New Jersey Civil Court Records Lookup and NJ Case Search (2024)

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Primarily, the Supreme Court, the Appellate Court Division, and the Superior Courts make up the court system in New Jersey.

The Superior Court's Civil Division handles the civil proceedings in which the amount exceeds $15,000. If a disputed value is between $3,000 and $15,000, the Civil Division's Special Civil Part will handle it. This section also considers small claims where the amount in dispute is less than $3,000.

The Superior Court also consists of the Appellate Court and the Law and Chancery Courts. The Appellate Court is the intermediate appeals court, and the Law and Chancery Division serves as the trial court.

The Supreme Court, the highest court of appeal in the state, can take cases from the Superior Courts.

Can you look up New Jersey Civil Court Records? Rule 1.38 of the New Jersey Court declares that anyone can look at court records. However, the right of access is not absolute because a court can sometimes limit who can see these records.

You may not be able to see records like grand jury proceedings, jury questionnaires, search warrants, child sexual abuse victims records, and most records from the family division. But you and other authorized people can appropriately request access to confidential state court records in New Jersey.

What Are New Jersey Bankruptcy Records?

Bankruptcy in New Jersey allows debtors to eliminate some or all of their debts, and you can file for bankruptcy as long as you meet the requirements. The Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure tell you what you need to do to file for bankruptcy in the state.

New Jersey has Federal District Courts in Newark, Camden, and Trenton, each handling all bankruptcy cases in the area.

After filing, the debtor's petition and pertinent facts will be in the New Jersey Bankruptcy Records. These records typically include the following information:

• The debtor's name
• Filing date
• Type of bankruptcy filed
• Filing status
• Case status
• Owned or partnership businesses
• Creditors listing
• 314 creditors' meeting
• Hearing and release date
• Judge name
• Names and contact details of bankruptcy lawyers
• The bankruptcy trustee or administrator's contact information
• Asset and liability schedules
• Creditors' evidence of entitlement
• Financial activity statement
• Plan and declaration of disclosure
• Briefs and complaints
• Motions
• Affidavits and applications
• Exhibits
• Notices and court orders
• Proceedings transcript
• Final judgment

New Jersey Bankruptcy Records may vary in information depending on what bankruptcy type filed, and the most prevalent in the state are as follows:

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

In New Jersey, Chapter 7 bankruptcy is permissible to settle unsecured obligations. Through liquidation, the debtor may discharge unsecured debts such as collection accounts, medical bills, payday loans, and credit in this bankruptcy type.

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New Jersey allows businesses, partnerships, and individuals to reorganize their debt and repay creditors. In this bankruptcy, the debtors can take the trustee position and may choose the optimal method for paying back creditors.

This bankruptcy shields the personal assets of a corporation's stockholders from liquidation.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

New Jersey Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings allow individuals with a high and consistent income to repay all unsecured obligations. Like in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, debtors retain possession of all nonexempt and exempt assets. Thus, it is the responsibility of the debtor to propose a repayment plan to the bankruptcy court and creditors.

Apart from Chapters 7, 11, and 13, expect Chapter 12 bankruptcy in New Jersey Bankruptcy Records. This kind of bankruptcy is specifically for farmers and fishermen. Like Chapter 13, Chapter 12 bankruptcy allows farmers and fishermen to restructure their obligations and repay creditors in three to five years.

How To Find New Jersey Bankruptcy Records?

In New Jersey, it is possible to find bankruptcy records in person, by mail, or by browsing an online database.

For in-person requests, visit the appropriate court (either in Newark, Camden, or Trenton) that handles filings from certain counties and municipalities. You must first confirm the debtor's filing location to get a bankruptcy record in person.

Upon confirmation, prepare a formal request that summarizes the requested record and includes the debtor's name and case number.

Follow these instructions to submit the request at the Clerk's Office:

The search price for in-person requests is $30.00, and the clerk charges $0.50 per page for copies of bankruptcy records.

For mail requests, use the court's postal address. Your written request must include a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope and the approved payment options, such as a certified check or money order.

You can also search for New Jersey Bankruptcy Records online by creating an account in the Public Access to Electronic Court Records (PACER) system. Unlike mail and in-person requests, which are exclusively available during office hours, PACER is accessible at all times.

What Are New Jersey Property Lien Records?

Under New Jersey Civil Court Records, a property lien is a creditor's legal power to seize a debtor's assets if obligations remain unpaid.

