Hamilton

Which Hamilton court or tribunal will hear your case?

Last updated October 8, 2026.

In Hamilton, money claims up to $50,000 go to Small Claims Court at the John Sopinka Courthouse, 45 Main Street East. Tickets and other provincial offences go to the City-run Provincial Offences Court across the street at 50 Main Street East (location code 4760). Rental disputes go to the Landlord and Tenant Board, which hears most cases by video, while parking tickets and many by-law issues are handled by City offices, not a court.

Picking the wrong place costs time, and sometimes a deadline. This page sorts Hamilton's forums and links to a detailed guide for each. Carson Frankum, a licensed paralegal in Hamilton, works in all three areas. For claims, see our page on Small Claims Court help. Rental disputes are covered on our page about landlord and tenant issues. Tickets and charges are covered under provincial offences.

How do you find the right Hamilton forum, step by step?

Look at the paper you received, if any. An offence notice or summons points to the provincial offences court; a Plaintiff's Claim to Small Claims Court; an N-form notice or LTB notice of hearing to the Board; a Penalty Notice to the City's parking system. The document usually names its forum.
If you are starting a case, ask what it is about. A dispute between a landlord and a current or former tenant about the tenancy usually belongs at the LTB. Most other money claims, such as unpaid invoices, contractor disputes, damaged property or loans, belong in Small Claims Court if they are $50,000 or less.
Check that Hamilton is the right place. For Small Claims, the Rules let you sue where the cause of action arose or where the defendant lives or carries on business (r. 6.01(1)), and the City of Hamilton is its own territorial division. Our page on which Small Claims courthouse to file in covers the edge cases.
Find the deadline. Fifteen days is common in Hamilton: to choose an option on a ticket, to pay or dispute a parking penalty, and, for LTB orders issued from July 1, 2026, to request a review. A defendant served with a Plaintiff's Claim has 20 days to file a Defence.
Check whether the City is also involved. Repairs, vital services, apartment building conditions, renovation evictions and rental licensing all have City by-laws that run alongside the provincial process.

Hamilton's courts, tribunals and City offices at a glance (official sources, read October 8, 2026)
Forum	What it decides	Where	Main contact	How hearings run
Small Claims Court (Superior Court of Justice)	Money or property claims up to $50,000	John Sopinka Courthouse, 45 Main Street East, L8N 2B7	905-645-5252	Settlement conferences remote by default; trials in person by default
Provincial Offences Court (City of Hamilton)	Traffic tickets, red light camera tickets, other provincial offences	50 Main Street East, Room 110, L8N 1E9; ICON code 4760	905-540-5592	Early resolution by audio, video or in person; trials in person or by video
Landlord and Tenant Board	Evictions, rent, repairs, tenant and landlord applications	Hamilton–South office (mail only), 119 King Street West, 6th Floor	1-888-332-3234	Mostly virtual (Zoom or phone); in person only on approved accommodation
City parking penalties	Parking Penalty Notices under By-law 17-225	City screening and hearing officers	905-540-6000	Screening review, then a final hearing officer review
City Licensing and By-law Services	Renovation licences, rental housing licences	330 Wentworth Street North; City Hall, 71 Main Street West	905-546-2782 option 2	Applications and complaints, not hearings
City Municipal Law Enforcement	Property standards, vital services, safe apartment buildings	On complaint	905-546-2782	Investigations and orders

Small Claims Court at the John Sopinka Courthouse

Hamilton's Small Claims Court is part of the Superior Court of Justice and shares the John Sopinka Courthouse with other civil, criminal and Divisional Court work, and with the enforcement office. Court offices are open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but the counter serves the public only from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. You can also file online. The limit is $50,000, in force since October 1, 2025. Our full guide, what to expect at Hamilton Small Claims Court, covers contacts, hearing methods and enforcement.

Provincial Offences Court at 50 Main Street East

The City of Hamilton runs the local provincial offences court. Its office and courtrooms moved to 50 Main Street East on August 27, 2018. Payments, early resolution requests and most forms go to Room 110, disclosure requests go to the Municipal Prosecutor's Office, and the City posts a Zoom link for each courtroom. The province lists Hamilton's ICON location code as 4760, which you need, with the offence number, to look up a ticket online. Read how tickets and trials work at Hamilton's Provincial Offences Court for each step. Before you talk to the prosecutor, read what happens at an early resolution meeting.

Camera tickets and parking penalties

Red light camera tickets are provincial offences mailed to the plate holder and handled by the same court; the City lists the total at $325. Hamilton's speed cameras have not been used since November 14, 2025, when the province repealed the automated speed enforcement part of the Highway Traffic Act, though earlier tickets still must be paid. Parking tickets are different again: City Penalty Notices with 15 days to pay or request a screening review, and a hearing officer whose decision is final. Our page on red light camera and parking tickets in Hamilton explains each system.

The Landlord and Tenant Board and the City's rental by-laws

The LTB is a provincial tribunal; it decides Hamilton cases mainly by Zoom or phone and does not accept in-person filing at its offices. The City enforces its own by-laws alongside it: the Safe Apartment Buildings By-law 24-054 (in effect January 1, 2026), the Vital Services By-law 23-161, the Heat By-law 04-091 (20 degrees Celsius from September 15 to May 15), the Property Standards By-law 23-162, and Rental Housing Licensing in Wards 1, 8 and parts of Ward 14. See how an LTB case works for a Hamilton rental. For the timeline from notice to Sheriff, read how long an eviction takes in Ontario.

