squabbleapp.com is now squabble.ai. Your account and any active cases are unchanged.
The small-claims court in Union County handles money disputes up to $5,000, with simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
Here you will find the claim limit that applies in Union County, what filing costs, where the case is heard, how the defendant is served, the deadlines, and the order of steps. Squabble can take the preparation and filing off your hands.
One courthouse takes small claims for Union County, shown below. The court checks the location against the defendant's address and the place of the dispute.
Tap a courthouse to see its details in the list below.
Confirm the courthouse before you file. The court's own small-claims page carries its current filing location and hours, and Squabble confirms the courthouse for your case when you file.
Union County covers 30 ZIP codes, including the Berkeley Heights, Clark and Cranford areas. About 594,160 people live in Union County.
You can open a small claims case here online, without travelling to the courthouse to hand the papers in.
A remote appearance is possible for some hearings here; courts differ on which cases qualify.
Have copies of your evidence for the bench and for the other party. Some courts take documents electronically before the hearing as well.
Residents of Union County, New Jersey, which has a population of 594,160, can file small claims cases through the New Jersey Small Claims Court, where the claim limit is $5000. Cases are handled at the Union County Courthouse - Special Civil Part, located at 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth, 07207. The courthouse is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and is closed Saturday and Sunday. Court staff can be reached at (908) 787-1650, and information is posted at https://njcourts.gov/. Electronic filing is available. The county covers communities including Berkeley Heights, Clark, Cranford, Elizabeth, Fanwood, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden, Mountainside, New Providence, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Union, and Westfield, along with ZIP codes such as 07016, 07036, 07065, 07083, 07090, and 07202. Union County lies near Essex County, Hudson County, and Somerset County. The Special Civil Part accepts and processes small claims filings for this county.
A case filed here usually comes from one of these 22 communities:
Berkeley Heights, Clark, Cranford, Elizabeth, Elizabethport, Fanwood, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden, Mountainside, New Providence, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Union, Vauxhall, Westfield.
Union County is the 7th most populous of New Jersey's 21 counties, with about 594,160 residents. From Elizabeth, Union County Courthouse - Special Civil Part is roughly 3 miles from the Essex County courthouse in Newark and 5 miles from the Hudson County courthouse in Jersey City.
Counties nearest to this one:
Everyday disputes over money belong in the small claims division, where the rules are simplified, and the sum in question has an upper bound.
Maximum claim
Where the dispute arose does not set venue in this state; where they live does.
You can't divide one dispute into several smaller cases to get around the limit.
Judgments take the form of money owed; other kinds of relief are heard elsewhere.
An attorney may appear at the hearing in New Jersey, though nobody has to have one. The process assumes you will speak for yourself.
Under-18s are represented by a guardian the court appoints.
Over the limit? Either bring the figure down to the maximum and remain in small claims, or file the whole amount in the regular civil court. The amount given up is usually gone for good.
These are the limits for Union County, population about 594,160. Union County Courthouse - Special Civil Part is the courthouse listed for Union County.
Debts up to $5,000 belong in this court. These are the arguments people bring most frequently.
Union County Courthouse - Special Civil Part is the Union County courthouse listed below. Union County takes in Berkeley Heights, Clark and Cranford and the rest of the county.
It's built to be navigable without a lawyer. Here's the shape of a case from start to finish.
Set out the claim on the court's form, identify the correct courthouse, and pay the fee.
The other side is formally served and has the chance to respond, or to settle before the hearing.
The hearing is informal and quick, sometimes by video, and the judge decides on the spot or sends the outcome later.
Union County Courthouse - Special Civil Part lists (908) 787-1650 as its number. Everything below applies to a case filed in Union County, at the Elizabeth courthouse.
Once the case is on file, the law requires the other side to be told about it formally. That step is service of process, and the papers cannot normally come from your own hand. The usual route in New Jersey is delivery arranged by the court, email service where the court allows it, certified mail or the sheriff or constable.
The options usually include a sheriff or constable, a licensed process server, certified mail sent by the clerk, or any adult with no stake in the case. What is allowed, and what it costs, differs from county to county.
There is a deadline, counted backwards from the hearing, by which the defendant must have the papers. Ask the clerk for it when the date is assigned.
Service is proved on paper. The server completes and signs a form, and it is filed before the matter is heard.
Service is where many self-filed cases stall. Squabble can coordinate professional Service of Process so it's done correctly and on time.
Essex County and Hudson County are the counties nearest to Union County. An Union County address carries one of its 30 ZIP codes, 07016, 07023 and 07027 among them.
Every claim carries a filing window that opens when the dispute happens. Once it closes, the court can turn the case away.
| Kind of claim | Filing deadline |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 6 years |
| Oral contract | 6 years |
| Property damage | 6 years |
| Personal injury | 2 years |
The same periods apply in Union County as in nearby Essex County and Hudson County, which are in the same state. They do not change from one Union County ZIP code to another, 07016 included.
In New Jersey, prejudgment interest follows a statutory formula rather than a fixed rate (N.J. Ct. R. 4:42-11).
Interest can be calculated before filing using the Squabble interest calculator.
Union County is under the same state rate as nearby Essex County and Hudson County. It is the same rate across all 30 Union County ZIP codes.
Make sure the claim is under the maximum and that the limitation period has not expired.
Get the defendant's legal name right, set out the events, and break down how the figure is reached.
File with the Union County small-claims court, or e-file, and pay the $42–$82 fee (or request a waiver if you qualify).
Once the court fixes a date, have the papers served and return the proof of service to the file.
Organize documents and exhibits so you can present them clearly at the hearing.
Come to the hearing in person or remotely where permitted, present the facts, and get the ruling.
Describe the dispute to Eleanor. Squabble drafts the paperwork, puts it through a Triple-Check™ for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and lodges it with the court.
Start for FREE →Three documents recur: the claim form that begins it, the proof of service confirming delivery, and a fee waiver if eligible. Names vary locally; Squabble selects the correct versions.
Union County has a population of about 594,160. Union County takes in filings from 30 ZIP codes, 07016 first in the list.
Expect a short, informal hearing in which the judge asks the questions. Most people present their own case.
Hearings in Union County cases are listed at Union County Courthouse - Special Civil Part in Elizabeth. Union County has about 594,160 residents.
A judgment is the court's decision. Collecting it is a separate step, with court-backed tools if the other side doesn't pay. Which tools are available depends on state law.
Where state law allows it, a portion of the debtor's earnings can be redirected to pay what the court ordered.
With a bank levy, the court reaches funds held in the debtor's account directly.
Recording the judgment with the county can place a lien on the debtor's real property.
You can also ask the court to order the debtor to appear and disclose income and assets under oath. An unpaid judgment generally keeps accruing interest at the rate state law sets until it's satisfied.
Essex County and Hudson County are the counties nearest to Union County. Berkeley Heights, Clark and Cranford are among the Union County places a judgment debtor may live in.
Checked August 2026. Because courts revise fees, limits and procedures, confirm the current position before filing.
Talk with Eleanor about what happened. Squabble prepares your demand letter and court-ready documents, Triple-Checks them for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and files your Union County case for you.
