Understanding Civil Court Records in New Jersey

New Jersey civil court records are official documents and other materials filed with or generated by a court during the course of a civil litigation. These are legal claims that deal with disputes between private parties, such as individuals or entities.

Civil Court Records in New Jersey provide pertinent information about how a civil case was handled by the local court system, including the arguments presented by opposing sides in the case and the reasons for the court's judgment in a case (when applicable). They are also crucial for maintaining accurate records of civil cases and ensuring transparency in the legal process.

Generally, NJ civil records are public pursuant to New Jersey Court Rules 1:38, with certain exceptions outlined in Rule 1:38-3. Although the New Jersey Open Public Records Act does not directly affect court records, it supports the state's Court Rules, reinforcing the state's policy on the public right to access government records.

Civil Court Record Statistics Reported by New Jersey Courts

Within the past five (5) years, civil case filings in New Jersey have steadily increased, from 604,899 in 2020 to 867,974 cases in 2024, an over 35% increase. The most significant growth occurred between 2023 and 2024, when the number of reported incoming civil cases increased from 714,208 in 2023 to 867,972 in 2024, representing a 21.8% rise.

In 2024, 459,722 cases were linked to contractual disputes, which accounted for over 52% of the year's caseload. The statistics for other notable case types in 2024 include 304,890 probate/estate cases, 43,589 tort cases, 17,419 mental health cases, 16,674 small claims, 10,111 civil appeals, and 4,977 real property cases.

How Civil Records Differ from Criminal Records in

The primary difference between civil and criminal court records in New Jersey lies in the information they contain. Civil court records are used to document pertinent information about civil litigation. Meanwhile, criminal court records are official documentation of the prosecution of a crime. Generally, the purpose of civil litigation is to resolve disputes between private parties. On the other hand, criminal cases are used to enforce state law and maintain public order by ensuring that individuals found guilty of committing a crime face adequate punishment for their actions as prescribed by state laws.

The following are other notable differences between civil and criminal court records in New Jersey.

Category	Civil Record	Criminal Record
Legal Focus	Dispute involving two (2) or more private parties, such as individuals or entities.	Prosecution of a crime by the state
Case Titles	Plaintiff vs Defendant	The State of New Jersey vs Defendant
Potential Outcome	Settlement, money damages, and injunction.	Fines and restitution, probation, and imprisonment
Public Access	Both civil and criminal court records are public, with several exceptions

Structure of the Civil Court System in New Jersey

The New Jersey court system is made up of four (4) types of courts: the Supreme Court, Superior Courts, Municipal Courts, and the Tax Court. The Superior Courts, often referred to as the state's trial courts, have general jurisdiction over all civil cases that arise in the state. Each of New Jersey's 21 counties has a superior court, which typically has different divisions, including the Law Division and the Chancery Division, that are further divided into parts. These divisions and parts specialize in handling specific types of cases.

The table below identifies New Jersey courts and the types of civil cases they hear

Court	Type of Civil Cases
New Jersey Superior Courts	Exercises general jurisdiction over all civil cases, including family law matters.

The New Jersey 1947 State Constitution established the current organization of the state's court system. Article VI, Section III of the state's constitution vested the superior courts with general jurisdiction in all causes throughout the state.

Public Access to Civil Court Documents in New Jersey

New Jersey Court Rules 1:38 states that court records maintained by the judiciary are open to the public for inspection and copying, except when otherwise stated by these rules. As a result, most civil court documents in New Jersey are public.

Notwithstanding, Rule 1:38-3 and 1:38-7 of the New Jersey Court Rules exclude and protect specific court records and information from public access. These records include, but are not limited to:

Records that are considered confidential pursuant to a state or federal statute, rule, or case law.
Expunged or sealed records
Guardianship proceedings records
Psychological, psychiatric, medical, or alcohol and drug dependency records.
Juvenile delinquency records
Domestic violence records
Adoption reports and records
Records of action concerning a minor's name change.
Transcripts and records of civil commitment proceedings
Confidential personal identifiers, such as an individual's social security number, vehicle plate number, license number, current military status, active financial account or credit card number, and insurance number.

How to Lookup New Jersey Civil Court Records

In New Jersey, statewide civil court records are maintained by the State Superior Court Clerk's Office (SCCO). Thus, regardless of which county's Superior Court handled the sought-after civil case, requests for the case's court record may be directed to the SCCO. The SCCO provides different avenues that record seekers may use to access a case's court records: online or by electronic request.

