County Court

The County Civil Division handles civil actions in which the damages being sought or the matter in controversy total $8,000.01 to $50,000. When filing a case in County Court, you must prepare all of the necessary paperwork yourself or have an attorney do it for you. The clerk's office cannot refer an attorney to you. There are no forms to hand out, nor does the Clerk prepare any paperwork in County Court

Once the case is filed, it must be served by either the Sheriff's Office or by private process server. A list of process servers is available in the County Civil Department; however, the Clerk may not refer a process server to you. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office charges $40.00 per summons to serve your documents.

A Small Claims case is a legal action filed in county court to settle minor legal disputes among parties where the dollar amount involved is $8,000 or less, excluding costs, interest, and attorney fees.