Civil and Small Claims Lawsuits
Kettering Municipal Court handles Civil and Small Claims lawsuits that concern actions taking place in the cities of Centerville, Kettering and Moraine, or Washington Township, as well as claims against people who live in these areas. You can file a Civil claim in our Court seeking monetary damages up to $15,000 and a Small Claim for judgments up to $6,000. If your Civil claim is for more than $15,000, you can file it with the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
A wide variety of Civil and Small Claims cases are filed in our Clerk’s Office Civil Division. Among them:
| • Damage claims for negligence or financial disputes • Evictions • Garnishments • Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) license suspension appeals • Rent escrow deposits for landlord/tenant disputes • Certificate of judgments and foreign judgments • Replevins • Trusteeships • Other civil actions |
While individuals may choose to represent themselves or be represented by an attorney in Civil and Small Claims cases before this Court, the law requires corporations or LLC’s (Limited Liability Corporations) which file Civil or Small Claims cases to follow specific guidelines regarding representation by an attorney. Please refer to the Ohio Revised Code Section 1925.17 for more information.
If you need help finding an attorney for counsel, you can contact:
Dayton Bar Association
Attorney Referral Service
937-222-7902
www.daybar.org
If you cannot afford an attorney for your case, you can contact:
Legal Aid Line of Western Ohio
1-888-534-1432
www.legalaidline.org
Please see our Links/Resources page for additional information.
Civil and Small Claims Court Schedule:
The Civil/Small Claims docket is held on Tuesdays at Kettering Municipal Court. Civil trials are held on Tuesday morning. The General Civil Docket begins at 2:00 p.m., including evictions and general hearings, and Small Claims Court docket begins at 2:30 p.m.
You can check for when a specific case is scheduled by using our online Civil Schedule Query.