New Jersey Small Claims Courts

Small Claims Courts in New Jersey

Small Claims Desk currently supports 3 courts in New Jersey. Tap a pin or a court below for its filing details, fees, and forms.

• Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen Vicinage, Special Civil Part — Bergen County
  Bergen County Justice Center, 10 Main Street, Suite/Room 427, Hackensack, NJ 07601
• Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex Vicinage, Special Civil Part — Essex County
  Essex County Hall of Records, 465 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Suite/Room 241, Newark, NJ 07102
• Superior Court of New Jersey, Middlesex Vicinage, Special Civil Part (Landlord Tenant/Small Claims) — Middlesex County
  Middlesex County Courthouse, 56 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903

Which court is the right one

Venue — which court may hear your case — normally turns on:

• Where the defendant lives, or where a business defendant has its place of business
• Where the events giving rise to the claim happened
• Where a contract was to be performed, in a contract dispute

Filing in the wrong court gets the case transferred or dismissed, and either way costs you the time. If two courts would both be proper, either is a valid choice.

We cannot advise which venue to choose. Each county page below sets out that court’s own rule where it publishes one.

Claim limit

$5,000

Court

Special Civil Part

File online

Yes (statewide)

Appeal window

45 days

What each county page tells you

Picking your county below gives you that court’s own facts rather than a state generalisation:

• The filing address, the counter hours, and the phone number for the clerk.
• That court’s filing fee — which steps with the size of the claim in most counties — and what it charges for service.
• The forms that court requires, under the names it actually uses for them.
• Which filing methods it accepts: counter, post, or an electronic portal.
• Whether it sets your first court date when you file, or after the defendant is served.

Those facts are verified per court and re-checked quarterly, because a fee schedule or an address that is a year out of date sends somebody to the wrong building with the wrong money.

Where a county is not listed, we have not verified that court to the standard we hold ourselves to, and we would rather say so than guess.

Common questions

Where do I file a small claims case in New Jersey?

In the special civil part for the county where the defendant lives or where the dispute happened. Pick your county above for that court's address and hours.

Can I file in the county where I live?

Only if it is also proper venue — usually meaning the defendant is there or the dispute happened there. Convenience to you is not by itself a basis.

How many New Jersey courts does Small Claims Desk cover?

3. Each has its own page with the address, hours, filing methods, fee schedule and forms that court requires.

What if my county is not listed?

The New Jersey rules on this site still apply and are free to use. We add counties as their court records are verified to the standard we hold ourselves to.