has to have one. The process assumes you will speak for yourself.
Minors take part through a guardian appointed by the court.
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 Franklin County, population about 47,086. Franklin County is under the same limits as nearby Clinton County and Essex County.
This court handles money claims to a ceiling of $5,000. Below are the kinds of case filed most often.
Malone Town Justice Court is the Franklin County courthouse listed below. Franklin County takes in Bombay, Brainardsville and Brushton 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.
Set out the claim on the court's form, identify the correct courthouse, and pay the fee.
Papers are delivered to the defendant, who may answer them or settle the matter first.
The hearing is informal and quick, sometimes by video, and the judge decides on the spot or sends the outcome later.
Malone Town Justice Court lists (518) 481-6634 as its number. Everything below applies to a case filed in Franklin County, at the Malone courthouse.
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. In New York, courts typically use personal delivery by an approved server, the sheriff or constable, delivery arranged by the court, email service where the court allows it or certified mail.
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.
Every court fixes a minimum number of days between service and the hearing. The clerk will tell you what it is for your case. Service 8 days before hearing. Court handles Proof of service since they do service.
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.
Clinton County and Essex County are the counties nearest to Franklin County. Addresses in Franklin County include places such as Bombay, Brainardsville and Brushton.
Filing is only possible for a set time after the events. Beyond it, the other side can have the claim thrown out.
| What the claim is about | Time limit to file |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 6 years |
| Oral contract | 6 years |
| Property damage | 3 years |
| Personal injury | 3 years |
The same periods apply in Franklin County as in nearby Clinton County and Essex County, which are in the same state. Franklin County, population about 47,086, is covered by the table above.
Money owed under a contract in New York generally accrues interest at 9% per year before judgment (N.Y. CPLR §5001-5004).
A running total including interest can be worked out with the Squabble interest calculator.
Franklin County is under the same state rate as nearby Clinton County and Essex County. The rate above is the one for Franklin County, population about 47,086.
Confirm the sum sits under the cap and that the time limit for this kind of claim has not run out.
Identify the party precisely, lay out what occurred, and show the arithmetic behind the total.
File with the Franklin County small-claims court, or e-file, and pay the $15–$20 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.
Organize documents and exhibits so you can present them clearly at the hearing.
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.
Franklin County has a population of about 47,086. Franklin County papers go to Malone Town Justice Court in Malone.
The hearing is brief and informal. The judge asks the questions, and most people speak for themselves.
Hearings in Franklin County cases are listed at Malone Town Justice Court in Malone. Bombay, Brainardsville and Brushton are among the Franklin County places a hearing can draw parties from.
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.
With a bank levy, the court reaches funds held in the debtor's account directly.
Filing the judgment with the county can attach a lien to land or buildings the debtor owns.
The court can additionally require the debtor to appear and answer under oath about what they earn and own. An unsatisfied judgment usually carries statutory interest until it is paid.
Bombay, Brainardsville and Brushton are among the Franklin County places a judgment debtor may live in. Clinton County and Essex County are the counties nearest to Franklin 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 Franklin County case for you.
