Learn How to Access New Jersey Public Records

The Freedom of Information Act adopted by the US states makes it mandatory for them to make public all civil and criminal records that are not considered confidential, have not been sealed by the court, or whose disclosure will not compromise national security. Public records refer to, among others, birth, marriage, divorce and death records, drunk driving offense records, past and present court cases, building permits, occupational licenses, and arrest warrants. Criminal records involving juvenile offenders are exempt from the dictates of this law. New Jersey public records are also quite readily available.

Search New Jersey Public Records

There are countless commercial web sites that store New Jersey public records and many claim tie-ups with government sources. But it is a wise policy to obtain NJ public records directly from the respective government body maintaining them. You can be sure about their authenticity.

The Offender Search tool developed by the New Jersey Department of Corrections is a public safety measure that is designed to enable access to information related to the offenders housed in the various correctional facilities of the state. Visit https://www6.state.nj.us/DOC_Inmate/inmatefinder?i=I when you have to carry out a New Jersey public records search on the state offenders. The Department updates these records bi-weekly. The records of offenders on parole or who have been released are however, not updated.

You can access records of driving history at the official web site of the state of New Jersey’s Motor Vehicles Commission, http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Licenses/driver_history_page.htm. The web site contains a comprehensive step-by-step guidance on how to fill out the Driver History Abstract application form. The driving history of a person lists the status of his driving privileges and mentions whether or not s/he has been convicted of a drunk driving offense. This is not a free service and you have pay with your credit card.

Records on registered sex offenders are available at http://www.njsp.org/info/reg_http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/sexoffend.html. These records are maintained and updated by the state Department of Law and Public Safety.

New Jersey Public Records to Help Background Check

You may wish to conduct a thorough criminal background check on an individual. In such a circumstance, it will be cumbersome to search all NJ public records one by one. The Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety operates a criminal history records check system. Citizens, various government agencies, and also business establishments frequently use this service to obtain background check information for purposes like acquiring visa, naturalization, immigration, and obtaining foreign business permits.

A request for this information has to be submitted by filling out a form, which is available with the Superintendent of the State Police. Submit this form along with a cashier, business or certified check or money order payable to Division of State Police – SBI at their office at Division of State Police, Attn: CIU, P.O Box 7068, West Trenton, NJ 08628-0068.   

The Department’s web site http://www.nj.gov/lps/njsp/about/serv_http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/chrc.html, also lists the procedures that you need to follow to obtain your own criminal history records. The various forms required to fulfill this procedure are also housed here for your convenience.

When you search public records in NJ, you can be sure that the process will be hassle-free.