To get a copy of your deed in NJ, contact the recording office in the county where the property is located. In most counties that’s the County Clerk; in a few, including Essex, it’s the Register of Deeds and Mortgages. Every recorded deed is a public record, so you don’t have to be the owner or hire anyone to pull one. You can search online for free in most counties, or request a copy by mail or in person for a few dollars per page.
Which County Office Holds Your Deed
New Jersey records deeds at the county level, not through any statewide office. State law requires the county recording officer in each of the 21 counties to record properly submitted deeds and keep them open for public inspection.1FindLaw. New Jersey Code 46 Property – App A 46 19-1
For most counties, that officer is the County Clerk. A handful use a separate Register of Deeds and Mortgages instead. Essex County is the most common example. If you contact the wrong office they will redirect you, but knowing the distinction saves a call. Always work with the county where the property physically sits, which is not necessarily the county where you live.
What to Have on Hand Before You Search
County systems hold thousands of documents, so a few identifying details make the search much faster:
- Grantor and grantee names. The grantor transferred the property; the grantee received it. Deeds are indexed by these names, so spelling matters.2Justia. New Jersey Code 46 26A-8 – Indexes Entries
- Block and lot numbers from the municipal tax map. Every parcel in the state has them, and every recorded deed must include them.3FindLaw. New Jersey Code 46 26A-3 – Prerequisites for Recording
- The approximate date of transfer. Even the year narrows things down.
- Book and page number. If a title report or closing document lists the recording reference, it takes you straight to the deed with no searching at all.
Your block and lot numbers appear on a recent property tax bill or on your municipality’s tax assessor website. If you have none of this on hand, start with your name and property address on the county’s online search and work backward from what comes up.
Searching Online
Most New Jersey counties run free online search portals. You can look up recorded documents by name, by block and lot, or by recording date. The New Jersey County Recording System at njcountyrecording.com links out to individual county sites including Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic. Each county’s interface is different.
Once your search finds the right document, many portals display a digital image on screen, which you can print or download. Some counties charge a small per-page fee for printing. Others let you view for free and only charge for an official copy. A few require you to create an account or pay a one-time access fee before you can see images.
Online searches work best for deeds recorded in the last few decades, since that’s the period most counties have digitized. Older records may show up only as index entries with no viewable image, which means you’ll need a physical copy from the office by mail or in person.
Requesting by Mail
If the deed isn’t available digitally, or you’d rather not use the online portal, request a copy through the mail. Most county clerks post a request form on their website. Print it, fill in the identifying details, and mail it with payment to the County Clerk or Register of Deeds for the right county. Including a self-addressed stamped envelope helps the office send your copies back, and some counties require one.
Turnaround depends on the office’s volume. One to two weeks is a reasonable expectation, though busier counties take longer. Mailed requests generally have to be paid by check or money order made out to the County Clerk. Sending the wrong amount or the wrong form of payment is a common reason requests bounce back, so check the county’s fee schedule before you mail anything.
Requesting in Person
An in-person visit is the fastest option. Walk into the recording office during business hours, give the clerk your property details, and they can pull the record while you wait. Self-service copy stations at some offices let you print pages for as little as five cents each.4Cape May County, NJ – Official Website. Document Copy Policy
Fees for Deed Copies
Cost depends on the type of copy and how you get it. Two options exist:
- Plain, non-certified copy. A standard reproduction, fine for your own records or informal verification. Counties typically charge around $2.00 per page when staff produces the copy.
- Certified copy. Carries a raised seal and the clerk’s signature attesting that it’s a true copy of the recorded document. Most counties charge the per-page copy fee plus a flat $10.00 certification fee. Banks, courts, and government agencies often want this version.
Fees vary a little by county. Cape May County, for example, charges $1.00 per page plus $10.00 for certification on certified copies, and $2.00 per page for non-certified staff copies.4Cape May County, NJ – Official Website. Document Copy Policy Online portals generally take credit cards.
If You Just Closed on the Property
There’s a gap between closing day and the day your deed is available in county records. After closing, your attorney or title company sends the signed deed to the county for recording, which takes roughly two to six weeks depending on the county’s backlog. Until it’s recorded and indexed, it won’t show up in the search system.
In the meantime, contact the attorney who handled your closing. They should have a signed copy in the transaction file. The title company and the mortgage lender aren’t required to keep a copy after recording, so the closing attorney is the most reliable backup. Once the county processes the filing, it typically mails the original to you at the address listed on the document.