|Back to Office of the Superior Court Clerk|
Copies of Court Records
- Types of Court Records Available
- Location of Court Records
- Types of Copies and Court Authentication
- Copy and Authentication Fees
- Methods of Payment for Copy Fees
- How to Request Copies of Court Records
Types of Court Records Available
Except where prohibited by Supreme Court Rule or by statute, the following court records are available for public inspection:
- Civil Division including Chancery General Equity Records
- Special Civil Part Records
- Criminal Division Records
- Family Division Records
- Municipal Court Records
Copies of these records are available for purchase. See LOCATION OF COURT RECORDS (immediately below) to determine where to submit a copy request or to view records. Also, see Rule 1:38 for a listing of exceptions to the general rule of public access to court records.
Location of Court Records
Active Records
Contact the local courthouse in the county where the case was heard for copies of the following active court records:
- Civil Division including Chancery General Equity Records
- Special Civil Part Records
- Criminal Division Records
- Family Division Records
Contact the Superior Court Clerk’s Office for the following active records:
- Statewide judgment lien records
- Foreclosure case records
Copy and authentication fees will apply and must be included with the written request. See the Customer Service page for address information to request copies of these records. Please include a self-addressed stamped business size envelope with your request to speed the return of your copies.
The municipality stores active Municipal Court records.
Closed Records
Contact the local courthouse in the county where the case was heard for copies of the following closed court records:
- Civil Cases including Chancery General Equity until archived
- Criminal Cases
- Divorce Cases until archived
- Family Cases (except divorce cases)
- Special Civil Part Cases
Closed Archived Records
Contact the Superior Court Clerk's Office for copies of the following closed-archived records:
- Case Files
- Civil Cases (archived)
- Divorce Cases (archived)
- Foreclosure Cases (all)
- General Equity Cases (archived)
- Judgment Records
- Statewide judgment liens
- Satisfaction of Statewide judgment liens
Copy and authentication fees will apply and must be included with the written request. See the Customer Service page for address information to request copies of these records. Please include a self-addressed stamped business size envelope with your request to speed the return of your copies.
NOTE: The availability of resources and the potential for disruption of court operations are considerations in determining how quickly Judiciary staff can respond to record requests, especially when records are stored off-site. If a record request is voluminous or for other reasons cannot be completed within the normal timeframe, or if a request is for certain documents on an ongoing basis (e.g., all complaints filed in the civil division each week), it shall be referred to the appropriate division manager or municipal court administrator. The division manager or municipal court administrator shall assess the request and together with the requestor craft a reasonable solution that meets both the public’s need for access and the Judiciary's need for efficient court operations.
Types of Copies and Court Authentication
Plain Copy: A plain copy is a photocopy of the court document.
Certified Copy: A certified copy is a plain copy with a stamp affixed with the Superior Court Clerk/Deputy Clerk’s signature attesting to the authenticity of the document.
Seal of the Court: The seal of the Superior Court may be affixed to a certified copy.
Exemplified Copy: An exemplified copy includes the attestation of the clerk and seal of the court annexed, if a seal exists, together with a certificate of a judge of the court that the said attestation is in proper form. An exemplified copy is usually requested when the document shall be proved or admitted in other courts within the United States and its Territories and Possessions.
Triple Exemplified Copy: A triple exemplified copy contains an additional certification in which the judge certifies as to the form of the attestation in the verification and the authority of the Clerk of the Court who signed the exemplification, and the Clerk certifies as to the authority of the judge.
Apostille: An Apostille is provided attesting to the legal status of selected public officials, such as Judges, Clerks of Court and County Clerks. It is provided if the transaction involves a country that subscribes to the Hague Treaty and is processed through the New Jersey Division of Revenue. A requestor must first receive the exemplified copy from the Superior Court Clerk’s Office and forward to the Division of Revenue.
Copy and Authentication Fees
Plain copies:
- 5¢ per page for letter size pages;
- 7¢ per page for legal size pages.
Certified Copy: $5.00 for the first 5 pages plus 5 cents (.05) for each additional page
Seal of the Court: $5.00
Exemplified Copy: $5.00 plus the plain copy fees
Triple Exemplified Copy: $10.05
Certificate of Statewide Judgment Lien: $5.05
Certificate of Divorce: $5.00
Certified Copy of Final Judgment of Divorce: $10.00*
*Please note: When requesting copies of judgments of divorce, the terms of property settlement agreements are not always contained within or attached to the judgment. Additional copy fees may apply to a property settlement agreement that is not contained within the judgment of divorce.
Methods of Payment for Copy Fees
Payment for fees is accepted in the form of check, money order, or cash. Checks/money orders must be payable to "Treasurer-State of New Jersey". (Please note: Only checks with pre-printed names will be accepted.) Attorneys may use their Superior Court Attorney Collateral Account to pay for copies. Since for plain copies the copy fee is based on the number of pages, we cannot determine the exact fee for copies until the request is processed. Please ensure that you provide a daytime telephone number on your copy request form so that we can inform you of the copy fee for your request.
How to Request Copies of Court Records
Please complete a Copy Request Form and email it to SCCOMailbox@judiciary.state.nj.us or mail or bring it to our office.
For additional information on how to obtain copies of records contact Customer Service at (609) 421-6100.