Cape May County is located in the Southernmost part of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City, NJ, Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden Combined Statistical Area. As of 2020, about 95,263 people reside in the county. Cape May’s county seat is the Cape May Court House.
Courts in Cape May County
The county is served by the Superior, the Surrogate, and the Municipal Courts. The Cape May County Superior Court is a court of general jurisdiction. All indictable criminal cases are within the Superior Court’s jurisdiction. The Criminal Division of the Superior Court also has the Judicial Appellate Division that reviews Municipal court judgments. All civil matters beyond the jurisdiction of other lesser courts are brought before the Civil Division of the Superior Court. The Civil Division has three parts. They are the General Equity Division, the Special Civil Part, and the main Civil Division. The General Equity Division handles civil matters involving non-monetary damages and non-jury cases. At the same time, small claims over $5,000 but not more than $20,000 financial disputes are settled at the Special Civil Part. The main Civil Division hears cases in which the amount in controversy is more than $20,000.
The Cape May’s Surrogate Court is a court of limited jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases in the county. Legal matters such as guardianships, supervision of adoption, probate of wills, and administration of estates of deceased persons are handled by the Surrogate Court.
There are 12 Municipal Courts in Cape May County. These courts typically preside over pretrial hearings, certain misdemeanors, ordinance violations, and traffic offenses occurring within their borders. Also, the municipal court judges hear motor vehicle cases involving serious bodily injuries, auto theft, or assault that begin as complaints filed before they get transferred to the superior court.
Where to Find Public Court Records in Cape May County
Cape May County public court records are accessible online via New Jersey’s Electronic Access Program. Typically, the online platform is available only to subscribers. However, a person can complete the appropriate Request For Access To Government Records or record request form and submit it by mail or email. Also, interested persons may visit the Municipal courts in person to obtain Paper copies of court documents.
Types of Public Court Records in Cape May County
The following types of public court records are open to the general public in Cape May County:
- Civil court records, including general equity
- Criminal court records
- Judgment lien records
- Family court records
- Municipal court records
- Tax court records
- Special civil part records
- Foreclosure case records
Confidential Court Records
Confidential court records in Cape May County include the following:
- Prosecutors’ discovery materials in criminal proceedings
- Grand jury proceedings
- Records of child victims of sexual assault
- Documents involving domestic violence protection orders
- Juvenile delinquency court records
- Records of consultative, deliberative, and advisory discussions
- Medical records, including psychiatric/psychological and alcohol/drug evaluation reports
- Adoption and paternity proceedings
- Guardianship records
- Police investigative reports
- Confidential personal identifiers such as bank details, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and insurance policy numbers
Juvenile Delinquency in Cape May, NJ
Unfortunately, in many areas of the Cape May County, juvenile delinquency offenses are on the rise. There are many reasons for the inflation in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in New Jersey often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of charges, and other family matters.
In 2017, a total of 714 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Cape May County. Of that total, 49% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 352 court cases. Another 0% were dependency cases that accounted for 0 of the juvenile cases.
A lot of counties, including, Cape May County, are focusing on family counseling and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Cape May County juvenile delinquency tallies will show whether or not this approach is working.
| Juvenile Cases | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Delinquency | 13,593 |
| Dependency | 0 |
| Status | 1,918 |
Government of Cape May County, NJ
| County Seat: | Cape May Court House |
| Government Type: | County |
| Authority: | Dillon's Rule |
| Year Organized: | 1692 |
| Total Square Miles: | 620 |
| 2019 Population: | 93,553 |
| Persons/Square Mile: | 0.01 |
| County Contact: | 4 Moore Rd
County Administration Building Cape May Court House , NJ 08210-1654 http://www.co.cape-may.nj.us |