How To Change Your Small Claims Court Date

Learn what you can do if you want to request to change the date of your small claims hearing.

How do I request to change my court date?

If you want to request to change your small claims hearing date, do not send a letter to the judge or court.

Instead, you should file a Motion to Continue to request that your hearing be continued to a future date. Your motion should be typed and printed out or neatly handwritten.  File your motion as soon as possible.  

Keep in mind that the court does not have to change your hearing date.

Motion to Continue (PDF Fillable)

After you complete the motion, you must file your motion with the same Justice Court where the case is assigned. For more information about preparing and filing your motion, click to visit Basics of Court Forms and Filing.

What happens after I file my request to change my court date?

When you file your motion to change the hearing date, check with the court clerk to verify how you and the other side will be notified if the court grants (or denies) your request to continue the hearing. You can monitor your case by checking its status on-line. Click to visit Look Up My Case.

If the court denies your request, you will need to do whatever is necessary to attend the hearing. Remember that if you fail to attend, the judge could dismiss your case or enter a money judgment against you.