Conciliation court is the busiest civil courtroom in Minnesota and the least written about. Lawyers skip it in their marketing because you mostly don’t need one there. That’s a mistake. The jurisdictional limit is now $20,000, which is real money, and the traps in the conciliation rules run on real deadlines: 21 days to remove, 14 days to counterclaim, 60 days to serve, and a $50 penalty for removing to district court and doing no better. I have sent clients into conciliation court deliberately, as a strategy, more times than I can count. Here’s the whole system, start to finish.
How much can you sue for?
Twenty thousand dollars. Minn. Stat. § 491A.01, subd. 3a(a), gives conciliation court jurisdiction over civil claims
“if the amount of money or property that is the subject matter of the claim does not exceed: (1) $20,000; or (2) $4,000, if the claim involves a consumer credit transaction.”
Two figures, and both matter. The general limit sat at $15,000 for a decade; the legislature raised it to $20,000 in 2024. 2024 Minn. Laws ch. 123, art. 15, § 6. Anybody still quoting $15,000 is quoting a repealed number.
The $4,000 sublimit is narrower than people think. A “consumer credit transaction” under subdivision 3a(b) is a sale of personal property, or a loan arranged to facilitate the purchase of personal property, where credit is granted by a seller or lender regularly in that business, the buyer is a natural person, the claimant is the seller or lender, and the property was bought primarily for personal, family, or household use. Put plainly, the sublimit reins in creditors suing consumers on financed purchases. It doesn’t rein in the consumer suing back, and it doesn’t touch ordinary contract, property-damage, or service disputes.
If your claim is worth $27,000, you may waive the excess and sue for $20,000. But that waiver is for keeps. Whether to leave $7,000 on the table for a faster, cheaper forum is a judgment call I walk through with clients on actual numbers, not gut feel.
What conciliation court can’t hear
Section 491A.01, subd. 4, shuts out eleven categories. The court has no jurisdiction over actions:
- involving title to real estate, including boundary-line disputes;
- involving claims of defamation by libel or slander;
- for specific performance (except as authorized for personal property under subdivision 5);
- brought or defended on behalf of a class;
- requesting or involving prejudgment remedies;
- involving injunctive relief (again, except the personal-property carve-out);
- under chapters 256, 257, 259, 260, 518, 518A, 518B, and 518C — the family and juvenile chapters — except debts owed to state agencies or political subdivisions arising under them;
- under chapters 524 and 525, the probate code;
- where jurisdiction sits exclusively in another court or division;
- for eviction; and
- involving medical malpractice.
Look at what’s not on the list: landlord-tenant damage claims (subdivision 9 expressly grants jurisdiction over them in the county where the rental property sits), dishonored checks, student-loan collection, and garden-variety contract and negligence claims. The court can also decide ownership and possession of personal property up to the limit, and a final judgment ordering return of property is enforceable by the sheriff without further legal process. Minn. Stat. § 491A.01, subd. 5.
Who may appear, and the corporate wrinkle nobody sees coming
An individual appears for himself. A corporation, partnership, LLC, sole proprietorship, or association may appear through an officer, manager, or partner, or may appoint an employee or commercial property manager to appear or settle on its behalf. Minn. Stat. § 491A.02, subd. 4(a). You don’t need a lawyer. Representation under the subdivision “does not constitute the practice of law for purposes of section 481.02, subdivision 8.” Lawyers are allowed, but the judge decides how much a lawyer gets to participate at trial. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 512(d).
The wrinkle shows up on removal. Section 491A.02, subd. 4(a), says the officer-appearance rule “also applies to appearances in district court by a corporation or limited liability company with five or fewer shareholders or members” when the action was removed from conciliation court. But the Minnesota Supreme Court held in Nicollet Restoration, Inc. v. Turnham, 486 N.W.2d 753 (Minn. 1992), that a corporation must be represented by a licensed attorney when appearing in district court, even where the action started in conciliation court, and that under the constitution the judiciary, not the legislature, decides who may practice law before the courts. Id. at 754-56. In Nicollet the corporation’s president showed up to the district court trial de novo without counsel and the case was dismissed with prejudice. So my advice to any entity whose conciliation case gets removed is blunt: hire a lawyer for district court and let somebody else test the statutory carve-out.