Some of the prevalent New Jersey Property Lien Records are as follows:

Tax Lien

New Jersey statutory tax liens result from unpaid taxes. The municipality can put a permanent lien on the property if you don't pay your taxes. State regulations require municipalities to foreclose on property owners who don't pay taxes. Then, there will be a tax sale, where anyone can buy the tax sale certificate for the property.

Judgment Lien

New Jersey judgment liens develop when the plaintiff wins a legal action. The defendant must pay the plaintiff a court-ordered amount. If the defendant doesn't pay, the plaintiff will get a lien on their real estate or personal property under New Jersey Code Section 2A:26-9.

The New Jersey Code's Section 2A:14-5 states that a judgment lien on a property continues for 20 years, regardless of ownership.

Mechanic's Lien

New Jersey mechanic's liens help unpaid contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers. Under 2A:44A-3 of the New Jersey Code, these people can put a lien on the property equal to the value of the services or materials they provide. This lien secures the debtor's construction project interest.

In addition to these liens, you can also encounter mortgage, child support, and UCC liens in New Jersey Property Lien Records.

How To Check New Jersey Property Lien Records?

To check New Jersey Property Lien Records, do a title deed search through the county clerk or recorder's office.

You must give them all the vital information about the property, such as its address and the owner's name.

In this search, you can find if someone has a lien on their real property. It will also show if the property is subject to liens or claims.

You can also do this lien search before buying a car. This search will uncover if there are any liens on the vehicle, who the current lienholder is, and what information the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC) has about them. But you can only ask for this search by mail.

Lastly, you can hire a registered title company to check property liens in New Jersey if you want.

What Are New Jersey Civil Driving Violation Records?

New Jersey Civil Driving Violation Records are traffic infractions that violate legislation or ordinance.

Some of the New Jersey Civil Driving Violation Records include:

• Leaving a running car unattended
• State-mandated vehicle maintenance violation
• Parking in a no-parking zone
• Illegal and unauthorized automobile modification, like illegally tinted windows

In most circ*mstances, civil driving violation records in New Jersey are non-moving offenses that do not add points to a driver's driving record.

How To Look Up New Jersey Civil Driving Violation Records?

There are three ways to look up New Jersey Civil Driving Violation Records in the state.

Signing up with the NJ MVC allows you to look at certified or uncertified copies of these records online. To get an NJ MVC user ID and sign up with the commission, you must provide your zip code, driver's license number, and social security number.

You can then send it through the MyMVC website. You can ask for any record on this website, but you must pay the processing and online transaction fees.

To send a request by mail, the NJ MVC will need the requester to fill out a Driver History Abstract request form and send it to them along with a copy of your driver's license and a money order or check.

You can also ask for these records by visiting the NJ MVC office closest to you. Similarly, you must fill out the same form above, show a copy of your driver's license, and pay a processing fee.

Note that the processing fee for all methods to get a New Jersey Civil Driving Violation Record is $15.

What Are New Jersey Legal Judgment Records?

New Jersey Legal Judgment Records are legal court documents that show the court's final decision on a civil dispute. It usually includes the parties' rights and responsibilities, the judgment date, the names of the parties, and other court proceedings related to the suit.

In the Rules Governing the Courts of New Jersey, you can find the laws about judgments in New Jersey. These guidelines govern plaintiff and defendant judgment collection procedures.

A judgment in New Jersey lasts for 20 years. After that, the people who went to court are no longer responsible for the rights and duties set out in the judgment. However, a creditor can extend a conclusion for another 20 years by renewing it.

How To Look Up New Jersey Legal Judgment Records?

If you want to look up New Jersey Legal Judgment Records, visit the Clerk's Office of the relevant courthouses and fill out a Record Request Form.

You can also look up state legal judgment records from anywhere through the JEDS Electronic request portal. When using this system, you must pay the service fees to copy and authenticate the document.

Another option is to use the New Jersey Courts judgment search portal. Here, you can search by giving the case docket number or the names of the people involved in the case.

What Are New Jersey Small Claims Records?

A New Jersey small claims record in the New Jersey Civil Court Records is a public document that represents the credit history of the losing party following judgment. This record includes the name of the party, the monetary amount, the court's decision, and other case facts.

The New Jersey Small Claims Courts are responsible for collecting debts that do not exceed $3000. The plaintiff may receive up to $5,000 if the small claims case includes recovering a security deposit.

You may initiate a small claims lawsuit when you believe another party should compensate you for financial loss or damage. You must file a Small Claims Complaint and Summons to begin a small claims lawsuit in New Jersey.

