Passaic County Court Records
According to Rule 1:38-2 of the New Jersey Rules of Court, a Passaic County court record is any information kept on file by a court about a case or legal action. They consist of pleadings, briefs, dockets, motions, exhibits, indexes, calendars, transcripts, opinions, orders, and judgments. The Superior Court Clerk is responsible for court records storage and dispersal within Passaic County.
Access to legal information and maintaining transparency and accountability in the state's judicial system depends heavily on court records. These records offer insightful information about criminal and civil cases, enabling a fair and just society.
Are Court Records Public in Passaic County
Yes. The New Jersey Open Public Records Act requires that court records be easily accessible to residents for inspection, copying, or examination, with specific restrictions and for the protection of the public interest. However, certain court records are deemed confidential per the New Jersey Rules of Court. Court records excluded from public access include but are not limited to:
- General court records: These documents must be kept private per a law, rule, or ruling. They include data, reports, and assessments relating to medical, psychiatric, psychological, and alcohol and drug dependency.
- Internal records: These include notes, draft opinions, memoranda, or other working papers kept in any format by or for a justice, judge, or member of the judicial staff while discharging official obligations.
- Records of criminal and municipal court proceedings: They include expunged records, victim statements, documents about grand jury trials, records on children who have been sexually abused or assaulted, and search warrants.
- Records of family part proceedings: They include adoption records, paternity records, records relating to child victims of sexual assault or abuse, sealed records, and expunged juvenile records.
- Records of guardianship proceedings: These include guardianship reports and records kept by the Chancery Division and the Surrogate.
- Records of other proceedings: These include police investigative reports, impounded or sealed records, and all records in actions for change of name.
What Do Passaic County Court Records Contain?
Individuals can obtain the following information in Passaic County court records:
- Party name
- Venue
- Docket Number
- Case caption
- Case initiation date
- Court
- Case type
- Filed date
- Filings
- Transaction ID
- Entry date
- Case status
- Age of case
- Current discovery end date
- Current arbitration date
- Current trial date
- Case disposition
- Case actions
- Case track
- Number of discovery days
- Trial date
- Disposition date
- Original discovery end date
- Original arbitration date
- Judge
- Jury Demand
Where to Conduct a Passaic County Case Lookup
The general public can perform a Passaic County case lookup through the following custodians:
- Passaic County Superior Court
- Passaic County Surrogate's Court
- Passaic County Municipal Courts
How to Conduct a Passaic County Case Records Search
Record seekers can conduct a Passaic County case records search at the court where the case was filed. Specific information about the case will be required to facilitate the search. Also, a search and copy fee may be required by the staff. The Superior Court Clerk’s office provides three methods of retrieving court records online:
- Complete the Records Request Form and submit it through the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS). The desired record will be sent to the requester via email. Letter-size pages of plain copies of court records cost $0.05, while legal-size pages cost $0.07. Certified copies of court records cost $15. Payments can be made via credit cards.
- Access court records through the Electronic Access Program (EAP). Requesters must create a Judiciary Account Charge System (JACS) account before enrolling in EAP. EAP enrollment involves mailing a completed Subscriber Agreement and Subscriber Enrollment forms to:
EAP
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. Box 971
Trenton, NJ 08625
Upon enrollment, a login ID and password will be emailed to the requester. Accessing court records via EAP costs $4 per minute.
- Use the Find a Case tool available on the New Jersey Courts website to get court records online. The tool allows individuals to search civil or foreclosure cases, criminal convictions, criminal judgments, judgment liens, tax court cases, and municipal court cases.
Passaic County Civil Court Case Records
Civil court case records include civil lawsuits where the plaintiff alleges that the defendant's activities have harmed them and seek financial compensation. The Passaic County Superior Court Civil Division hears civil proceedings if the sum in dispute exceeds $20,000. The Special Civil Part of the Civil Division hears cases where the amount in controversy ranges from $5,000 to $20,000. Small claims cases are those heard in the Special Civil Part where the amount in controversy does not exceed $5,000.
Civil court records are easily accessible online through the Civil Case Jacket Public Access portal. The search criteria are by:
- Docket Number: Information required here includes case county, docket type, docket number, and docket year
- Party Name: Information required to complete this search includes the first and last name of the party involved.
Alternatively, individuals can obtain copies of civil case records by visiting the Passaic County Courthouse during normal office hours. A docket number or party name must be provided before the request can be processed.
Passaic County Criminal Court Case Records
Criminal court case records provide information regarding allegations made by Passaic County against a criminal during a court case. All indictable criminal matters involving adult offenders are processed and managed by the Passaic County Superior Court Criminal Division.
Individuals can find criminal court case records in person at the court where the case was filed. Alternatively, they can use the New Jersey Judiciary’s Promis/Gavel Public Access or Criminal Judgments Public Access to view public court records online. The search parameters are by name, indictment/accusations number, CDR number, or SDI number.
How to Get Court Records Online for Free
Individuals can get court records online at no cost at the Find a Case page hosted on the New Jersey Courts website. The page has several portals where record seekers can easily find public court records:
- Civil and Foreclosure Cases
- Criminal Cases
- Criminal Judgments
- Tax Court Cases
- Municipal Court Cases
- Supreme Court Cases
- Attorney Discipline Cases
- Judicial Discipline Cases
Inquirers must choose the specific portal that provides information on their desired case records and initiate a search by party name, docket number, court location, SBI number, complaint number, indictment number, or ticket number.
Courts in Passaic County
The following is the contact information of all the courts in Passaic County:
Passaic County Courthouse
77 Hamilton Street,
Paterson, NJ 07505
Phone: (973) 653-2910
Municipal courts in Passaic County include:
Bloomingdale Municipal Court
101 Hamburg Turnpike
Bloomingdale, NJ 07403
Phone: (973) 838-0127
Clifton Municipal Court
900 Clifton Avenue,
Clifton, NJ 07013
Phone: (973) 470-5860
Haledon Boro Municipal Court
510 Belmont Avenue,
Haledon, NJ 07508
Phone: (973) 790-0500
Hawthorne Boro Municipal Court
445 Lafayette Avenue,
Hawthorne, NJ 07506
Phone: (973) 427-4767
Little Falls Municipal Court
225 Main Street
Little Falls, NJ 07424
Phone: (973) 256-2400
North Haledon Municipal Court
103 Overlook Avenue
North Haledon, NJ 07508
Phone: (973) 423-0232
Passaic City Municipal Court
330 Passaic Street,
Passaic, NJ 07055
Phone: (973) 365-3975
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) 616-5908
Prospect Park Municipal Court
106 Brown Avenue,
Prospect Park, NJ 07508
Phone: (973) 790-7902
Ringwood Boro Municipal Court
60 Margaret King Avenue,
Ringwood, NJ 07456
Phone: (973) 962-6146
Totowa Boro Municipal Court
537 Totowa Road,
Totowa, NJ 07512
Phone: (973) 956-1005
Wanaque Boro Municipal Court
579 Ringwood Avenue,
Wanaque, NJ 07465
Phone: (973) 839-3000
Wayne TWP Municipal Court
475 Valley Road,
Wayne, NJ 07470,
Phone: (973) 694-1800
West Milford TWP 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
