The Wisconsin SC-500 form is the Summons and Complaint you use to start a small claims case in any Wisconsin circuit court. You download it free from the Wisconsin Court System, fill in the parties, claim type, dollar amount, and a short statement of facts, then file it with the Clerk of Circuit Court in the correct county and pay a $94.50 filing fee. After filing, you arrange for the defendant to be served, and the clerk assigns a return date for your first court appearance.
The form itself is two pages. Getting it right depends less on the form than on the decisions you make before you sit down with it: what you’re suing for, how much, where to file, and who exactly the defendant is.
What You Can Sue For on the SC-500
Wisconsin small claims covers a defined set of dispute types, and each has its own ceiling. The category you check on the form determines the case classification code and affects how the court handles the case.1Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 799.01(1) – Applicability of Chapter
- Money claims, including breach of contract, up to $10,000.
- Tort and personal injury claims (property damage, negligence, bodily injury) up to $5,000.
- Return of personal property (replevin) when the property’s value is $10,000 or less.
- Eviction, with no dollar cap on unpaid rent claimed alongside the eviction.
- Eviction due to foreclosure.
- Return of earnest money from a real estate transaction.
- Actions to confirm, vacate, modify, or correct an arbitration award.
The tort limit is the trap. If someone damaged your car and repairs cost $7,000, that is a tort claim capped at $5,000 in small claims, not $10,000. Pure contract disputes use the higher $10,000 ceiling. If your claim exceeds the applicable cap, you have to reduce your demand or file in a different court division.
Choose the Right County Before You File
You cannot file in whichever county is closest to you. Wisconsin’s venue rules for small claims generally follow the same rules as other civil actions: file in the county where the defendant lives, or where the events giving rise to your claim happened. Multiple defendants in different counties? You can file where any one of them resides. Consumer credit disputes have their own venue rules tied to where the transaction occurred.2Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 799.11 – Venue
Filing in the wrong county will not kill your case outright, but the court will transfer it once the error surfaces, and you’ll pay another filing fee in the new county.
What to Gather Before You Start
Missing a single detail can stall your filing or, worse, mean you serve the wrong person and can’t move forward.
- The defendant’s full legal name. Not a nickname, not an abbreviation. For a business, search the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions database to find the entity’s exact legal name and current registered agent, the person designated to accept legal papers on the company’s behalf.3Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. WI Corporate Records Search
- Last-known address for every party. If the defendant is a business, use the registered agent’s address.
- The exact dollar amount owed, including principal, any interest or late fees allowed by your contract, and out-of-pocket costs. Whatever you put on the form is your demand, and you can’t raise it later without amending the complaint.
- Supporting documents: contracts, invoices, receipts, photos, repair estimates, texts, emails. You won’t attach them to the SC-500, but you’ll need them to write the facts section and to prove your case at the hearing.
The summons must state the nature of your demand and, if you have an attorney, their name, bar number, address, and phone number.4Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 799.05 – Summons
How to Fill Out the SC-500
Download the SC-500 in Word or PDF from the Wisconsin Court System website, or pick up a paper copy at the clerk’s office in the county where you’ll file.5Wisconsin Court System. Circuit Court Forms – SC-500
Caption and Party Information
Enter the county at the top. Fill in your full legal name and address as the plaintiff, then the defendant’s full legal name and last-known address. For a business defendant, use the legal name exactly as it appears in the DFI database and list the registered agent’s address.
Type of Claim
Check the box that matches your claim. Each option pairs with a case classification code:6Wisconsin Court System. SC-500 Summons and Complaint (Small Claims)
- Claim for Money (31001): contract disputes, unpaid loans, unpaid invoices, anything for money that isn’t a tort.
- Tort/Personal Injury (31010): property damage, negligence, or bodily injury up to $5,000.
- Return of Property, Replevin (31003): you want specific personal property back.
- Eviction (31004): standard landlord-tenant eviction.
- Eviction Due to Foreclosure (31002): removing occupants after a foreclosure sale.
- Return of Earnest Money (31008): recovering a real estate deposit.
- Arbitration Award (31006): asking the court to confirm or challenge an arbitration decision.