In New Jersey, small claims lawsuits are under the authority of the Superior Court's Special Civil Part Court. And aggrieved parties may file New Jersey small claims actions in any of the following situations:

• Accident-related vehicle damage
• Loss or damage to property
• Downpayment recovery
• Breaking a written or verbal contract
• An unsatisfactory purchase
• Unpaid service
• Faulty or partial job upon payment
• Bad check claims

How To Look Up New Jersey Small Claims Records?

The Clerk of Court of the Superior Courts is in charge of keeping the small claims records in New Jersey from the Special Civil Part Court.

Under NJSA 2B:1-4, you can enroll and use the Electronic Access Program to look at New Jersey Small Claims Records. Call the eCourts Services Team of the Superior Court Clerk's Office at (609) 421-6100 for more information about how to sign up here and other details.

If you are not interested in the method above, you can get these records by filling out and sending in the Request form. You must write the Small Claims Court location and Superior Court Clerk's Office on this request paper.

For certified copies of court records, paying a $15 record search fee is necessary. After processing the request, the court sends the document electronically.

What Are New Jersey Divorce Court Records?

A New Jersey Divorce Court Record can give personal information about minors, finances, and sensitive criminal information like domestic abuse. Thus, these records are often more challenging to locate than other public documents since they are too personal.

Either spouse must have been a New Jersey resident for at least one year before you can file a divorce in the state. The only exemption to the one-year residence requirement is where adultery is the reason for the divorce.

Once eligible, you may file the divorce complaint and related papers with the Family Division Court Clerk's Office in your New Jersey county of residence.

After filing, the court will record and document all information in the following forms:

Divorce Certificates

A New Jersey divorce certificate is the most common proof that a divorce happened. This document details the divorcees and the divorce date and location. It is necessary when one party wants to change the name on their ID or file to get a marriage certificate.

This divorce document doesn't say anything about how the divorce happened in the state.

Divorce Decree

After the court hearing, the divorce decree let everyone know that the case was over. It is the court's final decision about the divorce, which both parties must follow.

Divorce decrees are more detailed than divorce certificates because they include information on child custody, property division, alimony payments, child support, and visitation rights.

Divorce Records

A divorce record in New Jersey has all the above information plus every form, document, and transcript made during a dissolution case.

How to Look Up New Jersey Divorce Court Records?

First, the Superior Court of New Jersey Records Center (SCNJRC) may provide New Jersey Divorce Court Records if the concluded divorce happened long ago.

If you don't know the divorce's finalization year and county, the most effective approach to obtain these records is to visit the center in person.

If a New Jersey Divorce Court Record is not accessible via the SCNJRC, you can inquire at the county Clerk's Office in person. You can also visit the county clerk's website in the county that finalized the divorce to get this record.

For instance, if someone desires to obtain a Bergen County divorce court record after 2015, they must visit the Bergen County website. Likewise, Essex County maintains a webpage titled OPRA Request that you can explore to get the divorce document you want.

On the other hand, Hudson County has a request form that you can fill out, sign, and send to the address on the paper by fax or email.

What Are New Jersey Probate Court Records?

After a person dies, the court decides how to divide the estate and care for dependents in New Jersey Probate Court Records.

If a deceased person leaves a will, the court will disperse their property following the statement on this paper. The laws of the Garden State govern the distribution of the decedent's possessions in the absence of a will.

In New Jersey Probate Court Records, you can discover several sorts of documents, like:

• Wills
• Administrations
• Inventories
• Distributions
• Bonds
• Accounts
• Petitions
• Decrees

Where to find New Jersey Probate Court Records? Currently, two courts in New Jersey handle probate matters: the Surrogate Court and Chancery Division, Probate Part of the Superior Court.

But the Surrogate Court handles most probate cases in the state. So, visit every Surrogate Court where an ancestor possessed property to find these records. The county surrogate where the testators lived has probates from 1804.

How To Look Up Civil Court Cases in New Jersey?

In a nutshell, the first step in looking up New Jersey Civil Court Records is to visit the courthouse that filed the case and submit a written request to the court clerk. Typically, the clerk will give you the records request form to access court documents.

Apart from the Superior Court, Tax Court, and Supreme Court, you can find and get in touch with Local Courts, Municipal Courts if you use the New Jersey Courts website.

Each court's website has information on obtaining court records and the costs associated with the request.

You can use the JEDS Electronic request portal (link in the "How To Look Up New Jersey Legal Judgment Records?" section) to look up civil court cases in New Jersey online. It also allows access to all state court documents, websites, and contact information.

In most cases, only the parties and others authorized by the parties may view private documents like the New Jersey Divorce Court Records.