Rules of Court · Part 6 · New Jersey
R. 6:2-1 New Jersey Rules of Court, R. 6:2-1: Form of Summons, rendered as code with every cross-reference linked
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.
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.
Verbatim rule text, unmarked. Nothing here is a summary.
rule 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.
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.
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referenced_by: 6:1-1, 6:11, 6:5-2
source: njcourts.gov // verbatim; changed 2025-09-16; corpus harvested 2026-09-02R. 6:2-2 → · chapter 6:2 · all rules
The Rules of Court are a government edict and carry no copyright; the text above is the Judiciary’s own publication, unchanged. Structure, links and highlighting are ours and carry no legal weight. Read the rule on njcourts.gov before you rely on it; amendments take effect each September 1.