2026 state court fee data · California
Tenant Rights in California
Recorded at $30–$240 - among the cheaper civil filings in California, and one of 10 states where we price this filing.
Fee rank is not wait rank
Signature reading for Tenant Rights in California: 6 steps on published procedural depth for this filing. On this filing's state cohort, California sits in the upper third of recorded max fees ($30–$240). The published step list sits near the 5-step median for this filing (6 steps). According to PlainCivil's compiled state court fee schedules, Tenant Rights in California ranks #73 of 120 process-state filings by maximum filing fee (highest max fee = #1). Civil Lawsuit is largest of 2 at $1,435 among 12 civil filings in California; that is not the longest wait: Divorce records 180 days on a $435 ceiling.
Tenant Rights figures for California are compiled schedule reference, not legal advice - verify with the clerk where you intend to file.
In-state wait inventory
Waiting periods among California civil filings
Exclusive split of all 12 tracked filings in California - orthogonal to in-state fee placement below.
Compare a state record
Compare tenant rights with another state
Start with California, then inspect another published court-schedule record without leaving this page.
In-state placement
Where tenant rights sits among California filings
Of the 12 civil filings we track in California, tenant rights ranks 9 by recorded maximum fee: among the cheaper civil filings in California. Neighbours: Name Change at $435 and Small Claims at $75.
Same-state corpus only, not a national ranking. How we place filings
0 of 10 states publishing a waiting-period field for this filing impose one; California publishes a field and records none.
The California row lists 6 procedural steps against a 5-step median for this filing: a reading of published detail, not difficulty.
Filing Fee Details
Small claims for security deposit $30-$75. Civil harassment TRO free.
California's high-band fee among states
California sits in the upper third of this filing's state cohort at $30–$240 (rank #3 of 10 by max fee).
Source: state court filing-fee schedules (upper-bound fee per state). Verify current amounts with the relevant court. How we calculate this ranking →
Key Requirements
- Written demand to landlord first (30 days)
- Documentation of issues
- Evidence of rent payments
- Applicable state/local housing codes
Step-by-Step Process
- 1
Document all issues in writing with dates
- 2
Send written demand to landlord (certified mail)
- 3
Contact local housing authority if habitability issue
- 4
File in small claims court if no resolution
- 5
Present evidence at hearing
- 6
Receive judgment (triple damages for wrongful deposit retention)
Grounds / Eligibility
Security deposit recovery, habitability conditions, retaliation, unlawful entry
Quick Reference
- Fee stamp
- CLERK schedule band
- Wait stamp
- OPEN clock band
- Filing Fee
- $30–$240
- Residency
- File where rental property is located
- Waiting Period
- None required
- Typical Timeline
- 1-3 months depending on action
Official Resources
Nearest fee-schedule peers in California
Ordered by ABS(filing_fee_max) to this row's CLERK stamp - not an A-Z process catalog.
Take this with you
What to do with tenant rights in California's numbers, next.
- Read the step-by-step guide for tenant rights Eviction process guide
- See how every state compares on tenant rights filing fees View state rankings
- Check where this fee sits against every other filing we track Use the fee percentile tool
Filing fees and requirements change; verify current figures with your local court before filing.
| Publisher | PlainCivil |
| Sources | Public state court datasets and federal civil-justice records |