Cumberland County
Cumberland County is New Jersey's fifth largest county by land, occupying about 483 square miles. It was created in 1748 and named in honor of Prince William, Duke of Cumberland. As of 2022, Cumberland County is home to 153,588 residents, while its county seat is the City of Bridgeton.
Cumberland County has three trial courts, including the Superior, Surrogate, and Municipal Courts. The Superior Court in Cumberland County has general jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases that are not exclusive to other county courts. It has different subject matter court divisions, including criminal, civil, and family divisions. The Criminal Division hears all felony and misdemeanor cases, while the Civil Division resolves monetary claims for more than $20,000. Civil actions where the amount in controversy is $20,000 or less are handled by the Special Civil Part of the Civil Division. The Family Division of the Superior Court has jurisdiction over legal matters involving paternity, divorce, juvenile, child custody, and domestic violence. Cumberland County's Surrogate's Court handles all probate matters. The Municipal Courts in Cumberland County preside over felony pretrial hearings, traffic offenses, and ordinance violations.
Cumberland County court records, which are public documents under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, contain information about legal proceedings in the county's trial courts. These include litigants' names, court dates, subpoenas, filing dates, court opinions, final dispositions, and judgments. The Superior Court Clerk's Office (SCCO) typically restricts access to probation, drug, juvenile, and adoption court records in Cumberland County. However, the SCCO disseminates the following court records to members of the public upon request:
- Civil records
- Criminal court records
- Municipal court records
- Probate court records
- Family law records
- Land records
Interested parties can obtain public court documents by completing Records Request Forms. Then, register or log in to the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) to submit the forms electronically. Alternatively, record searchers can mail request forms to the SCCO at:
Superior Court Clerk's Office
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
Attention: Customer Access
P.O. Box 971
Trenton, NJ 08625-0971
Cumberland County court records often cost $0.50 per page. However, additional charges for mail requests or certified copies may be included. Anyone can access limited criminal and civil court records online via the New Jersey Find a Case portal.
