New Brunswick Small Claims Response — Your 30-Day Defence Roadmap

You just got served with a small claim in New Brunswick. Now what?

The envelope from the Small Claims Court of New Brunswick is sitting on your counter. Inside it is a Form 1 Claim — and a blank Form 2 Response that you have 30 calendar days to complete and file. Miss that window and the claimant can walk into court with a Form 6 Request for Judgment and get a binding decision against you without you ever being heard.

The court's website gives you the blank forms. PLEIS-NB gives you a general overview. Neither one walks you through the process of actually defending yourself — which sections of Form 2 to fill out, how to calculate your exact deadline, whether a counterclaim makes sense, or how to organize your evidence for the hearing.

That gap between having the forms and knowing what to do with them is where most self-represented defendants get stuck.

The New Brunswick Defence Roadmap — Every Step, In Order

This guide is a structured, step-by-step walkthrough of the entire response process in New Brunswick's Small Claims Court. It takes you from the moment you open the envelope to what happens after the hearing officer's decision — with every form, deadline, fee, and procedural rule sourced directly from the Small Claims Act and the General Regulation (N.B. Reg. 2012-103).

It is not a legal advice service. It is not affiliated with any court or government department. It is a procedural map that puts the rules in plain language and the steps in order, so you can focus on your case instead of hunting for answers across six different government websites.

What's Inside

• Form 1 Reading Map — a guided breakdown of the Notice of Claim so you can quickly verify the file number, judicial district, claimed amount, and service date without missing anything critical
• 30-Day Deadline Calculator — step-by-step method for counting your exact filing deadline, including the weekend and holiday extension rule under Section 60, with worked examples
• Response Route Decision Guide — all six options on Form 2 explained: dispute in full, dispute in part, admit in full, admit with a payment hearing request, file a counterclaim, or bring in a third party with Form 3
• Counterclaim Walkthrough — when a counterclaim makes procedural sense, the filing fee ($50 or $150 depending on the amount), and how to draft it within Form 2
• Filing and Service Checklist — exactly what to bring to the clerk's office, who serves what, and how to get your proof of filing
• Hearing Preparation Guide — how to organize your evidence in a chronological binder, when and how to summon witnesses with Form 12, and what to expect from the informal hearing process
• Default Judgment Recovery — the Form 8 set-aside application explained step by step, including the two-part test the court applies and the 10-day service rule
• Post-Decision Options — appeals to the Court of King's Bench (Form 17.1), leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal (Form 18), and what enforcement looks like if you lose

Who This Guide Is For

• Homeowners served with a claim by a contractor or tradesperson over invoices, scope disputes, or property damage
• Small business owners sued by a supplier, customer, or service provider
• Private vehicle sellers or buyers dealing with a dispute over defects, misrepresentation, or bill-of-sale terms
• Commercial tenants facing claims for unpaid rent or lease damage (up to $20,000)
• Anyone who missed the 30-day deadline and needs to understand the default judgment set-aside process

Not covered: Consumer debt collection lawsuits (by banks, credit card issuers, or collection agencies) and active residential tenancy disputes (which go to the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office, not the Small Claims Court).

Why Not Just Use the Free Court Forms?

The court registry hands you blank Form 2 and a set of rules. The clerk is legally prohibited from telling you which sections to complete, whether a counterclaim is worth filing, or how to organize your evidence. PLEIS-NB publishes educational overviews, but nothing that walks you through the process decision by decision.

The result is that most self-represented defendants piece together their response from Reddit threads, Ontario guides that cite different deadlines, and outdated websites still referencing the old $12,500 limit or the "Court of Queen's Bench." One wrong source and you are filing the wrong form, in the wrong section, with the wrong deadline in your head.

This guide puts every New Brunswick-specific rule in one document, verified against the current 2026 statutory text, with the steps in the order you need to follow them.

Satisfaction Guarantee

If the guide does not meet your expectations for any reason, email [email protected] for a full refund — no time limit, no questions asked.

Get Started

Download the free New Brunswick Small Claims Response Checklist for the key deadlines and steps at a glance. When you are ready for the complete walkthrough — every form, every option, every stage of the process — the full guide is available for .