Someone owes you money, a contractor walked off the job, a deposit was never returned. In British Columbia the first legal question is not whether you can sue but where: the online Civil Resolution Tribunal, Small Claims Court or the Supreme Court. Here is how the three fit together, and the two-year clock that runs across all of them.
Most civil disputes start the same way: a conversation that goes nowhere, then a letter, then the question of what to do next. In British Columbia the answer depends heavily on how much is at stake, because the province has three different forums for civil claims, each with its own dollar range, procedure and cost.
This article explains what goes to the Civil Resolution Tribunal, what goes to Small Claims Court, what must go to the Supreme Court, and the limitation period that applies no matter which door you use.
Three forums, three dollar ranges
- Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT): most small claims up to $5,000, plus strata property disputes, disputes involving BC societies and cooperative associations, and certain motor vehicle accident matters.
- Provincial Court, Small Claims: claims from $5,001 to $35,000.
- Supreme Court of British Columbia: claims over $35,000, and claims of any size that the other two forums are not allowed to decide.
The dollar figures are the headline, but the type of claim matters too. The CRT and Small Claims Court mainly deal with debts, damages and disputes over personal property and services. Claims about ownership of land, defamation, and most estate and family property matters belong in the Supreme Court whatever the amount involved.
The Civil Resolution Tribunal
The CRT is an online tribunal, and since 2017 it has been the mandatory first stop for most small claims up to $5,000: things you bought or sold, loans, deposits, contracts, roommate disputes and the like. The process moves through stages, beginning with negotiation between the parties, then facilitation with a tribunal staff member, and only if that fails a written decision by a tribunal member. It is designed to be used without a lawyer, although legal advice in the background often changes the outcome.
For strata owners, the CRT is also where disputes about bylaws, strata council decisions, repairs, nuisance and governance are decided, and those claims are not limited to $5,000. A CRT decision can be filed in court and enforced like a court order.
Small Claims Court
Claims worth more than $5,000 and up to $35,000 go to the Small Claims division of the Provincial Court. It is a real court with judges, but the procedure is simplified and many people represent themselves. A claim typically passes through a settlement conference before any trial, and a large proportion of cases resolve there. A claimant whose loss is somewhat above $35,000 can choose to give up the excess in order to stay in Small Claims rather than face the cost of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court
Above $35,000, and for the categories of claim mentioned earlier, the Supreme Court is the forum. Its procedure is more formal: pleadings, exchange of documents, examinations for discovery, and rules under which the losing party is usually ordered to pay a portion of the winner's legal costs. That costs exposure cuts both ways and is one of the first things to understand before starting or defending a Supreme Court action. Lawyers are not required, but the procedure assumes them.
Before you file: the two-year clock
Whichever forum applies, BC's Limitation Act sets a basic limitation period of two years for most civil claims, running from the day the claim is discovered, meaning the day you knew or reasonably ought to have known about the loss and who caused it. There is also an ultimate limitation period of fifteen years. Some claims have different periods set by other statutes, and a few have none, but two years is the figure to assume until a lawyer tells you otherwise.
Two points catch people out. A demand letter, however firm, does not stop the clock; only starting a proceeding does. And the clock may already have been running for some time before you decided to do anything about the problem.
Choosing well
The forum is usually dictated by the amount, but the decision to proceed at all deserves thought. A judgment is a piece of paper until it is collected, so the other side's ability to pay matters as much as the strength of your case. The cost of a Supreme Court action can approach or exceed the amount in dispute for claims near the $35,000 line. And many disputes settle once a properly drafted demand letter shows the other side that you understand the process and the deadline. A short conversation with a lawyer before filing anything often clarifies which of these applies to you.
In a dispute and not sure where it belongs?
Our litigation lawyers can assess your claim, confirm the forum and the deadline, draft the demand letter, and represent you in Small Claims Court or the Supreme Court, or advise in the background on a CRT claim you run yourself.
Call 604-259-2844 or send us a message to arrange a consultation at our Vancouver office.
Sources
- Small Claims Act, RSBC 1996, c 430; monetary limit $35,000; CRT for most claims up to $5,000 — Small claims court: procedures and fees — Province of British Columbia (checked October 4, 2026)
- Claims from $5,001 to $35,000 — Small claims — Provincial Court of British Columbia (checked October 4, 2026)
- Civil Resolution Tribunal Act, SBC 2012, c 25 — Civil Resolution Tribunal (checked October 4, 2026)
- Limitation Act, SBC 2012, c 13, ss 6 and 21 — Limitation Act — Province of British Columbia (legislation update) (checked October 4, 2026)
General information about British Columbia law as at the date shown, not legal advice. Reading this article does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Please speak with a lawyer about your own circumstances.