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Passaic County, New Jersey Court Records

According to New Jersey Rules of Court 1:38-2, Passaic County court records are official documents containing detailed information about cases and judicial proceedings handled by the county’s court system. These include, but are not limited to, motions, pleadings, indices, briefs, decrees, judgments, orders, and case transcripts. These records are primarily created to document relevant cases from their inception to final judgment and may be used to establish legal precedent in future cases.

The New Jersey Superior Court Clerk’s Office (SCCO) serves as the statewide custodian of court records, including those generated by Passaic County’s trial court (Passaic County Superior Court). Generally, the creation, maintenance, and access to the Passaic County court records are governed by the New Jersey Rules of Court and supported by the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA). Similar to other records generated by government entities, such as arrest records, vital records, and federal case files, court records help keep county residents and other interested parties informed about the processes these entities oversee.

Are Passaic County Court Records Public?

Per New Jersey Rule of Court 1:38-1, Passaic County court records are open to public inspection and copying, except when otherwise provided by applicable laws or court rules. Thus, anyone may access most Passaic County court records.

Nonetheless, New Jersey Rules of Court 1:38-3 and 1:38-7 outline different types of court records and information that are excluded from public access. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Sealed records
  • Adoption records
  • Expunged records
  • Guardianship records
  • Juvenile delinquency records
  • Victim statements, except those made on the record during public proceedings
  • Names and addresses of victims or alleged victims of sexual offense or domestic abuse
  • Records subject to confidentiality pursuant to a state or federal statute, court rule, or court order.
  • Confidential personal identifiers, such as a Social Security number, vehicle plate number, driver’s license number, active credit card number, active financial account number, and insurance number.

What Information is Available in Passaic County Court Records?

The contents of Passaic County court records depend on the type of case (i.e., civil, criminal, family law, etc) and its objective. Notwithstanding, most cases’ court records typically contain the following general information:

  • Documents filed in the case, such as pleadings, motions, complaint, answer, etc
  • Proceedings schedule
  • Court orders
  • Names of the case’s parties
  • Case status (i.e., active, defaulted, settled)
  • Details about attorneys involved in a case.

Passaic County Court Records Search

Records seekers may access or search for Passaic County court records through any of the following avenues:

  • Online - On the New Jersey State Judiciary’s Find A Case webpage, there are different official online portals individuals may use to conduct a Passaic County court record search, depending on the type of case. These portals are usually accessible for free and searchable by case party name, docket number, or other identifiable information about the sought case. Some of these portals, like the Civil and Foreclosure Public Access portal, may require users to register with the New Jersey Courts to access them.

The New Jersey Superior Court Clerk’s office also offers the Electronic Access Program (EAP) website, which individuals may use to search and access processing information, such as a list of filed documents, case type, e.t.c, about Passaic County court cases. However, the EAP does not provide access to actual court documents that were filed in a case. Note that users must enroll and are charged a $4 per-minute fee to use the EAP.

Fees for Court Records in Passaic County

Fees for requesting Passaic County court records vary depending on the method of request (i.e., online or electronic). Searches conducted through most of the online portals listed on the New Jersey State Judiciary’s Find A Case webpage are usually free. Meanwhile, users are charged a $4 per-minute fee to conduct searches through the NJ Electronic Access Program (EAP) website.

On the other hand, electronic requests for court records submitted via the NJ Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) website are subject to the following fees:

  • Letter-size pages: $0.05
  • Legal-size pages: $0.07
  • Certified copy: $15
  • Exemplified copy: $50
  • Triple Exemplified copy: $60
  • Certificate of statewide judgment lien:$10
  • Certificate of divorce: $10
  • Certified copy of the final judgment of divorce: $25

Passaic County Courthouse Locations

There are three (3) types of courts in Passaic County: a Superior Court, Surrogate’s Courts, and Municipal Courts. The county has only one Superior Court, and it handles most criminal, civil, and family law cases. Meanwhile, Passaic County has five (5) Surrogate’s Courts. These are courts of limited jurisdiction that hear matters related to probate, guardianships, and adoption proceedings. Lastly, there are 16 Municipal Courts in Passaic County that handle motor-vehicle offenses (such as speeding, DWIs, and illegal parking) and minor criminal offenses (like trespassing, simple assaults, and shoplifting) that arise in their respective jurisdictions.