Filing, service, and the 60-day trap
You start the case by filing a statement of claim with the court administrator and paying the filing fee. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 505. The claim is signed under penalty of perjury with the declaration prescribed by Minn. Stat. § 358.116. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 507(a). A natural person who can’t afford the fee files an affidavit in lieu of fees instead. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 506. The court administrator has to help litigants fill out the forms. That’s in both the statute and the rules, and the front desk in most counties is genuinely good at it. Minn. Stat. § 491A.02, subd. 2.
Service depends on the size of the claim. For claims of $2,500 or less, the court administrator serves the summons by first class mail. Over $2,500, the plaintiff must serve by certified mail and file proof of service. Minn. Stat. § 491A.01, subd. 3a(c); Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 508(d). Here’s the trap: if the summons isn’t properly served and proof filed within 60 days after issuance, the action is dismissed without prejudice. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 508(d)(1)-(3). I’ve seen more conciliation cases die on the 60-day proof-of-service requirement than on the merits.
Two newer service rules are worth your attention. The trial date must be at least 28 days out from mailing or service of the summons. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 508(a). And in consumer-credit cases, a plaintiff who has previously communicated with the defendant electronically (email, text, chat, voicemail) must also notify the defendant of the hearing by that same channel and file an affidavit saying so. Skip the affidavit and the court may deny your default judgment. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 508(d)(5) (effective July 1, 2026).
A defendant with a counterclaim within the limit must file it, pay the fee, and serve it on the plaintiff by certified mail at least 14 days before trial. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 509(b). A defendant whose counterclaim exceeds the limit can knock the whole case off the conciliation calendar by filing an affidavit and then commencing a district court action within 28 days. Pull that lever in bad faith and never commence the promised action, and you risk up to $50 in costs. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 510.
What the trial actually looks like
There’s no jury. Determination of claims “must be without jury trial and by a simple and informal procedure.” Minn. Stat. § 491A.02, subd. 1. There’s no court reporter. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 504(c). The judge “will normally receive only evidence admissible under the rules of evidence, but in the exercise of discretion and in the interests of justice, may receive otherwise inadmissible evidence.” Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 512(e). You can subpoena witnesses and documents for trial, but there’s no pretrial discovery. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 512(a). Electronic exhibits go through the Minnesota Digital Exhibit System and must be submitted and shared with the other side at least 3 days before trial, or the court may refuse to consider them. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 512(b).
If the defendant doesn’t show after proper service, the judge may enter judgment for the plaintiff. If the plaintiff doesn’t show, the judge may dismiss (with prejudice, if the judge chooses) and hear the defendant’s counterclaim. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 512(g), (h). The notice of the claim says all of this in bold type for a reason.
The 21-day clock after judgment
The administrator sends a notice of the order for judgment that states, on its face, the last day to act. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 514. The judgment becomes final and effective 21 days after the notice is transmitted unless it’s paid, vacated, or removed. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 515. When the notice comes by U.S. mail, 3 days are added. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 503.03. Inside that window a losing party has two very different doors:
| Vacation (Rule 520) | Removal (Rule 521) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | A party who defaulted or was dismissed for not appearing | Any party aggrieved after a contested trial |
| What you must show | Lack of notice, mistake, inadvertence, or excusable neglect | Nothing about the merits — removal is of right |
| What you get | A new conciliation court trial | Trial de novo in district court, judge or jury |
| Deadline | 21 days (after that, motion on good cause) | 21 days after notice transmitted |
| Downside risk | Up to $50 costs as a condition | $50 costs if you remove and do no better |
Removal has four mechanical parts, and all four have to land within the 21 days: (1) serve a demand for removal on every opposing party, stating whether you want a court or jury trial; (2) file the demand with proof of service; (3) file an affidavit that “the removal is made in good faith and not for purposes of delay”; and (4) pay the district court filing fee, plus the jury fee if you demanded one. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 521(b). Once removal is perfected, the conciliation judgment is vacated and the case starts over in district court. The conciliation result carries no weight there. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 521(d). The conciliation pleadings become the district court pleadings, with a 30-day window to serve a formal complaint. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 522. A different judge has to preside. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 523.
