Court filing · Special Civil Part
Filing in the Special Civil Part, Small Claims and Landlord Tenant
The Special Civil Part hears claims up to $20,000, with a Small Claims section up to $5,000 and a Landlord Tenant section, and self-represented parties can file by mail, in person or through JEDS. The court itself mails small claims and eviction papers to the other side, so in those sections you usually need a filing run, not a process server.
The Special Civil Part (including Small Claims and Landlord Tenant) is the Law Division's part for claims up to $20,000, with its Small Claims section (up to $5,000, including security deposits) and the Landlord Tenant section.
Filing fees from the court's own guides: Small Claims is $35 for one defendant, $5 for each additional defendant and $7 per defendant for service by certified and regular mail (CN 11482). A landlord-tenant complaint is $50 for one tenant plus $5 for each additional tenant, with a court service fee on top (CN 13377). A Special Civil Part motion in a regular civil case is $25 (CN 11112); Small Claims motions carry no fee.
Where: the Special Civil Part office in the county where a defendant lives or does business; security deposit cases can also go where the rental is. In Landlord Tenant, a landlord that is a corporation, LLC or limited partnership must be represented by a New Jersey attorney, and attorneys file through eCourts (CN 11483).
What we do here
- Walk a self-represented party's completed complaint, answer or motion to the right county office, pay the fee at cost and scan back the stamped copy
- Deliver notices to cease and notices to quit before a landlord files (see landlord filings)
- Pull copies of a judgment or docket from the file
What we don't do: fill out the complaint, choose the claim amount or the eviction ground, or serve papers the court serves itself. The small claims page has the section's limits and exclusions.
Other courts: Law Division · General Equity · Family Division · Tax Court · all court types
If you represent yourself, you are responsible for your documents: what they say, that they are complete and signed, which court they go to and that they are filed on time. We are not lawyers, we do not give legal advice or draft pleadings, and we cannot guarantee any legal outcome. We file, serve or pull exactly what you send.
Sources
Before you send
- Send the final, signed PDF. Some clerks want an ink signature on paper filings, so the desk checks before the run.
- We print two sets: one to file and one for the clerk to stamp "filed" and hand back.
- Court fees are paid at the window to "Treasurer, State of New Jersey" and billed to you at cost.
- A motion is generally filed and served at least 16 days before the hearing date it asks for.
- You get a scan of the stamped copy the same day it's filed.
- Serving the other parties is a separate job unless you add it.
- We file the papers you send. We don't review them for legal content or give legal advice.
- If you are representing yourself, you are responsible for the content and accuracy of the documents you give us to file, and any mistakes in them are yours to correct. MCC Solutions does not guarantee any legal outcome.
Prefer to talk?
Call the desk and we'll take the request by phone.
Questions
Can you file my Special Civil Part papers today?
If you're representing yourself and the final papers reach us by 10 AM ET on a court business day, same-day filing is available; otherwise it goes in the next business day. The price is quoted before you pay, from $175, and court fees are added at cost.
Do attorneys have to e-file in the Special Civil Part?
In landlord-tenant cases the judiciary's FAQ says attorneys have to use eCourts. Check the docket type for other Special Civil Part cases.
Will you tell me what to file or check my forms?
No. We aren't lawyers. The judiciary's self-help pages and the county ombudsman can explain the court's forms; an attorney can advise you on your case.