The addresses and contact information of courts situated in Passaic County are outlined below:

Passaic County Superior Court

77 Hamilton Street,

Paterson, New Jersey 07505

Phone: 973-653-2910

Passaic County Surrogate’s Courts

Passaic County Court House Complex (Passaic County Surrogate main office)

77 Hamilton Street,

Paterson, NJ 07505

Phone: 973-881-4760

Fax: 973-523-3449

Clifton City Hall

900 Clifton Avenue,

Clifton, NJ 07013

Phone: 973-881-4760

Municipal Building

475 Valley Road,

Wayne, NJ 07470

Phone: 973-881-4760

Hawthorne Borough Hall

445 Lafayette Avenue,

Hawthorne, NJ 07506

Phone: 973-881-4760

West Milford Township Library

1470 Union Valley Road,

West Milford, NJ 07480

Phone: 973-881-4760

Passaic County Municipal Courts

Bloomingdale Municipal Court

101 Hamburg Turnpike,

Bloomingdale, NJ 07403

Phone: 973-838-0127

Fax: 973-838-3468

Clifton Municipal Court

900 Clifton Avenue,

Clifton, NJ 07013

Phone: 973-470-5860

Fax: 973-470-5924

Haledon Municipal Court

510 Belmont Avenue, 2nd Floor

Haledon, NJ 07508

Phone: 973-790-0500

Hawthorne Municipal Court

445 Lafayette Avenue,

First floor / Suite 103,

Hawthorne, NJ 07506

Phone: 973-427-4767

Fax: 973-427-4194

Little Falls Municipal Court

225 Main Street,

Little Falls, NJ 07424

Phone: 973-256-2400

Fax: 973-256-8130

North Haledon Municipal Court

103 Overlook Avenue,

North Haledon, NJ 07508

Phone: 973-423-0232

Passaic Municipal Court

330 Passaic Street,

Passaic, NJ 07055

Phone: 973-365-3975

Fax: 973-365-5649

Paterson Municipal Court

111 Broadway,

Paterson, NJ 07505

Phone: 973-321-1515

Pompton Lakes Municipal Court

25 Lenox Avenue,

Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442

Phone: 973-835-0143 ext. 236

Fax: 973-835-7401

Prospect Park Municipal Court

106 Brown Avenue,

Prospect Park, NJ 07508

Phone: 973-790-7902 ext. 527

Fax: (973) 707-3441

Ringwood Municipal Court

60 Margaret King Avenue,

Ringwood, NJ 07456

Phone: 973-962-6146

Fax: 973-962-6018

Totowa Municipal Court

537 Totowa Road, 2nd floor

Totowa, NJ 07512

Phone: 973-956-1000 ext. 1006

Fax: 973-956-5667

Wanaque Municipal Court

579 Ringwood Avenue,

Wanaque, NJ 07465

Phone: 973-839-3000 ext. 7119

Wayne Township Municipal Court

475 Valley Road,

Wayne, NJ 07470

Phone: 973-694-1800 ext. 3210

West Milford Municipal Court

1480 Union Valley Road,

West Milford, NJ 07480

Phone: 973-728-2750

Woodland Park Municipal Court

5 Brophy Lane,

Woodland Park, NJ 07424

Phone: 973-345-8100 ext. 102

Fax: 973-345-9791

Criminal Records Access in Passaic County

In Passaic County, an individual’s criminal history record information (CHRI) is accessible through the New Jersey State Police (NJSP). The NJSP’s State Bureau of Identification (SBI) is the statewide custodian of criminal records, including those generated by Passaic County law enforcement agencies and courts. The CHRI contains records of an individual’s convictions, arrests, and criminal charges that they accumulated over time in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.) 13:59-1 et seq governs the dissemination of CHRI. According to the statute, the following entities and individuals are eligible to receive CHRI from the NJSP’s SBI:

