Bergen County, New Jersey public records

In Bergen County, deeds are recorded by the Bergen County Clerk - Registry Division; property values come from Municipal Tax Assessors; court files are kept by the Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen Vicinage.

Last checked against official sources on November 4, 2026.

On this page

1. Where to get each record
2. Deeds and land records
3. Property values, owners and tax bills
4. Court records: which clerk keeps which case
5. Marriage records
6. Divorce records
7. Birth certificates
8. Death certificates
9. Probate records and wills
10. Business names (DBA)
11. Voter records
12. Historical records
13. Good to know about Bergen County records
14. Office addresses, phones and hours
15. Records that are not online: public records requests
16. Questions people ask
17. Official copies vs look-alike sites
18. Sources

Where to get each record

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Bergen County are recorded by the Bergen County Clerk - Registry Division (Mortgages, Deeds, Maps).²

Online search

bclrs.co.bergen.nj.us/landrecords²

Years online

Deeds and mortgages from January 1, 1970 to present¹³

Copy fee

7 cents per page (self-service copies in the Land Records Management Division)³

Certified copy fee

$10 first page + $2 for each page of the document (military and veterans free)¹⁴

How to order

View and copy in person at Land Records Management (Room 150); staff cannot search for you³

Recording fee

Deed $45 first page + $10 each additional page (includes $10 tax abstract fee); mortgage $35 first page + $10 each additional page¹⁴

Transfer fee payment

Realty transfer fees: attorney trust account, certified or bank checks only; 1% 'mansion tax' by certified or bank check¹⁵

Liens

Clerk records construction liens ($15 first page + $5 each additional page), federal tax liens ($25), lis pendens, tax sale certificates and UCC filings ($25)¹⁴

Earliest

Over 300 years of land recordings³

How deeds work in New Jersey

Property values, owners and tax bills

Municipal Tax Assessors (70 Bergen municipalities; county-wide list published by the Bergen County Board of Taxation) sets property values⁴; Municipal Tax Collectors (property tax bills are municipal) bills and collects the tax⁴.

Property search

taxrecords-nj.com/pub/cgi/prc6.cgi (Bergen County Property Record Search, linked by the Board of Taxation)⁵

Tax bill search

Tax bills are municipal: contact the municipal tax collector (county list of 2026 collectors)⁴

Parcel map (GIS)

bchapeweb.co.bergen.nj.us/parcelviewer (county Tax Parcel Viewer); statewide NJGIN parcels with owner names redacted⁴

Appealing a value

Petition the Bergen County Board of Taxation by April 1 (May 1 after a revaluation/reassessment); online filing at taxappeal-nj.com linked by the Board¹⁶

Appeal online

taxappeal-nj.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi⁵

How property tax works in New Jersey

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

Fees

Plain copies $0.05 letter page; certified copy $15; seal $10; exemplified $50; certificate of divorce $10; certified final judgment of divorce $25⁷

Criminal records and background checks

Court records

Criminal Division records request: 201-221-0700 ext. 25060⁹

State repository

New Jersey State Police (Form 212A only for agency-required checks, $20.00)¹⁷

How New Jersey courts keep their files

Marriage records

Local Registrar of the municipality where the marriage took place, or NJ DOH Office of Vital Statistics and Registry⁸

Marriage license fee

$28 license application fee (state fee)¹⁸

New Jersey marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Kept by the Superior Court, Bergen Vicinage - Family Division (divorce, custody, adoption).⁹

Copies

Superior Court; closed divorce files archived by the Superior Court Clerk's Office in Trenton. Divorce documents released only to parties/attorneys (or by court order).⁷

Fee

Certificate of Divorce $10; certified copy of final judgment of divorce $25⁷

Birth certificates

Municipal Local Registrar or NJ DOH; state holds most recent 100 years, NJ State Archives older⁸

Ordering a New Jersey birth certificate

Death certificates

Municipal Local Registrar where the death occurred, or NJ DOH⁸

Death cert for probate

A certified (raised seal) death certificate is required to probate and is kept by the Surrogate¹⁹

Ordering a New Jersey death certificate

Probate records and wills

Kept by the Bergen County Surrogate's Court.¹¹

Holdings

Wills and estate records from 1714 to present; adoption and guardianship records²⁰

Copy fees

Plain copy of will $3.00 per page; certified copy of will $50.00 (up to two pages) + $5.00 each additional page; exemplified $75.00¹⁰