Online

Record seekers may use the NJ Electronic Access Program (EAP) system to access information about civil cases online. Case information available through the EAP includes entered orders, a list of filed documents, proceedings scheduled, details of attorneys involved in a case, motioned dispositions, and names and status (i.e., active, defaulted, or settled) of litigants.

It is worth noting that the use of the EAP is subject to a $4 per-minute fee, and users must enroll to access it. A Judiciary Account Charge System (JACS) account is required for enrolling in EAP. An enrollment request may be made by completing the subscriber agreement and subscriber enrollment forms and mailing them to:

Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex

P.O. Box 971

Trenton, New Jersey 08625

Once the enrollment request gets approved, the subscriber will be emailed their login ID and password for the EAP system.

Electronic request

Interested persons may request court records of civil cases electronically using the SCCO record request form. They may download the request form, complete it accurately, and submit it electronically via the NJ Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) portal. Depending on the type of copy they request, requesters will be charged specific fees. These include but are not limited to $0.05 for letter-sized pages, $0.07 for legal-sized pages, and $15 for certified copies.

Types of Civil Cases Filed in New Jersey Courts

The following are some of the most common types of civil cases filed in New Jersey:

Small claims: these are cases where the monetary compensation being sought by the plaintiff is less than $5,000. The cases are handled by the Small Claim section within the Special Civil Part of a County's Superior Court.
Contract disputes: These arise from conflicts regarding the interpretation, performance, or breach of a legally binding contract.
Landlord-tenant dispute: These cases involve disagreements between landlords and their tenants. They are heard by the regular Special Civil Part of a County's Superior Court.
Family law cases involve legal matters that arise within a family or affect interpersonal relationships between family members. Some examples include divorce, adoption, termination of parental rights, child abuse, and domestic violence. These cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Superior Court and are handled by the court's Chancery Division Family Part.
Product liability: These are claims for damages that an individual suffered as a result of using a defective product. They are usually filed by a consumer against the seller or manufacturer of a product.
Tort: these are cases where a plaintiff seeks compensation for damages they incurred as a result of the defendant's actions or failure to act. The New Jersey Tort Claims Act governs these cases, which are heard by the Law Division of the Superior Court.

Information Captured in New Jersey Civil Court Files

New Jersey civil court files typically contain basic information about a civil case, including the names of the parties involved and their attorneys, case title, filing date, case number, current status, type of case, and venue. These files also comprise various documents that litigants filed and that the presiding court generated in connection with the case. These include, but are not limited to:

Briefs
Orders
Motions
Pleadings
Judgment
Summons
Counterclaims
The civil complaint

The New Jersey Superior Court Clerk's Office (SCCO) serves as the statewide custodian of civil court files. The SCCO also ensures that members of the public are allowed access to these records in accordance with the New Jersey Court Rules 1:38. Although most civil court files are public, they may contain confidential information, such as personal identifiers described in New Jersey Court Rules 1:38-7, that are subject to redactions.

Retention and Archiving of Civil Court Records in New Jersey

The New Jersey Record Retention Schedule was issued in accordance with the state's Administrative Directive 3-01 and other subsequent relevant directives. In terms of civil court records, the schedule is divided into different sections that address how civil court records from various divisions and parts of the Superior Courts are retained. For instance, case files of small claims with judgments are retained for 20 years, and those of small claims that were dismissed or settled are retained for 3 years, according to the Law Division - Special Civil Part Section. Meanwhile, the Chancery Division - Family Part section outlines the retention time limit for the following types of family law cases:

Guardianship: 26 years from the year the case was initiated.
Domestic violence cases: two (2) years after the case dismissal.
Dismissed domestic violence cases: 80 years from the year the case was initiated.
Child protection case file: 26 years from the year the case was initiated.

The complete list of sections of the Record Retention Schedule is available at the bottom of the New Jersey Judiciary's Copies of Court Records page. Generally, once relevant records reach their retention time limit, they may be destroyed according to the procedure prescribed in the Disposition of Records section of the Judiciary Record Retention Guidelines.

References and Official Resources

The following are official resources and government offices through which interested persons may access civil court records in New Jersey:

New Jersey Superior Court Clerk's Office (SCCO): This administrative office is responsible for managing statewide civil court records, as well as certain archived court records
New Jersey Electronic Access Program (EAP) system: This is the state judiciary's case management system that provides online access to court case information.
New Jersey Law Library: This resource may be utilized for in-depth legal research on various aspects of the state's judiciary, including but not limited to legislative history, court structure, and court opinions.