Monmouth County
Monmouth County is a county located in the east central part of the State of New Jersey. Per the 2020 decennial census, the county's population of 643,615 residents, makes it the fifth-most-populous county in New Jersey. Its total land area of 468.2 square miles makes it the 6th largest county in the state by total area. Monmouth County was established in 1683.
Municipal courts, surrogate courts, and superior courts form the trial court system in Monmouth County. The municipal courts in the county handle traffic, quasi-criminal, disorderly, and petty disorderly cases. Violations of county or municipal ordinances are also heard in these courts.
Most probate cases in Monmouth County are heard by the surrogate's courts. The jurisdiction of the court over probate matters is limited to specific uncontested cases, such as admitting an original will to probate, appointing minors' guardians, and appointing an administrator to handle an estate when there is no will.
The Monmouth County superior court has general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters. It has separate divisions to hear cases, such as civil, family, criminal, probate, and chancery. The probate part of the chancery division of the superior court handles contested probate matters and some uncontested matters. Its statutory jurisdiction is to supervise and resolve disputes arising in a decedent's estate, guardianship, trust, conservatorship, and other probate matters. The superior court handles court matters outside the jurisdiction of other courts in Monmouth County.
Monmouth County public court records are maintained by the state clerk of the superior court. Anyone seeking a civil, family, criminal, or municipal court record can obtain such records by completing a court record request form. Subsequently, requests must submit the completed form on the website of the New Jersey courts. Remote access to case information for Monmouth County public court records is available via the Electronic Access Program (EAP) of the New Jersey judiciary. The state charges $4 per minute to access case information via the EAP.
