Respond when you receive a small claim Money & Debt Oregon preparation and procedure guide Source review: 2026-10-11 Scope: Shared Oregon or applicable federal procedure; confirm local requirements File the official Defendant’s Response with the correct payment, denial or counterclaim selection. Who this route is for Defendants served in Oregon circuit-court small claims cases. Timing and notices The current packet requires a signed response within 30 calendar days after service. Follow the notice and contact the court immediately if time is short. Prepare (conditional documents may have alternatives) [ ] Small Claim and Notice and date of service [ ] Defendant’s Response with case number [ ] Proof of payment or return of property if paying [ ] Contracts, receipts and other defense evidence [ ] Filing fee or Fee Deferral or Waiver application How to proceed 1. Read the January 2026 defendant instructions and identify the filing court and service date. 2. Choose payment, denial and any related counterclaim carefully; if paying, select only that response and attach proof. 3. Complete and sign the response; each defendant generally files separately except the allowed spouse/domestic-partner joint response. 4. File in the court where the claim was filed with the required fee or fee-relief application. 5. Keep confirmation and attend scheduled mediation or hearing with your evidence. Get the small-claims response forms: https://www.courts.oregon.gov/forms/Pages/small-claims.aspx Limits: Jury requests and larger counterclaims change procedures and fees. Small claims decisions generally cannot be appealed; lawyers need the judge’s permission to participate in a small claims hearing. Publisher sources Respond when you receive a small claim - official instructions https://www.courts.oregon.gov/forms/Documents/SC-INSTR.pdf Evidence type: publisher-pdf SHA-256: 96d331c1388b408c88833263a9a5cd1131e7bb9aa00d134f8d85ebf5eab6f8c1 Oregon Judicial Department : Small Claims : Forms Center : State of Oregon https://www.courts.oregon.gov/forms/pages/small-claims.aspx Evidence type: publisher-html-snapshot SHA-256: d1a864b7faaeeb8a2747e3019150dbcf7bc592d518f1ebbf359533127f430655 This site helps you prepare. It does not submit filings, calculate personal deadlines, decide eligibility or replace professional review. A complaint or help request does not pause another case or deadline. Start here Read the January 2026 defendant instructions and identify the filing court and service date. Where and how to submit Read the linked publisher instructions to confirm the receiving office, accepted submission method and current forms. This page has not separately verified those details. A county filter does not decide the correct court or filing location. https://www.courts.oregon.gov/forms/Pages/small-claims.aspx What will it cost? Fees and fee-waiver eligibility have not been separately verified for this route. Check the current provider instructions. For a court filing, ask the court about its fee-waiver or deferral forms. After submission Keep a copy of what you send and its confirmation or receipt. Ask the receiving office how to track it, when to expect a response and how it will request missing information. These follow-up details have not been separately verified for this route. Corrections, denials and appeals Read any returned filing, correction request or denial notice promptly. Ask the responsible office for the correction, review or appeal instructions and the deadline that applies to your notice. This guide does not verify a route-specific appeal process. Language, disability and offline help Ask the receiving office about language assistance, disability accommodations and an alternative to online submission. Available options have not been separately verified for this route.