Law

Welcome to the webpage for the Hamilton Township Department of Law. Under the direction of the Township Attorney, Elissa Grodd Schragger, the Department of Law is responsible for providing legal counsel and advice to the Administration and various municipal departments, as well as the legislative branch of municipal government, the Township Council. Additionally, the Department provides opinions and procedural guidelines to the Township's various advisory boards and commissions.

Note: The Department of Law represents the Township as a municipal corporation of the State of New Jersey and is neither authorized nor permitted to provide legal advice to residents concerning their private matters. In those cases, the public may call the Mercer County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service at 609-585-6200, or if unable to afford the services of a private attorney, they may call the Legal Aid Society of Mercer County at 609-695-6249.

The Department is also responsible for defending the Township in litigation commenced against the municipality in Federal District Court, State Superior Court, State worker's compensation court and the Administrative Law Courts, as well as in tax appeals commenced against the municipal tax assessor's real property tax assessments with the Mercer County Board of Taxation and the New Jersey Tax Court. Please note: The deadline for filing an appeal of property taxes is April 1st. Appeal petitions can be obtained from the Township's Tax Assessor's office.

For administrative purposes, the Municipal Public Defender and Municipal Prosecutor are assigned to the Department of Law. However, Municipal Court matters must be addressed through the Municipal Court, which can be reached at 609-581-4071.

Notice of Claim

In the event there is an incident/occurrence where negligence is alleged against the Township of Hamilton or where you believe the Township of Hamilton is at fault, a Notice of Claim form must be filed within ninety days of the date of the incident/occurrence, pursuant to NJ.S.A. 59:8-1 et seq. You may file a notice of claim online.