Renovation evictions have a Hamilton rule of their own. Under the Renovation Licence and Relocation By-law 24-055, in effect since January 1, 2025, a landlord who serves an N13 for renovations must apply for a $715 licence within 7 days and house or compensate tenants who plan to return. Our page on Hamilton's renovation licence by-law covers the details.

What changes the answer?

The amount. Claims over $50,000 belong in the Superior Court unless you give up the excess (Courts of Justice Act, s. 23), and Superior Court actions are outside paralegal scope.
The relationship. If the dispute arises from a residential tenancy, the LTB is usually the forum, even for money. A landlord can claim against a former tenant at the LTB with an L10 within one year after the tenant moved out.
How the charge started. A ticket (Part I) gives you options to pay, meet the prosecutor or ask for a trial; a summons requires you, or someone on your behalf, to attend court.
Whether it is a City penalty. Parking and many by-law penalties go through the City's Administrative Penalty System, with screening and hearing officers instead of a justice of the peace.
Appeals. Small Claims appeals over $5,000 and LTB appeals on questions of law go to the Divisional Court, which needs a lawyer. Ticket appeals go to the Ontario Court of Justice within 30 days (Provincial Offences Act, s. 135).

A worked example

For example, imagine a Hamilton resident named Daniel who has three problems in one month. A deck builder took a $6,000 deposit and never started. He got a speeding ticket on the Linc. And his landlord has left the heat off since late September.

The deck builder claim is a money claim under $50,000 against a Hamilton business, so it belongs in Small Claims Court at 45 Main Street East, filed at the counter or online. The ticket goes to the City's Provincial Offences Court at 50 Main Street East: within 15 days, Daniel can pay, ask for an early resolution meeting by audio, video or in person, or ask for a trial. The heat problem has two tracks: a complaint to the City under the Heat By-law, which sets 20 degrees from September 15, and a T2 application at the LTB, heard by video. This example is hypothetical and shows only where each problem goes.

What mistakes do people make in Hamilton?

Mixing up numbers 45 and 50 Main Street East. Small Claims is at 45; tickets are at 50.
Taking a tenancy money dispute to Small Claims. Many belong at the LTB instead, which has its own forms and deadlines.
Treating a parking ticket like a traffic ticket. Parking penalties are reviewed by City officers, and Paytickets.ca is not for parking.
Visiting the LTB office to file. It accepts mail, but not in-person filing.
Relying on a City complaint alone. A by-law order can fix a problem, but money remedies under the Residential Tenancies Act need an LTB application.
Missing a 15-day window. Several Hamilton processes use it, and each counts from a different date.

What to do this week

Identify the document you received, or the kind of claim you want to make.
Match it to a forum using the table above.
Write down the deadline and the date it counts from.
Save the contact number for that forum.
Check whether a City by-law also applies, and if so, write to the other side first and keep a copy.
Gather your documents, photos and messages in one place.
Read the detailed Hamilton guide for your forum, linked above.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hamilton Small Claims Court in the same building as traffic court?

No. Small Claims Court is in the John Sopinka Courthouse at 45 Main Street East. The City's provincial offences court is across the street at 50 Main Street East.

Does Hamilton have its own Landlord and Tenant Board?

No. The LTB is a provincial tribunal. It lists a Hamilton–South office at 119 King Street West for mailed documents, and most hearings are held virtually.

Where do I dispute a Hamilton parking ticket?

With the City, not the courts. Request a screening review by email or at 905-540-6000 within 15 days; you then have 15 days after the screening to book a hearing officer.

What is location code 4760?

It is the ICON location code the province lists for Hamilton's provincial offences court at 50 Main Street East. The province's online ticket search asks for the location code and offence number printed on your ticket.

Which Hamilton matters can a licensed paralegal handle?

Under the Law Society's By-Law 4, licensed paralegals may act in Small Claims Court, in provincial offences matters in the Ontario Court of Justice, and before tribunals such as the LTB. Divisional Court appeals and Superior Court actions need a lawyer.

Can I get a disability accommodation or French-language service?

Yes, in each forum, but ask early. The province lists an accessibility coordinator for the John Sopinka Courthouse (905-645-5301) and says French-language services are available there at the counter and by phone. The City asks provincial offences defendants to contact its office before the appearance date, and the LTB uses an Accommodation Request form, which is also the route to an in-person hearing.

Can I handle my Hamilton case without going downtown?

Often, yes. Small Claims documents can be filed online, settlement conferences are remote by default, ticket requests can be emailed, and LTB hearings are mostly virtual. Small Claims trials are still in person by default.

For a broader explanation of what paralegals do in these forums, see our article on the role of paralegals in Ontario's legal system.

Sources

Have a question about a Small Claims, Landlord and Tenant Board or provincial offences matter in Hamilton? Contact us today for a consultation.

Request a Consultation (437) 431-1217

This page gives general information about Ontario law, not legal advice for your situation. Cheddar Paralegal PC is a paralegal firm licensed by the Law Society of Ontario; licensed paralegals can help only with matters the Law Society allows paralegals to handle.