Except as otherwise provided by rule or court order, if one year after commencement of a foreclosure action the matter remains pending, the Clerk of the Superior Court may require that the plaintiff file a certification setting forth the status of the pending matter and the anticipated date of disposition. The Clerk of the Superior Court may issue an administrative order requiring plaintiff to file that certification, with the plaintiff having fifteen days to respond by filing the status certification. Where the plaintiff fails to comply with such administrative order by not filing the status certification, the Clerk of the Superior Court shall administratively transfer the uncontested matter to the General Equity judge for case management as a contested matter.
Rule 4:64-8A.Administrative Conversion of Uncontested Case into a Contested Matter
Last amended May 1, 2019 · Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 7, 2026
In one sentenceRule 4:64-8A lets the Clerk of the Superior Court require a status certification from the plaintiff in a foreclosure matter still pending a year after it began, and administratively converts the case to a contested matter before a General Equity judge if the plaintiff doesn't comply.
Full Text of Rule 4:64-8A
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 April 30, 2019 to be effective May 1, 2019.
Plain-English Summary
A foreclosure that's dragged on a year without resolution can trigger its own check-in. The Clerk of the Superior Court may issue an administrative order requiring the plaintiff to certify the case's status and its anticipated disposition date, giving the plaintiff 15 days to respond.
Ignoring that order has a real consequence: the Clerk administratively transfers the uncontested matter to a General Equity judge, treating it from that point as a contested case for case management.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a plaintiff ignores an order to certify the status of a stalled foreclosure case?
The Clerk of the Superior Court administratively transfers the matter to a General Equity judge as a contested case.
Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the
official New Jersey Rules of Court (N.J. Ct. R. 4:64-8A). 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: foreclosure status certification