(a) Notice of Track Assignment. Within ten days after the filing of the complaint, the court shall mail a notice of track assignment to the plaintiff. The plaintiff shall annex a copy of the notice to process served on each defendant.
Rule 4:5A-2.Notice of track assignment; change of assignment
Last amended September 3, 2002 · Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 7, 2026
In one sentenceRule 4:5A-2 sets the mechanics of track assignment — mailing notice to the plaintiff within ten days of filing — and the narrow, time-limited grounds and procedure for changing a track assignment.
Full Text of Rule 4:5A-2
(b) Change of Track Assignment. Within 30 days after receipt of the track assignment notice, plaintiff may apply to the court for a change of track assignment by filing a certification of good cause. Any party other than the plaintiff seeking a change of track assignment shall file and serve a certification of good cause with its first pleading and any objection thereto shall be made by responding certification filed and served within ten days. Any party aggrieved by the court’s determination on such application may seek relief therefrom by motion filed and served within 15 days thereafter. After the expiration of the time periods herein prescribed, a track assignment may be changed by the court on its own motion or motion of a party only if the fundamental cause or causes of action have changed or if the case type or track was erroneously identified on a party’s Case Information Statement or erroneously entered into the automated docket. A track assignment shall not, however, be changed, during or after the time periods herein prescribed, either because of the alleged complexity of the case or on a representation by a party that additional discovery is required. In such event, relief may be sought pursuant to R. 4:24-1.
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.
Adopted July 5, 2000 to be effective September 5, 2000; caption to paragraph (a), caption to paragraph (b), and text of paragraph (b); amended July 12, 2002 to be effective September 3, 2002.
Plain-English Summary
Once a case is assigned to a track, the parties have to learn of it and get a limited window to object. The court mails a notice of track assignment to the plaintiff within ten days of filing, and the plaintiff annexes a copy to the process served on each defendant. A plaintiff who wants a different track applies within 30 days by certifying good cause; another party seeks a change by certification with its first pleading, with a short period to respond.
After those periods close, changing a track gets hard. The court may change an assignment on its own or a party’s motion only if the fundamental cause of action has changed or the case type or track was entered in error. A track will not be changed merely because a party calls the case complex or says it needs more discovery; the remedy for a discovery shortfall is an extension under Rule 4:24-1.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a party notified of the track assignment?
The court mails a notice of track assignment to the plaintiff within ten days after the complaint is filed, and the plaintiff attaches a copy to the process served on each defendant.
Can a track assignment be changed later?
Within set early windows a party may seek a change for good cause. After those periods, a change requires that the fundamental cause of action has changed or that the track was assigned in error — not merely a claim that the case is complex or needs more discovery.
Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the
official New Jersey Rules of Court (N.J. Ct. R. 4:5A-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: notice of track assignmentchange of tracktrack reassignmentgood cause certification