People and companies that paid vacant property registration fees to Runnemede, Bellmawr, Barrington, Gloucester Township or Voorhees Township in Camden County, New Jersey between June 25, 2018 and January 18, 2022 may qualify to claim $200, or a 60% refund of the fees with proof of payment, from the $545,624 Camden County vacant property fee class action settlement. Claims are open through December 14, 2026, and the fairness hearing is set for November 2, 2026.
Current Status
Claims are open. The deadline to file online or have a paper claim postmarked is December 14, 2026; the notice does not state a time zone. The court granted preliminary approval, and the fairness hearing on final approval is set for November 2, 2026. No final approval order has been entered yet, and payments go out only if the settlement is approved.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
Five Camden County towns settled five separate class actions over the registration fees they charged under their vacant property registration programs. The lawsuits, filed in 2024 and 2025 against Runnemede, Gloucester Township, Voorhees Township, Barrington and Bellmawr, were combined into one case for settlement, Peek v. Borough of Runnemede, in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Camden County. The plaintiffs allege the fees were unconstitutional and should be refunded. The towns deny the allegations and deny any wrongdoing, and they agreed to settle to avoid the cost and risk of continued litigation. The court granted preliminary approval in August 2026, and the notice went out in September.Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is every person or entity that, between June 25, 2018 and January 18, 2022, paid registration fees under the vacant property registration program of the Borough of Runnemede, the Borough of Bellmawr, the Borough of Barrington, Gloucester Township or Voorhees Township, or was made to reimburse someone else for those fees. Anyone who paid and was later reimbursed is excluded.The class is defined by who paid the fee, not by where the payer lives, so out-of-state owners and companies that held vacant property in one of the five towns are covered. The towns' own records identified the property owners who were sent a notice.
How Much Can You Get?
Claimants choose one of two payments:- $200 for a claimant who shows proof of owning a property subject to one of the five programs and signs a sworn statement that they paid a registration fee.
- 60% of the registration fees paid, calculated from the towns' books and records, for a claimant who submits proof of paying the fee.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
The online claim portal opens with the Notice ID and Confirmation Code printed on the mailed or emailed notice. Beyond that, the $200 option needs proof of ownership of a covered property plus the signed attestation, and the 60% option needs proof of payment, such as a cancelled check, bank statement, payment receipt or credit card statement. A paper claim form can also be downloaded from the official settlement website and mailed; it has a field for the Notice ID.What Is the Deadline?
Claims must be submitted online or postmarked by December 14, 2026. The notice gives a date only, with no time of day or time zone. The deadlines to opt out of or object to the settlement were October 29, 2026, and have passed.How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed on the official Camden County VPRP settlement website, either online with the Notice ID and Confirmation Code or by downloading the claim form and mailing it with the supporting documents. Each claimant picks either the $200 section or the 60% refund section, not both.What Happens Next?
Judge Michael E. Joyce of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Camden County, holds the fairness hearing on November 2, 2026. If the settlement is approved, the claim form says payments will be sent by March 15, 2027, by check. Checks stay valid for 180 days, and uncashed amounts go back to the towns. If the court does not approve the settlement, the five original lawsuits resume.Sources and Verification
This page is based on the official settlement website, the court-approved class notice dated September 14, 2026, the claim form, the class action settlement agreement and the order granting preliminary approval in Peek v. Borough of Runnemede, No. CAM-L-2419-24 (N.J. Super. Ct. Law Div., Camden Cnty.). The case is in state court, so it has no federal PACER docket. The documents are posted on the official settlement website. It is not legal advice.Questions
Which towns are part of the Camden County vacant property fee settlement?
Five Camden County, New Jersey municipalities: the Borough of Runnemede, the Borough of Bellmawr, the Borough of Barrington, Gloucester Township and Voorhees Township. Fees paid to any other town, including other Camden County towns, are not covered by this settlement.
Can a bank or property company file a claim?
Yes. The class is defined as persons or entities, so a company, bank, mortgage servicer or LLC that paid, or was caused to reimburse, a vacant property registration fee to one of the five towns between June 25, 2018 and January 18, 2022 is included on the same terms as an individual owner, unless it was later reimbursed.
Is the 60% refund always more than $200?
Not always. The 60% option pays 60% of all registration fees the claimant paid, figured from the towns’ own records, so it beats the $200 option only when total fees were more than about $333. Both options can also be reduced pro rata if valid claims add up to more than the settlement fund, and a claimant may choose only one.
Does the $545,624 fund pay the lawyers?
No. Class counsel’s fees and costs, up to $250,000 if the court approves them, are paid by the towns separately and do not come out of the fund. The fund does pay the administrator’s costs and the court-approved service awards to the named plaintiffs, and any money not claimed goes back to the town that paid it in.
What happens if the court does not approve the settlement?
The agreement becomes void and the five original lawsuits go back to where they stood before the settlement, so no payments would be made under it. The fairness hearing is set for November 2, 2026, and the settlement pays only after final approval and the end of any appeal period.
