Located in the northeastern part of New Jersey, Passaic County has a population of 524,118 as of the 2020 census. During the same period, the county had a median household income of $84,465. Paterson City is the county seat and its largest city.
Courts in Passaic County
Passaic County is home to the Passaic Superior Court, Surrogate’s Court, Municipal Courts, and the New Jersey Tax Courts.
The Passaic County Superior Court has wide jurisdiction over cases arising from the county. The criminal division of the court handles hearings of allegations of indictable offenses in the county. The division generally lacks jurisdiction over juvenile offenders except where the crime alleged is severe.
The civil jurisdiction of the court extends over a wide range of non-criminal matters, including landlord-tenant issues, claims to money, and professional malpractice. The civil division of the court hears monetary claims in which more than $20,000 is in dispute. If the amount in dispute is between $5,000 and $20,000, then the case comes before the special civil part. This part also hears small claims of $5,000 or less. Meanwhile, non-monetary claims fall within the jurisdiction of the chancery division. The general equity part of the chancery division hears claims for equitable reliefs, the probate part hears contested probate matters, while the family part hears juvenile and domestic matters. The Passaic County Surrogate’s Court also has authority over probate matters like wills, guardianships, and adoption. However, the court may only handle such matters when they are uncontested. On its part, the New Jersey Tax Court handles tax disputes arising from the county.
Finally, cities and towns in Passaic County have Municipal Courts that handle traffic offenses, ordinance violations, and certain juvenile matters like curfew violations.
Where to Find Public Court Records in Passaic County
Passaic County court records are statutorily in the custody of the New Jersey Superior Court Clerk, who grants public access to them. These records are available upon completing the records request form and submitting it online to the Clerk’s office. However, record requests for Tax Courts require submission via email. Also, probate records of the Passaic County Surrogate Court are accessible upon appropriate request to the County’s Surrogate. The Surrogate Court also runs an online index search service. Other Passaic County case records are also available online through the New Jersey Electronic Access Program (EAP).
Types of Public Court Records in Passaic County
Passaic County public court records are case records that are accessible to the public without any legal restriction. These include case dockets, information, pleadings, documents, and court judgments relating to cases of the following divisions/courts:
- Civil Division
- Chancery Division
- Special civil part
- Criminal Division
- Family Division
- Municipal Court
- Tax Court
Confidential Court Records in Passaic County
Confidential court records in Passaic County are shielded from public view. Court records are either made confidential by statute or sealed by court order. Examples of such records include:
- Guardianship records
- Juvenile records
- Adoption records
- Minors' name change records
Juvenile Delinquency in Passaic, NJ
Unfortunately, in many areas of the Passaic County, juvenile delinquency issues are on the rise. There are many reasons for the rise in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in New Jersey often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of crimes, and other family matters.
In 2017, a total of 142 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Passaic County. Of that total, 94% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 133 court cases. Another 0% were dependency cases that accounted for 0 of the juvenile cases.
A lot of counties, including, Passaic County, are focusing on family therapy and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Passaic County juvenile delinquency numbers will show whether or not this approach is working.
| Juvenile Cases | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Delinquency | 5,754 |
| Dependency | 0 |
| Status | 1,052 |
Government of Passaic County, NJ
| County Seat: | Paterson |
| Government Type: | County |
| Authority: | Dillon's Rule |
| Year Organized: | 1837 |
| Total Square Miles: | 197 |
| 2019 Population: | 512,607 |
| Persons/Square Mile: | 0.00 |
| County Contact: | 401 Grand St
County Administration Building Paterson , NJ 07505-2027 http://www.passaiccountynj.org/ |