NJ · rules
N.J. Ct. R. 6:2-1
Form of Summons
The form of the summons shall conform with the requirements of R. 4:4-2 and shall be in the form set forth in Appendix XI-A(1) to these Rules or, for small claims, in the form set forth in Appendix XI-A(2) or, for tenancy actions, in the form set forth in Appendix XI-B. However in landlord and tenant actions for the recovery of premises, summary ejectment and unlawful entry and detainer actions, and actions in the Small Claims Section, in lieu of directing the defendant to file an answer, the summons or signed order to show cause used as original process, shall require the defendant to appear and state a defense at a certain time and place, to be therein specified, which time shall be not less than 21 days in summary dispossess actions and not less than 5 business days, nor more than 30 days from the date of service of the summons in small claims actions, and shall notify the defendant that upon failure to do so, judgment by default may be rendered for the relief demanded in the complaint.
History
Note: Source -- R.R. 7:4-1(a) (b), 7:17B2. Amended July 16, 1979 to be effective September 10, 1979; amended July 15, 1982 to be effective September 13, 1982; amended November 7, 1988 to be effective January 2, 1989; amended July 10, 1998 to be effective September 1, 1998; amended July 5, 2000 to be effective September 5, 2000; amended July 12, 2002 to be effective September 3, 2002; amended August 1, 2016, to be effective September 1, 2016; amended July 31, 2025 to be effective September 1, 2025.
Provenance
- Source
- njcourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-15
- Edition
- 2026-09-14
- Content hash
b8f6f7c8b836ff8eabfcacdcd5ae48f2b6830e9241a23486dc4e71c747e44ab0
The link goes to the issuing authority’s own document — the one we read to produce this record. Where a source publishes whole titles rather than sections, your browser may need a moment to jump to the provision.
Unofficial copy of government-published law, reproduced from official sources with full provenance. Not an official publication; verify against official sources before relying on it in a filing. Records in the 'guidance' corpus, and only that corpus, are sub-regulatory (interpretive guidelines, survey procedures) and are not binding law. Validity bounds follow each jurisdiction's declared temporalBasis.