| Superior Court (vicinage) | Essex Vicinage, Superior Court of New Jersey |
|---|---|
| County Clerk | Essex County Clerk |
| Clerk address | Essex County Historic Courthouse, 470 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102 (Veterans Courthouse: 50 West Market Street; Family Courthouse: 350 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102) |
| Phone | (973) 776-9300 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | $0.05 per letter-size page; $0.07 per legal-size page |
| Certified copy fee | $15 per document (plus $10 for the court seal, or $50 for an exemplified copy) |
Essex County is its own Superior Court vicinage, based at the Essex County Veterans Courthouse at 470 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Newark. The vicinage's Civil, Criminal, and Family Case Records divisions hold Superior Court files for the county, acting as the record holder that other states would call a district clerk.
The Essex County Clerk is a separate office, also based in Newark, that records deeds and mortgages, files business trade names and notary commissions, and issues passports. It has no access to, or role in, Superior Court case files, so a search for a criminal or civil case should start with the vicinage, not the County Clerk.
Newark and the county's other municipalities each run their own municipal court for tickets and local ordinance violations, searchable statewide through the Municipal Court Public Portal.
Search Essex County court records online
Superior Court (vicinage)
Essex Vicinage, Superior Court of New Jersey
- Cost
- Free to search civil/foreclosure cases online; fees apply for copies
- Coverage
- Superior Court Law Division (civil, criminal) and Chancery Division (family, foreclosure) case records for Essex County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Confirmed by directly fetching the live vicinage page; njcourts.gov returns 403 to automated curl checks (Imperva bot protection). Re-fetched 2026-09-13 with a browser user-agent (HTTP 200); address, phone, and hours below match the live page.
County Clerk
Essex County Clerk
- Cost
- Free to search land records; fees for copies and passport services
- Coverage
- Land records (deeds, mortgages), business trade-name and notary filings, and U.S. passport applications — not Superior Court case records
Does not keep court case records; for a court case use the Essex vicinage Case Records divisions instead.
What is available online
The Civil and Foreclosure Public Access portal covers Essex's Superior Court civil and foreclosure dockets statewide after a free registration. Criminal and family case detail is more restricted and generally requires contacting the vicinage's Case Records division directly. Municipal tickets from Essex County towns, including Newark, are on the separate Municipal Court Public Portal.
Which clerk has your record
In New Jersey, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the New Jersey page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court, Appellate Division | Appeals from the Superior Court trial divisions; Appeals from the Tax Court; Review of state agency decisions | Clerk of the Appellate Division (Superior Court Clerk's Office) |
| Superior Court, Law Division | Felony and indictable criminal cases; Civil suits above the Special Civil Part limit; Landlord-tenant and small claims within Special Civil Part | Superior Court Clerk's Office / vicinage Civil and Criminal Case Records divisions |
| Superior Court, Chancery Division | Divorce, custody, and support (Family Part); Domestic violence restraining orders; Foreclosures and other general equity matters | Superior Court Clerk's Office / vicinage Family and Civil (foreclosure) Case Records divisions |
| Tax Court of New Jersey | Property tax assessment appeals; State tax disputes | Tax Court Management Office (Superior Court Clerk's Office) |
| Surrogate's Court (per county) | Probate of wills; Estate administration; Guardianship of minors' estates | County Surrogate |
| Municipal Courts | Traffic tickets; Municipal ordinance violations; Minor disorderly persons offenses | Municipal Court Administrator / Violations Clerk for that municipality |
Request records in person or by mail
Essex County clerk offices
Essex County Historic Courthouse, 470 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102 (Veterans Courthouse: 50 West Market Street; Family Courthouse: 350 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102)
Phone: (973) 776-9300
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Civil and foreclosure cases. Search the Civil and Foreclosure Public Access portal online after registering. For copies, contact the vicinage's Civil Case Records division at the Veterans Courthouse.
Criminal and family cases. Contact the Essex vicinage's Criminal or Family Case Records division at 470 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Newark, NJ 07102, or submit a request through JEDS. Have the case number, party names, and approximate filing date ready.
Land records and passports. Contact the Essex County Clerk, a separate office, not the Superior Court.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $0.05 per letter-size page; $0.07 per legal-size page |
| Certified copy | $15 per document (plus $10 for the court seal, or $50 for an exemplified copy) |
Figures are from the Superior Court Clerk's Office "Copies of Court Records" fee table, re-checked 2026-09-13 (fetched with a browser user-agent; plain automated requests to njcourts.gov get a 403). The same table lists a triple exemplified copy at $60, a Certificate of Divorce at $10, and a certified copy of a Final Judgment of Divorce at $25. Confirm the current schedule with the clerk before sending payment, since court rules periodically update fees.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
New Jersey court records are governed by Rule 1:38 (Public Access to Court Records and Administrative Records), which lists categories excluded from public access — including most Family Part records (custody, domestic violence, adoption), juvenile matters, and cases a judge has ordered impounded.
The New Jersey guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find an Essex County divorce or custody case?
Family Part cases are handled at the Essex vicinage's Chancery Division. Contact the Family Case Records division at the Veterans Courthouse in Newark; family case detail is largely confidential and not part of the public online civil portal.
Is there an online search for Essex County civil cases?
Yes. The statewide Civil and Foreclosure Public Access portal covers Essex County civil and foreclosure dockets after a free registration.
Does the Essex County Clerk have court records?
No. The County Clerk records deeds, mortgages, business filings, and passports. Court case records are held by the Essex vicinage's Superior Court Clerk's Office and Case Records divisions.
Where are Newark traffic tickets?
Newark and every other municipality in Essex County runs its own municipal court. Search by name or ticket number on the statewide Municipal Court Public Portal rather than through the county.
Sources
- Essex Vicinage, Superior Court of New Jersey — https://www.njcourts.gov/courts/vicinages/essex
- Essex County Clerk — https://www.essexclerk.com/
- NJ Courts — Civil and Foreclosure Public Access — https://www.njcourts.gov/public/find-a-case/civil-and-foreclosure-public-access
- NJ Courts — Municipal Court Public Portal — https://portal.njcourts.gov/webe41/MPAWeb/
- NJ Courts — Superior Court Clerk's Office — https://www.njcourts.gov/courts/superior-court-clerks-office
- NJ Courts — Vicinages (Superior Court locations) — https://www.njcourts.gov/courts/vicinages
- NJ Courts — Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) — https://www.njcourts.gov/self-help/jeds
- NJ Courts — Published Appellate Division Opinions — https://www.njcourts.gov/attorneys/opinions/published-appellate
- NJ Courts — Expunging Your Court Record (self-help) — https://www.njcourts.gov/self-help/expunge-record
- NJ Courts — Court Record Copy Fees — https://www.njcourts.gov/courts/superior-court-clerks-office/copies-court-records
- NJ State Police — Criminal History Records — https://njsp.njoag.gov/criminal-history-records/
- New Jersey Legislature — Statutes (search N.J.S.A. 2C:52 for expungement) — https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey — https://www.njd.uscourts.gov/
See also: all New Jersey counties.