If real estate is to be sold at public sale, the sheriff, receiver or other person shall publish with the notice of the sale the actual description, or a diagram of the premises or a concise statement indicating the municipality in which, and the street or road on which the premises are located, and specifying the tax lot and block, the number of feet to the nearest cross street, the dimensions of the premises, and the street number, if any. If the notice does not contain the full legal description, it shall state that the diagram or concise statement does not constitute a full description and shall also state where the full legal description can be found. An immaterial error in the diagram or statement shall not constitute ground for relieving the purchaser and ordering a new sale.
Rule 4:65-3.Advertisement of diagram or statement in lieu
Last amended September 4, 1990 · Current through June 18, 2026 · Last verified July 7, 2026
In one sentenceRule 4:65-3 lets a real estate sale notice use a diagram or concise description of the property instead of the full legal description, so long as it says where the complete description can be found, and treats an immaterial error in that description as no ground for undoing the sale.
Full Text of Rule 4:65-3
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. 4:83-3; amended June 29, 1990 to be effective September 4, 1990.
Plain-English Summary
Advertising a real estate sale doesn't require reprinting the full legal description every time. The notice can instead use a diagram or a concise statement — the municipality and street, the tax lot and block, the distance to the nearest cross street, the property's dimensions, and its street number — as long as it says the shorthand isn't the complete description and points to where that description can be found.
And a small mistake in that diagram or statement doesn't undo the sale — an immaterial error isn't grounds for relieving the purchaser or ordering a new sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a real estate sale notice need to include the full legal description of the property?
No. A diagram or concise statement of key details may be used instead, so long as the notice says where the full legal description can be found.
Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the
official New Jersey Rules of Court (N.J. Ct. R. 4:65-3). 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: property description in sale notice