Find a County Court UK: Locate Your Hearing Centre

Overview

The county court is a single national court in England and Wales that handles most civil disputes, including money claims, housing possession, consumer issues, and breach of contract matters. Although it operates as one court in law, in practice it sits across dozens of hearing centres spread throughout the country.

Each hearing centre has a postcode catchment area, and cases are typically transferred to the centre nearest to the defendant or most convenient for the parties involved. Money claims under a certain value are usually issued centrally through the Civil National Business Centre (formerly the County Court Money Claims Centre) in Northampton, and only moved to a local hearing centre if the claim becomes defended or requires a hearing.

Other matters, such as possession claims, are generally issued directly at the relevant local centre. Knowing which hearing centre applies to your case helps you file papers correctly, attend the right address, and avoid delays caused by sending documents to the wrong place.

Key steps

1. Identify the type of claim you are dealing with. Money claims, possession claims, family matters, and insolvency petitions are handled differently. Money claims under a set value generally start at the Civil National Business Centre in Northampton, while possession and family matters are usually issued at a local hearing centre with the correct catchment.
2. Work out the relevant location. For most defended claims, the case will be heard at the hearing centre covering the defendant's home address if they are an individual, or the claimant's preferred centre in some commercial matters. Check the postcode against the official court finder on gov.uk to confirm which centre covers that area.
3. Use the gov.uk Find a Court tool. The official finder lets you search by postcode, town, or court name and shows contact details, opening hours, and the types of work each centre handles. This is the most reliable way to confirm the correct hearing centre because catchments and court closures change from time to time.
4. Check the specific work the centre handles. Not every hearing centre deals with every type of case. Some handle only civil and family work, others only civil, and a few are designated for specialist matters such as business and property work. Confirming the centre accepts your type of claim before filing saves time and avoids rejected paperwork.
5. Send papers or attend at the correct address. Once you have the right hearing centre, use the postal or DX address shown on gov.uk for filing documents and the street address for hearings. If your case has already been allocated, always follow the directions in your notice of issue or notice of hearing, as the court may have transferred the matter.

Common questions