Court System

The court system in Iowa consists of a Supreme Court, a Court of Appeals, and a District Court. Iowa District court has general jurisdiction on all civil, criminal, juvenile and probate cases. Credit and collection matters are generally determined in one of the three divisions of the District Court based on the amount in controversy. (Iowa Code Chapter 602.)
 

A. Small Claims: Claims with a monetary amount of up to $4,000.00, exclusive of interest and costs, are generally under the Small Claims division of the District Court. The Small Claims division is generally presided by a Magistrate. (Iowa Code Section 631.1 et seq.)

B. Associate District Court: The Associate District Court has jurisdiction over civil actions for money judgments with an amount in controversy up to $10,000.

C. District Court: All actions involving an amount in excess of $10,000 are determined by the District court.

A filing fee is required for the filing of an action in any of the above Courts. (Iowa Code Section 602.8105.) The fees may vary from county to county. The following is an example of the filing fees required in each of these courts:
 

Small Claim: $ 30.00

Associate District Court: $ 80.00

District Court: $ 80.00