Foreclosure help, county by county
Every New Jersey foreclosure is filed with one statewide office, but the court that hears a contested case, the office that records the lis pendens and the sheriff who sells the home are all local. Pick your county to see where each step happens and what free help exists there. All 21 counties are covered.
15 court vicinages
21 counties
Read from the Judiciary’s and counties’ own pages
Why the county matters
Same law everywhere.
Different courthouse, different sheriff.
The statutes and court rules are statewide. The vicinage whose judge hears a contested case, the county office that records the lis pendens, and the sheriff who runs the sale, on that sheriff's own day and in that sheriff's own room, are county-level.
That is why a county page exists: not to say the law is different in Bergen than in Cape May, because it is not, but to tell you which courthouse, which office, which sale day and which free counseling agencies are actually yours.
Whichever county you are in, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency funds free foreclosure counseling (609-278-7508), and Legal Services of New Jersey runs a free legal hotline for homeowners whose income qualifies (1-888-576-5529).
Not sure which county
It is the county the property is in, not where you live now or where the lender is. The complaint names the county, and so does the notice of lis pendens.
Find your county
All 21 counties, by area.
At a glance
Every county's vicinage, courthouse and sheriff's sale.
Read from the Judiciary's vicinage pages and each sheriff's published sale information; the county page carries the sources and the date.
| County | Vicinage | Courthouse city | Sheriff's sales | Counseling agencies in county |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bergen County | Bergen | Hackensack | Conference room, 2 Bergen County Plaza | 2 |
| Essex County | Essex | Newark | Room 216-I, Essex County Sheriff’s Office; every Tuesday (except legal holidays) at 1:30 p.m | 6 |
| Hudson County | Hudson | Jersey City | Room 201B, Hudson County Administration Building; thursdays, twice a month, at 2:00 p.m | 1 |
| Union County | Union | Elizabeth | Warinanco Sports Center (ice skating center), 1 Park Drive; every other Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. since 2026-05-06 | 2 |
| Passaic County | Passaic | Paterson | Passaic County Courthouse, Hamilton Street; tuesdays at 2:00 p.m | 1 |
| Morris County | Morris/Sussex | Morristown | County Commissioners’ Public Meeting Room, 5th floor; 2:00 p.m. on scheduled sale days | 1 |
| Sussex County | Morris/Sussex | Newton | Historic Sussex County Courthouse, 3 High Street; first Wednesday of the month (excluding holidays) at 2:00 p.m | None located; NJHMFA’s network serves it |
| Warren County | Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren | Belvidere | Warren County Courthouse Annex, 199 Hardwick Street; 2:00 p.m. on scheduled sale days | None located; NJHMFA’s network serves it |
| Middlesex County | Middlesex | New Brunswick | The Heldrich Hotel, 10 Livingston Avenue; sales begin at 1:30 p.m | 3 |
| Monmouth County | Monmouth | Freehold | Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Center, 2500 Kozloski Road; every other Monday at 1:00 p.m | 3 |
| Ocean County | Ocean | Toms River | Administration Building, 101 Hooper Avenue | 1 |
| Mercer County | Mercer | Trenton | Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, 175 South Broad Street; wednesdays at 2:00 p.m | 1 |
| Somerset County | Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren | Somerville | Commissioners Meeting Room, 3rd floor; every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m | 1 |
| Hunterdon County | Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren | Flemington | Commissioners’ Meeting Room, 2nd floor; every other Wednesday at 2:00 p.m | None located; NJHMFA’s network serves it |
| Camden County | Camden | Camden | Camden City Council Chambers, City Hall; first and third Wednesday of each month at 12:00 noon | 2 |
| Burlington County | Burlington | Mount Holly | County Administration Building, 49 Rancocas Road; thursdays at 12:00 p.m | None located; NJHMFA’s network serves it |
| Gloucester County | Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem | Woodbury | Ceremonial Courtroom, 2nd floor; every other Wednesday (excluding holidays) at 2:00 p.m | None located; NJHMFA’s network serves it |
| Atlantic County | Atlantic/Cape May | Atlantic City | Multi-Purpose Room, Criminal Courthouse; thursdays at 12:00 noon | None located; NJHMFA’s network serves it |
| Cumberland County | Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem | Bridgeton | See the Sheriff’s listing | None located; NJHMFA’s network serves it |
| Cape May County | Atlantic/Cape May | Cape May Court House | Old Historic Court House, 11 North Main Street (Route 9); every other Wednesday at 1:00 p.m | 1 |
| Salem County | Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem | Salem | 92 Market Street, Salem; 2:00 p.m. on scheduled sale days | None located; NJHMFA’s network serves it |
How the county system works
One filing office, 15 vicinages, 21 sheriffs.
New Jersey's Superior Court is organised into vicinages: most are a single county, and a few join two or three. A foreclosure is filed with the statewide Office of Foreclosure; only a contested case goes to a judge, in the vicinage of the county where the property is.
The Office of Foreclosure and the General Equity judge
Every residential foreclosure starts with a complaint filed in the Superior Court, Chancery Division, and is handled by the Office of Foreclosure, Superior Court Clerk’s Office in Trenton. If the homeowner does not answer within 35 days, or answers without contesting the mortgage, the case stays there and the Office of Foreclosure may recommend final judgment without a hearing on the merits.
A contesting answer sends the case to a General Equity judge in the county where the property is. The Judiciary publishes each vicinage's courthouses and a Civil or General Equity telephone line; the notice the court sends names the courtroom.
The county clerk, or the Register of Deeds
After filing the complaint the lender records a notice of lis pendens with the county office that keeps land records. In nineteen counties that is the county clerk; in Essex and Hudson it is the Register of Deeds and Mortgages. Anyone who later takes an interest in the property through the owner is bound by the judgment.
What the sheriff decides
Statewide law fixes the sale's framework: within 150 days of the writ of execution, up to five adjournments without a court order, notice in two newspapers for four weeks, the upset price posted online at least four weeks ahead. The sheriff decides the day, the time and the room, and publishes a listing of scheduled sales.
That is the biggest practical difference between counties, and it is why every county page states the sheriff's sale place and day where the sheriff publishes them.
Which county page to read
The county the property is in, not where you live now or where the lender is. The complaint names the county at the top, and so does the notice of lis pendens.
Or start with your stage
What stage are you at?
Your next chapter starts with a conversation.
Tell us where you are. Connect with a New Jersey foreclosure attorney to discuss what may come next.
No cost to send a request. No obligation to hire. A request does not create an attorney-client relationship, stop a sale, or extend a deadline.