Small Claims Court BC and the Civil Resolution Tribunal

British Columbia divides civil disputes by dollar amount rather than sending every claim to the same court. The Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) resolves most disputes up to $5,000 through an entirely online process, while the Provincial Court of British Columbia's Small Claims division hears claims from $5,001 up to $35,000. Above $35,000, a claim generally belongs in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

This guide explains how each forum works, how a CRT dispute moves from negotiation to a tribunal decision, how to file and serve a Notice of Claim in Provincial Court, and what happens after judgment. For a broader look at how small claims procedure varies across the country, see Canada small claims.

Jurisdiction scope: This guide addresses small claims procedure in British Columbia only, under the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act, SBC 2012, c 25, and the Small Claims Act, RSBC 1996, c 430. It does not cover Supreme Court of British Columbia procedure for claims above $35,000, or small claims procedure in other provinces. For a province-by-province overview, see Canadian law by province, and for the general mechanics of starting a claim, see how to file a small claim in Canada.

Two Forums, Split by Dollar Amount

British Columbia does not have a single small claims court. Claims of $5,000 or less generally must go to the Civil Resolution Tribunal, a tribunal that operates online rather than in a courtroom. Claims from $5,001 to $35,000 go to the Small Claims division of the Provincial Court of British Columbia, which sits in courthouses across the province.

A claimant who brings a claim worth more than the applicable limit must abandon, or write off, the amount above that limit and cannot later bring the abandoned portion to another court or tribunal.

The Civil Resolution Tribunal's Small Claims Jurisdiction

The Civil Resolution Tribunal is a statutory tribunal created under the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act, SBC 2012, c 25. It began resolving small claims disputes of $5,000 or less on June 1, 2017, and these claims generally must go through the CRT before they can reach Provincial Court. Beyond general small claims, the CRT also has jurisdiction over strata property disputes, claims involving societies and cooperative associations, and claims about the non-consensual distribution of an intimate image. Since April 1, 2019, it has also had jurisdiction over certain motor vehicle accident and injury claims up to a much higher $50,000, so the $5,000 ceiling is not universal across every category the CRT handles.

Some disputes cannot go to small claims court or the CRT no matter how small the dollar amount, including most disputes between residential landlords and tenants (which belong to the Residential Tenancy Branch instead), libel and slander (defamation) suits, and cases involving title to land. Family law matters such as the division of family property, and employment standards claims for unpaid wages or overtime, are also outside the CRT's small claims jurisdiction. A person unsure whether the CRT can take a dispute can use the free Solution Explorer tool to check before filing.

How a CRT Dispute Moves Through Four Stages

A CRT small claims dispute is designed to resolve without a hearing wherever possible. The tribunal's process has up to four stages: information and self-help through the Solution Explorer, party-to-party negotiation, facilitated case management, and, only if the first three stages fail, a tribunal decision.

In the negotiation stage, both parties use a secure online platform to discuss the dispute and try to reach an agreement directly. These discussions are confidential, and if the dispute later goes to a decision, the tribunal member deciding it does not see what was said during negotiation.

If negotiation does not resolve the dispute, a CRT case manager begins facilitation, acting as a neutral facilitator to help the parties reach a resolution and narrowing the issues for a possible hearing. Only if facilitation also fails does the dispute move to adjudication, where an independent tribunal member reviews the evidence and arguments from both sides and issues a binding final decision.

Filing a CRT small claims dispute costs an application fee that scales with the amount claimed, currently starting at $75 for an online application for $3,000 or less, plus an additional fee if the dispute proceeds all the way to a tribunal decision. Because of claim volume, it can take the CRT several months to review a new application before issuing a Dispute Notice.

Filing a Notice of Claim in Provincial Court

A Provincial Court small claims case begins when the claimant files a Notice of Claim (Form 1) at a court registry, in person, by mail, by fax, or electronically through Court Services Online. The filing fee is set by the Small Claims Rules and is tiered by the amount claimed, generally higher for larger claims, and a successful claimant can typically recover it from the defendant as part of the judgment. As of August 16, 2021, a claimant must also file a completed Address for Service form along with the Notice of Claim, at no additional charge.

