This week, Utah's small claim courts will be deciding disputes involving higher dollar amounts than in the past.

As of Monday, cases involving disputes up to $ 7,500 can be taken to small claims court. That makes Utah, which previously had a $ 5,000 jurisdictional limit, one of 10 states that have limits of $ 7,500 or more.

At the Matheson courthouse, higher dollar amount cases are starting to trickle in. Small claims clerk Phyllis Hanson says three cases have been filed above the old limit: a dispute over blacktop services, one over a real estate appraisal and one over a promissory note.

"They are slowly starting to come in as people learn about it," she said.

The national legal reform group known as HALT this week ranked Utah fourth in the nation on its Small Claims Report Card. Utah was given a "B" grade, while Georgia was top-ranked. The nonprofit group graded states in areas including dollar limit, self-help, convenience and mediation. No state received an "A."

While higher dollar amounts already are in place, the Utah Supreme Court has yet to pass a rule change that would allow nonlawyers to represent others in small claims court as long as they are not paid.

The high court is also considering a request by the Utah State Bar that would allow consumers filing cases in Utah's district courts to hire lawyers to handle only some of the work on their cases -- such as preparing a motion to be filed -- while taking care of the rest themselves.

Both proposed rule changes are listed on a new Web site where members of the public can review and make comments on them. The address is http://www.utcourts.gov/resources/rules/. The deadline for comment on these rules is June 1.