Choosing the wrong category won’t sink your case, but it can force an amendment and delay your hearing. If your claim involves both money and return of property, check both.
Dollar Amount
Enter the exact amount you’re demanding. For a replevin claim, list the value of the property. Don’t inflate the number. The court will not award more than you can prove, and an inflated demand undermines your credibility with the commissioner.
Brief Statement of Dates and Facts
This is the narrative core of the form. In a few sentences, explain what happened, when, and why the defendant owes you money or property. Stick to dates, amounts, and actions. Skip opinions about the defendant’s character. A landlord suing for unpaid rent might write: “Defendant rented the apartment at [address] under a lease signed [date]. Defendant stopped paying rent in [month/year]. Total unpaid rent through [date] is $[amount].” The court commissioner reads this before your hearing, so clarity sets the tone.
Signature
Sign and date the form. Your signature certifies the information is truthful to the best of your knowledge. Don’t leave any field blank; the clerk can reject an incomplete filing.
Where to File and What It Costs
Take the completed SC-500 to the Clerk of Circuit Court in the county you chose, or file electronically at efiling.wicourts.gov. E-filing is mandatory for attorneys and voluntary for self-represented filers.7Wisconsin Court System. Wisconsin Circuit Court eFiling
The base filing fee for all small claims types is $94.50: a $22 filing fee, a $51 court support services surcharge, and a $21.50 justice information fee. E-filing adds a $35 electronic filing surcharge per case per party, bringing the total to $129.50.8Wisconsin Court System. Wisconsin Circuit Court Fee, Forfeiture, Fine and Surcharge Tables
If you win, the court adds your filing costs to the judgment, so the defendant reimburses them as part of what they owe.9Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 799.25 – Costs
Fee Waivers
If you can’t afford the fee, submit Form CV-410A, Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs. You qualify automatically if you receive means-tested public assistance such as SSI, Medical Assistance, or FoodShare. If you don’t receive benefits but still can’t afford the fees, the form has a financial disclosure section for listing income, assets, and debts so the court can decide.10Wisconsin Court System. CV-410A Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs
Serving the Defendant
Filing the SC-500 doesn’t notify the defendant. You have to arrange service separately. Wisconsin’s small claims statute incorporates the general civil rules, so the default is personal or substituted service by the county sheriff or a private process server.11Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 799.12 – Service
Many Wisconsin counties allow service by mail as an alternative. Where mail service is available, the clerk’s office handles it; you pay an additional mailing fee and the clerk sends the summons to each defendant. Eviction cases require certified mail with return receipt requested. For other claim types, whether certified mail is required is set by local rule. Mail service is complete when the clerk mails the summons, unless the envelope comes back unopened before the return date. One limitation: mail service for a personal money judgment only works within the county where you filed.
If personal service fails and mail service comes back unopened, you can request service by publication in a local newspaper as a Class 1 notice. If the defendant’s mailing address can be found with reasonable effort, you must also mail a copy at or before publication.
You must file proof of service with the court before the return date. Without it, the case stalls. The sheriff or process server provides an affidavit; for mail service, the clerk’s records serve as proof.
What Happens After You File
Once you file and the defendant is served, the clerk assigns a return date, which is your first court appearance. If the defendant fails to appear, you can ask for a default judgment after briefly testifying and showing your documents. If you fail to appear and the defendant does, the court can dismiss your case.12Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 799.22 – Judgment on Failure to Appear or Answer
If both parties appear, a circuit court commissioner typically holds a conference, examines the pleadings, and identifies the disputed issues. Straightforward cases with no witnesses can be decided the same day if both sides agree; otherwise, the commissioner sets an adjourned hearing.13Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 799.207 – Proceedings Before Circuit Court Commissioner
Some counties require mediation for contested small claims before trial. Waukesha County, for example, requires the plaintiff to initiate mediation scheduling within ten business days of the defendant filing an answer, and failing to do so can result in dismissal. Check your county’s local rules or ask the clerk whether mediation is required.
The defendant can file a counterclaim against you using Form SC-5200V, with notice on Form SC-5250V mailed to you the same day it’s filed with the court.14Wisconsin Court System. Small Claims Court Forms If a counterclaim pushes the total in dispute above $10,000, the case may be transferred out of small claims procedure.