The claimant must then serve a copy of the filed Notice of Claim on the defendant, generally within one year of filing. An individual can be served personally, by handing the document to them directly (or leaving it at their feet if they refuse to take it), or by registered mail; the claimant is not required to arrange service through someone else, though many choose to have a friend or a professional process server complete personal service.

Once served, an individual defendant has 14 days from receiving the documents to file a reply (30 days if served outside British Columbia). A defendant who does nothing risks a default order once the claimant proves proper service, letting the claimant enforce the claimed amount as though a judge had decided it after trial.

Settlement Conference, Trial Conference, and Trial

British Columbia's small claims process is built to encourage settlement before a case ever reaches trial. After a reply is filed, the registry schedules a settlement conference, an informal meeting where a judge reviews the Notice of Claim and reply, asks both sides questions, and looks for any chance of an agreement. A judge can resolve part of a claim at this stage, for example ordering payment of an amount the defendant admits owing while leaving a disputed portion for trial.

If the dispute is not fully resolved and the remaining issues are expected to take more than half a day of court time, the parties are scheduled for a second, trial-preparation settlement conference, where the judge again looks for agreement, confirms both sides are ready, and sets a final time estimate for trial. A claim expected to take less than half a day skips straight from the first settlement conference to a trial date. At trial, a judge hears both sides and any witnesses and delivers a judgment. A party who disagrees with the outcome can appeal a small claims decision to the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

The Two-Year Limitation Period

Most civil claims in British Columbia, including small claims, are subject to a basic two-year limitation period under the Limitation Act, SBC 2012, c 13. The two-year clock generally starts running once the claimant discovered, or reasonably ought to have discovered, that a loss occurred, that it was caused by the person being sued, and that a court or tribunal proceeding would be an appropriate way to seek a remedy.

The Act also sets an ultimate limitation period of 15 years from the act or omission that gave rise to the claim, which applies even where the claim was not immediately discoverable. A claimant who waits too long to file, at the CRT or in Provincial Court, risks losing the right to sue entirely, regardless of how strong the underlying claim is. When in doubt about a specific limitation date, confirm it against the current Limitation Act text or with a licensed lawyer rather than assuming the general two-year rule applies without exception.

Collecting on a Judgment or CRT Order

Winning a CRT decision or a Provincial Court judgment does not automatically produce payment. If a debtor cannot pay in full right away, either side can ask for a payment hearing, where the debtor first files a sworn Financial Statement (generally at least 7 days before the hearing, served on the other party at least 2 business days before), and a judge or judicial justice questions the debtor about their finances before setting a payment schedule.

Where a debtor does not pay voluntarily, British Columbia gives judgment creditors further enforcement tools, including a garnishing order (commonly used against wages, capped at 30% of wages or salary at one time, or against a bank account), an order for seizure and sale letting a court bailiff seize and auction personal property belonging to the debtor, and registration of a certificate of judgment against land the debtor owns in British Columbia, which generally prevents the debtor from selling or refinancing that property until the debt is paid. In the most extreme cases, where a debtor deliberately defies a court order, a judge can hold them in contempt.

Enforcement steps have their own forms and procedures at the court registry, and the right combination of tools depends on what the debtor actually owns and where. For a closer look at serving documents and collecting once a judgment is in hand, see serving and collecting a judgment.

Choosing the Right Forum

Because jurisdiction splits strictly by dollar amount, confirm the real value of a dispute, including interest and reasonable dispute-related expenses, before filing, so it lands in the correct forum the first time. For the general steps that apply to starting a small claim anywhere in Canada, including gathering evidence and calculating what to claim, see how to file a small claim in Canada.

Frequently asked questions

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about small claims procedure and the Civil Resolution Tribunal in British Columbia as of July 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Fees, forms, and monetary limits can change, so confirm current requirements with the Civil Resolution Tribunal, the Provincial Court of British Columbia, or a licensed lawyer before acting on anything specific to your situation.