Probate fee

Probate of will $100.00 (first two pages) + $5.00 each additional page¹⁰

Contact

[email protected]²¹

Finding a will or probate case in New Jersey

Business names (DBA)

Kept by the Bergen County Clerk.¹¹

Trade name

Certificate of Trade Name filed with the County Clerk by mail (4 notarized copies) or in person²²

Fee

$50 to register a Certificate of Trade Name ($52 with County Clerk notarization); dissolution $25¹²

Voter records

Kept by the Bergen County Superintendent of Elections/Commissioner of Registration (voter lists).²³

Lists

Registered voter and voter history lists by OPRA request to the Superintendent of Elections²³

Clerk lists

County Clerk: lists of registered voters $0.25 per district; mail-in ballot lists $0.25 per page (written request)²⁴

Historical records

Clerk historical

County Clerk archives historical documents (articles of incorporation, original maps, exempt fire fighter certificates, election results from the early 1800s)²⁵

Naturalization

Naturalization records from the County Clerk: request form + $10.00 search fee (check or money order)²⁶

State archives

NJ State Archives holds microfilm of all county deeds up to 1900²⁷

Good to know about Bergen County records

• Bergen County was established March 7, 1683, within East Jersey²⁸
• Hudson County (1840) and part of Passaic County (1837) were formed from Bergen; older records for those areas may be in Bergen²⁸
• Surrogate holds wills and estate records back to 1714²⁰
• County Clerk staff are not permitted by law to search land records for the public³
• Property tax is assessed and billed by each municipality; the county Board of Taxation hears appeals and links a county-wide property record search⁵
• Court records are held by the state Judiciary (Superior Court, Bergen Vicinage at the Justice Center), not the County Clerk; courts are outside OPRA²⁹

Office addresses, phones and hours

Records that are not online: public records requests

Request page

bergencountynj.mycusthelp.com/… (online OPRA portal) or written Government Records Request Form³⁴

Where to send it

Mail the written form to the division/department named on page 2 of the form³⁴

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

Other counties in New Jersey with a full guide: Atlantic County, Burlington County, Camden County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Essex County, Gloucester County, Hudson County, Hunterdon County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, Ocean County, Passaic County, Salem County, Somerset County, Sussex County, Union County. Every county in the state: New Jersey county list.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 35 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

1. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
2. Land Record ServicesBergen County Clerk
3. Land Records Management DivisionBergen County Clerk
4. Municipal Tax Assessors/CollectorsBergen County Board of Taxation
5. About Board of TaxationBergen County Board of Taxation
6. Bergen VicinageNew Jersey Courts
7. Copies of Court RecordsNew Jersey Courts
8. Vital Statistics Frequently Asked QuestionsNJ Department of Health
9. Bergen Court Offices/DivisionsNew Jersey Courts
10. FeesBergen County Surrogate's Court
11. Constitutional OfficersCounty of Bergen
12. Business FeesBergen County Clerk
13. Bergen County Clerk Land Records Public SearchOffice of the Bergen County Clerkarchived copy
14. Document Directory & Recording FeesBergen County Clerk
15. Payment RequirementsBergen County Clerk
16. Assessment and AppealsNJ Division of Taxation
17. Request for a Criminal History Record Information for a Noncriminal Justice Purposes (NJSP)New Jersey State Police (via NJ official portal njportal.com)
18. Fees at a GlanceNJ Department of Health
19. Frequently Asked QuestionsBergen County Surrogate's Court
20. About UsBergen County Surrogate's Court
21. Bergen County Surrogate's Court (home)Bergen County Surrogate's Court
22. Registering a New Trade NameBergen County Clerk
23. Lists (Superintendent of Elections)County of Bergen
24. Voter Registration (DRU)/Mail-In Ballot ListsBergen County Clerk
25. Bergen County Clerk - HomeBergen County Clerk
26. Naturalization Records SearchBergen County Clerk
27. Genealogical CollectionsNJ State Archives
28. History of Bergen County (overview PDF)County of Bergen
29. A Citizen's Guide to the Open Public Records Act, Fifth EditionNJ Government Records Council (Dept. of Community Affairs)
30. ContactBergen County Clerk
31. County Boards of Taxation contactsNJ Division of Taxation
32. Bergen County Sheriff's Office home pageBergen County Sheriff's Office
33. County Election OfficialsNJ Division of Elections
34. Submit An OPRA RequestCounty of Bergen
35. County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau