(a) Where Laid. Venue shall be laid by the plaintiff in Superior Court actions as follows: (1) actions affecting title to real property or a possessory or other interest therein, or for damages thereto, or appeals from assessments for improvements, in the county in which any affected property is situate; (2) actions not affecting real property which are brought by or against municipal corporations, counties, public agencies or officials, in the county in which the cause of action arose; (3) except as otherwise provided by R. 4:44A-1 (structured settlements), R. 4:53-2 (receivership actions), R. 4:60-2 (attachments), R. 5:2-1 (family actions), R. 4:83-4 (probate actions), and R. 6:1-3 (Special Civil Part actions), the venue in all other actions in the Superior Court shall be laid in the county in which the cause of action arose, or in which any party to the action resides at the time of its commencement, or in which the summons was served on a nonresident defendant; and (4) actions on and objections to certificates of debt for motor vehicle surcharges that have been docketed as judgments by the Superior Court Clerk pursuant to N.J.S.A. 17:29A-35 shall be brought in the county of residence of the judgment debtor.
Rule 4:3-2.Venue in the Superior Court
Last amended September 1, 2016 · Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 7, 2026
In one sentenceRule 4:3-2 fixes venue in Superior Court cases — where a case is properly laid by county — with separate rules for real-property actions, suits against public bodies, and everything else, plus a special rule for where a business entity resides.
Full Text of Rule 4:3-2
(b) Business Entity. For purposes of this rule, a business entity shall be deemed to reside in the county in which its registered office is located or in any county in which it is actually doing business.
(c) Exceptions in Multicounty Vicinages. With the approval of the Chief Justice, the assignment judge of any multicounty vicinage may order that in lieu of laying venue in the county of the vicinage as provided by these rules, venue in any designated category of cases shall be laid in any single county within the vicinage.
Amendment History
New Jersey publishes each rule’s amendment record in a “History” note beneath the rule. It is reproduced verbatim below; the “R.R.” citations refer to the former Revised Rules numbering the current rules replaced.
Source-R.R. 4:3-2. Paragraph (a) amended December 20, 1983 to be effective December 31, 1983. Paragraph (c) adopted January 9, 1984 to be effective immediately; paragraph (a); amended November 7, 1988 to be effective January 2, 1989; paragraph (a); amended June 29, 1990 to be effective September 4, 1990; paragraph (a); amended June 28, 1996 to be effective September 1, 1996; paragraph (a); amended July 28, 2004 to be effective September 1, 2004; paragraph (b) caption and text; amended August 1, 2016 to be effective September 1, 2016.
Plain-English Summary
Venue is about the county, not the court. This rule tells the plaintiff where to lay venue. Actions affecting real property go in the county where the property sits. Suits against municipalities, counties, and public agencies go in the county where the claim arose. For most other actions, venue lies in the county where the cause of action arose, where a party resides, or where a nonresident defendant was served.
Paragraph (b) explains where a business entity “resides” for venue — the county of its registered office or any county where it in fact does business. Paragraph (c) lets the assignment judge of a multicounty vicinage, with the Chief Justice’s approval, concentrate a category of cases in a single county. Venue is about convenience and order, and a misplaced venue is corrected under Rule 4:3-3 rather than by dismissal.
Frequently Asked Questions
In which county should I file a New Jersey Superior Court case?
It depends on the claim. Real-property actions belong in the county where the property is located; suits against public bodies belong where the claim arose; most other actions may be laid where the claim arose, where a party resides, or where a nonresident defendant was served.
Where does a corporation or LLC reside for venue?
In the county of its registered office, or in any county where it in fact conducts business. Either is a proper place to lay venue against a business entity.
Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the
official New Jersey Rules of Court (N.J. Ct. R. 4:3-2). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of New Jersey (N.J. Const. art. VI, § 2, ¶ 3). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 7, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: venuewhich countywhere to filebusiness entity residenceproper venue Superior Court