  • Federal and state government entities, as well as those from other states, that require it for official government purposes, such as employment and licensing screening or procurement of services from the record’s subject
  • Any person or non-governmental entity in any state that needs to ascertain the record’s subject qualification for employment, volunteer work, or service performance.
  • A licensed attorney in any state that needs it to contest matters docketed in any state or federal court or New Jersey administrative agencies
  • Private detectives licensed by the NJSP per N.J.S.A. 45:19-8 who require it to perform their statutory functions.
  • An individual who wishes to obtain their personal record.

On the other hand, certain information about Passaic County criminal court cases is available online through the New Jersey Judiciary’s Search Criminal Cases and Search Criminal Judgments portals. Alternatively, record seekers can request actual criminal court records by appropriately completing and submitting the NJ Judiciary Records Request form electronically through the NJ Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) website.

Passaic County Probate Records

Passaic County probate records provide official information about the administration of a decedent’s estate. Probate matters that arise in Passaic County are handled primarily by the county Surrogate’s Court. The court is also responsible for hearing guardianship and adoption proceedings. Some examples of probate records that are filed with the Surrogate’s Court include, but are not limited to, wills, estate inventories, letters of testamentary, and letters of administration.

Most probate records in Passaic County are public, with certain exceptions. For instance, wills only become public after their testator (i.e., the individual who made the will) dies. Additionally, guardianship and adoption records are exempt from public access under New Jersey Rules of Court 1:38-3.

Generally, the Passaic County Surrogate’s Court offers several avenues through which interested individuals may access or request public probate records, depending on the type of record. For example, an individual can get a copy of a public will by requesting an estate search. This may be done by completing the Surrogate Court Request form or drafting a written request and mailing it along with a $10 check payable to the Passaic County Surrogate’s Court and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Passaic County Surrogate Court

71 Hamilton Street, Room 101

Paterson, NJ 07505

Camden

Record seekers can also search the Passaic County Surrogate’s Court online index or by visiting the court vault during regular office hours to search for estate records.

Passaic County Family Court Records

In Passaic County, the family law cases are heard by the Family Division of the County’s Superior Court. These cases include paternity, child support, custody, parenting time, termination of parental rights, divorce, domestic violence, kinship legal guardianship, juvenile delinquency, foster care placement, family crisis, abuse and neglect, and adoption.

Due to their sensitive nature, court records of most family law cases are closed to public access. A good example is adoption records. These closed records are typically only released to eligible individuals, such as parties to the record and their attorneys. Note that record seekers may be required to provide photo identification when requesting closed records.

Eligible individuals may request open or closed family court records by contacting the Passaic County Family Division Records Inquiry line at 973-653-2910, ext. 24460. Alternatively, they can complete the NJ Judiciary Records Request form and submit it along with other required documents and fees electronically through the NJ Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) website.

Federal Court Records in Passaic County

The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey handles all federal cases that originate from Passaic County. These include federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy, and appellate cases. The court operates three courthouse locations across New Jersey:

Mitchell H. Cohen Building & U.S. Courthouse

4th & Cooper Streets

Camden, NJ 08101

Phone: 856-757-5021

Newark

Martin Luther King Building & U.S. Courthouse

50 Walnut Street

Newark, NJ 07102

Phone: 973-645-3730

Trenton

Clarkson S. Fisher Building & U.S. Courthouse

402 East State Street

Trenton, NJ 08608

Phone: 609-989-2065

The most convenient way to access court records of cases handled by any federal court is through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) website. Users must log in or register for an account to use PACER. Generally, they will be charged a $0.10 per page fee, capped at $3.00 for a single document, to access case information on PACER. These fees are charged quarterly and may be waived for users who spend $30 or less in a quarter. Alternatively, most federal courthouses provide public access terminals in their clerk’s office that individuals may use to electronically search for federal court records.

Passaic County Court