NWT Territorial Court Locations and Circuit Court Schedule

Three Registries Serve the Entire Territory

The Northwest Territories is 1.35 million square kilometres with about 45,000 residents spread across communities separated by hundreds of kilometres of highway — or no road at all. The Territorial Court operates three permanent registries where you can file a civil claim:

Yellowknife Registry Territorial Courthouse, 4903 49th Street PO Box 550, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2N4 Phone: 867-767-9289

Hay River Registry #201 - 8 Capital Drive Hay River, NT X0E 1G2

Inuvik Registry 3rd Floor, 151 Mackenzie Road PO Box 1965, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0

All three registries accept Statement of Claim filings (Form 1, $55 fee), process proof-of-service documents, and issue enforcement orders. The official court portal at nwtcourts.ca lists updated contact details and hours.

Where to File: Venue Rules

You do not get to pick whichever registry is most convenient. The Civil Claims Rules require you to file at the registry nearest to where the defendant resides or carries on business, or where the event giving rise to the claim occurred.

If you live in Yellowknife but the contractor who took your deposit operates from Hay River, you file in Hay River. If the transaction happened in Yellowknife and the defendant lives there too, Yellowknife is your registry.

When in doubt, call the registry and describe the situation. Staff cannot give legal advice, but they can confirm whether their registry is the appropriate filing location.

Circuit Court: How Remote Communities Get Heard

For communities without a permanent registry — Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells, Tuktoyaktuk, Behchokǫ̀, and others across the Beaufort Delta, Sahtu, Dehcho, Tłı̨chǫ, and South Slave regions — the Territorial Court sends judges on periodic circuit sittings.

A civil claim originating in a circuit community is filed through the designated regional registry (usually the closest of the three permanent registries). When the matter is ready for mediation or trial, it is scheduled during the next circuit sitting in that community.

Circuit schedules are published by the court and change seasonally. Weather disruptions — common in winter — can shift dates. If your case depends on a circuit sitting, call the registry in advance to confirm the schedule and ask whether telephone or video attendance is an option for parties who cannot travel.

Filing by Mail From a Remote Community

The NWT Territorial Court does not have an online e-filing portal. You cannot file a Statement of Claim electronically. The interactive PDF forms on nwtcourts.ca are fillable templates — not an online submission system.

If you cannot get to a registry in person, file by mail. Send the completed Form 1 and your $55 filing fee (certified cheque or money order payable to the Government of the Northwest Territories). Include copies for your records and to serve each defendant, and confirm the current copy and return-mail instructions with the registry. The registry stamps your claim, assigns a file number, and returns the copies you need for service.

Factor in mail delivery time. Canada Post service to and from fly-in communities is slower than urban standards. If your limitation period is close to expiring (6 years from the cause of action under the Limitation of Actions Act), contact the registry immediately about filing in person or by mail and the time needed for the claim to arrive before the deadline.

Practical Tips for Circuit Communities

• Service deadlines still run from the date of service, not from the circuit date. The defendant has 25 days to respond if served in the NWT, or 30 days if served outside the NWT. Serve early so the response window expires before the scheduled mediation
• Commissioners for Oaths — you need one to swear your Form 3 (Affidavit of Service). In small communities, coordinate with community justice committees, RCMP detachments, or visiting Legal Aid court workers to find an authorized commissioner. Call the clinic at 1-844-497-1319 or 867-767-9384
• Bring physical copies of everything to circuit sittings. Do not rely on digital files or email access in the courtroom

The Full Filing Procedure

The NWT Small Claims Filing Guide covers the complete process from demand letter through enforcement, including filing by mail, locating a Commissioner for Oaths, and preparing for mediation or trial in any NWT community. It includes registry addresses, a deadline calendar, and a service tracker designed for the realities of filing in the North.

See more Northwest Territories guides →