Bill Commons

CA AB 2781

enacted

Civil cases: filing fees.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

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Quick answers

Did CA AB 2781 pass?

Yes. CA AB 2781 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-07-16): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 98, Statutes of 2026.

What is CA AB 2781 about?

Existing law requires a filing fee of $50 in a small claims case where the demand is more than $1,500 but less than or equal to $5,000, and a filing fee of $75 if the amount of the demand in a small claims case is more than $5,000. This bill would instead require a filing fee of $50 for small claims cases with a demand of more than $1,500 but less than or equal to $6,250, and a filing fee of $75 for cases if the amount of the demand is more than $6,250. Existing law requires a uniform filing fee of $205 for the first paper in a case where the amount demanded, excluding attorney's fees and costs, is $10,000 or less. Existing law requires the first paper to state whether the amount demanded exceeds or does not exceed $10,000. Existing law also requires a $205 filing fee for a petition for a writ or a notice of appeal to the appellative division of the superior court if the amount demanded in a limited civil case, excluding attorney's fees and costs, is $10,000 or less. This bill would revise these provisions to apply to cases where the amount demanded, excluding attorney's fees and costs, is $12,500 or less. Existing law requires, if a plaintiff or petitioner files an amended complaint or other initial pleading that increases the amount demanded to an amount that exceeds $10,000 but does not exceed $25,000, a fee equal to the difference between the original filing fee and the filing fee for the new amount demanded to be charged to make up the difference between the filing fees. Existing law also requires, if a party files a cross-complaint, amended cross-complaint, or amendment to a cross-complaint demanding an amount that exceeds $10,000 but does not exceed $25,000, a fee equal to the difference between the original filing fee and the filing fee for the new amount to be charged to make up the difference between the filing fees. This bill would revise these provisions to apply to cases where the revised amount demanded exceeds $12,500 but does not exceed $35,000.

Who sponsors CA AB 2781?

Committee on Judiciary is the primary sponsor of CA AB 2781, joined by 1 cosponsor.

Description

Existing law requires a filing fee of $50 in a small claims case where the demand is more than $1,500 but less than or equal to $5,000, and a filing fee of $75 if the amount of the demand in a small claims case is more than $5,000. This bill would instead require a filing fee of $50 for small claims cases with a demand of more than $1,500 but less than or equal to $6,250, and a filing fee of $75 for cases if the amount of the demand is more than $6,250. Existing law requires a uniform filing fee of $205 for the first paper in a case where the amount demanded, excluding attorney's fees and costs, is $10,000 or less. Existing law requires the first paper to state whether the amount demanded exceeds or does not exceed $10,000. Existing law also requires a $205 filing fee for a petition for a writ or a notice of appeal to the appellative division of the superior court if the amount demanded in a limited civil case, excluding attorney's fees and costs, is $10,000 or less. This bill would revise these provisions to apply to cases where the amount demanded, excluding attorney's fees and costs, is $12,500 or less. Existing law requires, if a plaintiff or petitioner files an amended complaint or other initial pleading that increases the amount demanded to an amount that exceeds $10,000 but does not exceed $25,000, a fee equal to the difference between the original filing fee and the filing fee for the new amount demanded to be charged to make up the difference between the filing fees. Existing law also requires, if a party files a cross-complaint, amended cross-complaint, or amendment to a cross-complaint demanding an amount that exceeds $10,000 but does not exceed $25,000, a fee equal to the difference between the original filing fee and the filing fee for the new amount to be charged to make up the difference between the filing fees. This bill would revise these provisions to apply to cases where the revised amount demanded exceeds $12,500 but does not exceed $35,000.

Introduced
2026-04-08
Latest action
2026-07-16 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 98, Statutes of 2026.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Committee on Judiciaryauthor
  • Macedocoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-07-16

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 98, Statutes of 2026.

    became-law

  2. 2026-07-16

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  3. 2026-07-15

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11:15 a.m.

    executive-receipt

  4. 2026-07-02

    In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

    committee-passage

  5. 2026-07-02

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  6. 2026-07-02

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 5190.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  7. 2026-06-30

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1,reading-2

  8. 2026-06-29

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.

    committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  9. 2026-06-17

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  10. 2026-05-13

    Referred to Com. on JUD.

    referral-committee

  11. 2026-05-05

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  12. 2026-05-04

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 4917.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  13. 2026-04-23

    Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.

    reading-1,reading-2

  14. 2026-04-22

    From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 22).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  15. 2026-04-15

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  16. 2026-04-09

    Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

    referral-committee

  17. 2026-04-08

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on JUD. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  18. 2026-03-16

    Referred to Com. on JUD.

    referral-committee

  19. 2026-03-12

    From printer. May be heard in committee April 11.

  20. 2026-03-11

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Versions

  • 03/11/26 - Introduced — 2026-03-11Compare
  • 04/08/26 - Amended Assembly — 2026-04-08Compare
  • 07/07/26 - Enrolled — 2026-07-07Compare
  • 07/16/26 - Chaptered — 2026-07-16Compare
  • AB2781Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2026-04-14 · pass · 12-0

    Member-level votes (12)
    • Zbur: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Sanchez: yes

  • Do pass. To Consent Calendar.

    2026-04-22 · pass · 13-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Dixon: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Muratsuchi: other
    • Calderon: other

  • AB 2781 Judiciary Consent Calendar Second Day

    2026-05-04 · pass · 73-0

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Jackson: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Johnson: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Tangipa: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • DeMaio: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Ta: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Castillo: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Arambula: other
    • Chen: other
    • Wallis: other
    • Bennett: other
    • Flora: other
    • Caloza: other
    • Wilson: other

  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2026-06-16 · pass · 11-0

    Member-level votes (13)
    • Wahab: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Ashby: other
    • Weber Pierson: other

  • Consent Calendar 2nd AB2781 JUD.

    2026-07-02 · pass · 37-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Durazo: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: other
    • Rubio: other
    • Richardson: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2781

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-09-04T05:18:22.541076Z

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