Somerset County
Somerset County is one of the country's oldest counties; the area was first settled in 1681 before being officially established by charter on May 22, 1688. Today, Somerset County is one of only two landlocked counties in New Jersey. It is also the state's 13th most-populous county, covering 302 square miles with an approximate population of 345,367.
The Somerset County trial court system comprises a Superior Court and a Surrogate's Court. The Surrogate's Court handles probate-related matters (including mental health assessments, conservatorships, and adoptions). On the other hand, the Superior Court consists of several divisions that handle a wide range of legal matters. These include:
- A Criminal Division that handles all indictable criminal cases involving adults and may also hear criminal matters involving juveniles.Â
- A Family Division that handles all family law, domestic relations, and juvenile-related matters, such as divorce proceedings, juvenile delinquency cases, domestic violence, adoption, and termination of parental rights cases.Â
- A Civil Division that has jurisdiction over all civil actions. Examples of cases commonly filed in this division include personal injury claims, breaches of contracts, landlord/tenant disputes, and small claims cases (where the amount in controversy is not more than $5,000).Â
- A Municipal Division (commonly referred to as Municipal Court) that has jurisdiction over motor vehicle and traffic violations, ordinance violations, disorderly and petty disorderly persons offenses. Municipal Courts also handle preliminary hearings for indictable offenses in the county.Â
- A Recovery Court that offers non-violent, drug-addicted offenders an alternative to incarceration through intense, court-monitored, treatment and rehabilitation programs.Â
Somerset County public court records are documents containing information on cases and other court actions handled in the county. The New Jersey Superior Court Clerk's Office and the Somerset County Surrogate are the official custodians of these records, which include (but are not limited to) case summaries, court orders, motions, and judgments.
You can access Somerset County public court records via the following methods:
- By completing a New Jersey Judiciary Records Request Form and submitting this form online through the NJ Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) Platform (for Superior Court records).
- By utilizing the Somerset County Probate Search System (for Surrogate's Court records).Â
Be aware that copy fees and additional charges may apply.
