Burlington County is located in the Southern part of New Jersey. As of 2020, about 460,000 people reside in Burlington. The county has a land area of 799.3 square miles, making it the largest county in New Jersey. Burlington’s county seat is the Township of Mount Holly.
Courts in Burlington County
The Burlington County Superior Court is a court of general jurisdiction. All felony indictable crimes are within the Superior Court’s jurisdiction. The Criminal Division of the Superior Court also reviews appeals from Municipal court judgments. All civil matters beyond the jurisdiction of other smaller courts are brought before the Civil Division of the Superior Court. The Civil Division has three parts. Non-monetary civil lawsuits are handled at the General Equity Division, while small claims matter not more than $20,000 financial disputes are settled at the Special Civil Part. The main Civil Division hears cases in which the monetary disagreement is more than $20,000.
Burlington’s Surrogate Court has limited jurisdiction over criminal and civil lawsuits in the county. Legal matters typically handled by the Surrogate Court include probate of wills, guardianships, administration of estates of deceased persons, and intestate matters.
There are 38 Municipal Courts in Burlington County. Created under state laws, municipal courts typically preside over pretrial hearings, certain misdemeanors, ordinance violations, and traffic offenses. Sometimes, the Superior Court may allow Municipal court judges to hear motor vehicle cases involving serious bodily injuries or deaths.
Where to Find Public Court Records in Burlington County
Burlington County public court records are accessible online via New Jersey’s Electronic Access Program (EAP). Record searchers in the county can find the following court documents through the online platform:
- Case dockets
- Names of involved parties
- Transcripts
- Affidavits of witnesses
- Plea bargains
- Jury lists
- Depositions
- Summons and subpoenas
- Motions and responses
- Court judgements
Note that the online platform is available only to subscribers. Non-subscribers can request court records by mail or email. New Jersey also maintains a statewide repository for searching Municipal court records online. However, requesters may visit the Municipal courts in person to obtain the physical court documents.
Types of Public Court Records in Burlington County
County residents can find the following types of public court records in Burlington County:
- Civil court records, including general equity and special civil part records
- Criminal division records
- Family court records
- Municipal court records
- Tax court records
- Judgment lien records
- Foreclosure case records
Confidential Court Records
Per NJ Court Rule 1:38, confidential court records in Burlington County include the following:
- Medical records, including psychiatric/psychological and alcohol/drug dependency reports
- Prosecutors’ discovery materials in criminal proceedings
- Grand jury proceedings
- Victim statements
- Expunged records
- Records of child victims of sexual assault
- Documents stored by the Pretrial Services Program
- Marijuana conviction records
- Juvenile delinquency records
- Paternity records
- Adoption records
- Guardianship records
- Police investigative reports
- Confidential personal identifiers such as active bank details, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and insurance policy numbers
- Sealed records
Generally, these confidential records are available only to record holders and their legal representatives. Interested parties may access these records by obtaining court orders in Burlington County.
Juvenile Delinquency in Burlington, NJ
Unfortunately, in many areas of the Burlington County, juvenile delinquency crimes are on the rise. There are many reasons for the increase in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in New Jersey often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of offenses, and other family matters.
In 2017, a total of 1286 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Burlington County. Of that total, 72% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 924 court cases. Another 0% were dependency cases that accounted for 0 of the juvenile cases.
A lot of counties, including, Burlington County, are focusing on family health and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Burlington County juvenile delinquency statistics will show whether or not this approach is working.
| Juvenile Cases | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Delinquency | 13,093 |
| Dependency | 0 |
| Status | 2,439 |
Government of Burlington County, NJ
| County Seat: | Mount Holly |
| Government Type: | County |
| Authority: | Dillon's Rule |
| Year Organized: | 1694 |
| Total Square Miles: | 820 |
| 2019 Population: | 448,596 |
| Persons/Square Mile: | 0.00 |
| County Contact: | 49 Rancocas Rd
County Office Building Mount Holly , NJ 08060-1317 http://www.co.bhttp://www.co.burlington.nj.usington.nj.us |