New Jersey eviction process and court timeline

At a glance

Court

Landlord Tenant Section, Special Civil Part. The Landlord Tenant Section of the Superior Court's Special Civil Part, in the county where the rental is.

"in the Landlord Tenant section of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Special Civil Part."

Source 1

Filing fee

$50 for one tenant, $5 for each additional defendant, plus mileage; a warrant of removal is $35 more.

"$50 for one defendant/tenant."

Source 2

Time to answer or appear

The tenant defends by coming to court on the trial date; a written statement can't be submitted instead.

"As the tenant, you must attend court to defend against the landlord's claims against you."

Source 1

Judgment to writ

Three business days after the judgment for possession, the landlord may ask the court for the warrant of removal.

"Three business days after the judgment for possession is entered, the landlord may ask the court"

Source 2

Writ to lockout

After a Special Civil Part Officer serves the warrant, the tenant has three business days (not counting weekends or legal holidays) to leave.

"within three business days after receiving this warrant."

Source 3

Who carries out the lockout

Special Civil Part Officer. Only a Special Civil Part Officer, not the landlord, serves and executes the warrant of removal.

"Only a Special Civil Part Officer can execute this warrant."

Source 3

Paying to stop the case

In a nonpayment case, paying everything owed by the close of business on the trial day stops the eviction; after a lockout, paying all rent due plus proper costs within three business days can restore the tenancy.

"you cannot be evicted if you pay all the money that you owe by the close of business on the day of the trial."

Source 1

Right to counsel (statewide)

No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here. Local: Newark (2018) and Jersey City (2023) have their own right-to-counsel laws.

"An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:"

Source 6, National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source)

Diversion or mediation (statewide)

Yes. Statewide court settlement step: before trial, trained neutral court staff help both sides try to settle. Neither side has to settle and both keep the right to a trial before a judge (Directive #15-23, in effect since September 1, 2023, which ended the mandatory case management conferences).

"Trained neutral court staff will help both sides try to settle their case."

Source 5

Sample timeline: filed Monday, December 7, 2026

Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.

Need the other side served? Process serving with an affidavit of service.

• Answer or appear: no date (Due at the hearing, and the official pages don't give a period for the hearing)
• Hearing or trial: no date (The official pages don't give a period for setting the hearing)
• Judgment: no date (Follows the hearing, which isn't dated here)
• Writ or warrant of possession: no date (3 court days after the judgment, which isn't dated here)
• Earliest lockout: no date (3 court days after the writ, which isn't dated here)

Another date: open the estimator.

Help the official pages point to

• In a nonpayment case, paying everything owed by the close of business on the trial day stops the eviction; after a lockout, paying all rent due plus proper costs within three business days can restore the tenancy.
• Statewide court settlement step: before trial, trained neutral court staff help both sides try to settle. Neither side has to settle and both keep the right to a trial before a judge (Directive #15-23, in effect since September 1, 2023, which ended the mandatory case management conferences).
• Legal Services of New Jersey or the Legal Services Program in the county (source 1)

Worth knowing

The trial is scheduled at least 14 days after a case management conference; the pages don't say how soon that conference follows filing, so no hearing range is used. A court-approved settlor can help both sides reach an agreement. Business days skip weekends and legal holidays; New Jersey's own holidays can add a day.

Not stated on the pages we read: hearing after filing.

Sources

1. New Jersey Courts: Information for Residential Tenants (CN 10288, rev. 06/2024) (checked November 2026)
2. New Jersey Courts: Landlord Tenant Frequently Asked Questions (CN 11483) (checked November 2026)
3. New Jersey Courts: Appendix XI-G(1) Residential Warrant of Removal (CN 12816) (checked November 2026)
4. New Jersey Courts: Court Filing Fees (CN 11112) (checked November 2026)
5. New Jersey Courts: Directive #15-23, Landlord Tenant Court Forms and Procedures as of September 1, 2023 (checked November 2026)
6. National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026) (checked November 2026)

Sourced from official pages; a few facts from vetted secondary sources, marked "(secondary source)".

General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Not a court form. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.

Common questions

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