The cost rule is what keeps removal honest. If the removing party doesn’t “prevail” in district court, the court orders an additional $50 paid to the opponent. Prevailing is defined by arithmetic: a removing party who lost outright below prevails by recovering at least $500 or 50 percent of what it demanded on removal, whichever is less; a party who won or lost something below prevails by moving the number at least $500 or 50 percent in its favor. Minn. Stat. § 491A.02, subd. 7; Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 524. Fifty bucks isn’t much of a deterrent, and I read the statute as pricing removal cheap on purpose. From the district court judgment, appeal goes to the court of appeals as in any civil case. There’s no direct appeal from conciliation court to the court of appeals. Minn. Stat. § 491A.02, subd. 8; Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 525.
Winning isn’t collecting
A conciliation court judgment, standing alone, collects nothing. The statute says so outright: “No writ of execution or garnishment summons may be issued out of conciliation court.” Minn. Stat. § 491A.01, subd. 2. The winner has to transcribe the judgment: buy a transcript from the conciliation court administrator, file it in district court, and docket it with an affidavit of identification. Once filed, “the judgment becomes and is enforceable as a judgment of district court.” Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 518(a). From there the full collection toolkit opens up. Docketing creates a judgment lien, and execution and garnishment become available. I cover that machinery in collecting a Minnesota judgment and garnishment and the debtor’s exemptions.
The rules give the creditor one more tool worth knowing. Once the judgment is docketed and unpaid, the court, or the creditor’s attorney as an officer of the court, may order the debtor to mail the creditor a disclosure of all assets, liabilities, and earnings within 10 days, on pain of contempt. Minn. Stat. § 491A.02, subd. 9; Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 518(b). An installment judgment can’t be docketed until 21 days after a missed installment. Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 519.
When I send a client to conciliation court, and when I don’t
I send a client to conciliation court when the claim is at or under $20,000, the facts fit on two pages, the evidence is documentary, and the defendant is collectible. Filing costs a fraction of a district court action, there’s no discovery to pay for, and a hearing date shows up in weeks. I say no when the case needs discovery to prove (fraud, disputed oral agreements, anything that turns on the other side’s records); when the opponent is the type to remove on reflex and bleed the case, because removal vacates your win and restarts everything; or when an excluded remedy like an injunction is the point. And I always check the statute of limitations before recommending any forum, because a cheap forum doesn’t toll anything. For defendants, the calendar is the whole game: 21 days to remove after a loss, and if you were defaulted, vacating the judgment runs on similar logic in district court under Rule 60.02.
Madgett Law, LLC advises Minnesota businesses and individuals on where to file, prosecutes and defends conciliation court claims and their removal to district court, and handles judgment enforcement from transcription through execution. If a $20,000 problem deserves a $2,000 solution, we’ll tell you. Call 612-470-6529 or send us a message.
Sources: Minn. Stat. § 491A.01, subds. 2 (no execution or garnishment from conciliation court), 3a(a)-(c) ($20,000 limit, $4,000 consumer-credit sublimit and definition, service tiers), 4 (jurisdictional exclusions), 5 (personal property), 9 (rental-property jurisdiction); 2024 Minn. Laws ch. 123, art. 15, § 6 (raising the limit from $15,000 to $20,000); Minn. Stat. § 491A.02, subds. 1 (no jury, informal procedure), 2 (administrator assistance), 4(a) (representation; district court carve-out on removal), 5 (installment judgments), 7 (costs and the definition of prevailing on removal), 8 (appeal), 9 (judgment debtor disclosure); Minn. Stat. § 358.116 (signature under penalty of perjury); Minn. Gen. R. Prac. 503.03 (3 days added for mail), 504(c), 505, 506, 507(a), 508(a), (d) (summons, service, 60-day dismissal, consumer-credit electronic notice), 509(b), 510, 512(a), (b), (d), (e), (g), (h), 514, 515, 518(a), (b), 519, 520, 521(b), (d), 522, 523, 524, 525 (all as amended effective July 1, 2026); Nicollet Restoration, Inc. v. Turnham, 486 N.W.2d 753, 754-56 (Minn. 1992). This article is general legal information about Minnesota law, not legal advice; reading it creates no attorney-client relationship with Madgett Law, LLC, and no outcome is promised or implied.