Essex County Property Deed Records

Essex County deed records date back to 1637 and hold a vast store of land and property data. The Register of Deeds and Mortgages in Newark keeps these records for all 22 towns in the county. You can search Essex County deed records through their PRESS system for documents filed since 2001. Older deed records are stored in the Public Vault at the Hall of Records. This guide walks you through the best ways to find and access deed records in Essex County, New Jersey.

Essex County Register of Deeds

Essex County has its own Register of Deeds and Mortgages. This is a separate office from the County Clerk. The Register, Hon. Juan M. Rivera, Jr., runs the office that preserves and records all property transactions in the county. A copy of each deed and mortgage filed since 1637 is on file here. The office serves all 22 towns in Essex County, from Newark and East Orange to Bloomfield Township and Irvington Township.

You can visit the Essex County Register of Deeds at the Hall of Records, Room 130, 465 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102. The phone number is 973-621-4960. Staff can help you look up deed records, get copies, and file new documents. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

The Register of Deeds handles all land record filings in Essex County under state law. New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. Title 46 governs the recording of property deeds, mortgages, and liens. Each document is indexed by grantor and grantee name, book, and page. This makes it possible to trace the full chain of title for any parcel in Essex County.

Search Essex County Deed Records Online

The PRESS system lets you search Essex County deed records from your home or office. As of May 13, 2019, property transactions from May 1, 2001 to the present are on this system. You can look up deeds, mortgages, and other land documents filed in Essex County. The database holds records across 17,741 books.

Go to the Essex County PRESS system to start your search. The tool lets you search records from October 1, 1996 forward. Each search has a max date range of 90 days, so you may need to run more than one search for a broad time frame. You can look up records by name, book and page, or document type.

The basic search portal is the best place to start. Type in a name or use the drop-down menus to pick a document type. Results show book, page, date, and party names. You can view images of the actual deed records right on screen.

Note: PRESS data is for information only and is not valid for title searches, which must be done in person at the Essex County Register.

Historical Deed Records in Essex County

Essex County was formed on March 7, 1683 as one of the first counties in the Province of East Jersey. Parts of the county later broke off to form Passaic County in 1837 and Union County in 1857. The deed records from those early years still exist and are kept at the Register's office and the New Jersey State Archives.

The Public Vault at the Hall of Records has older deed records from the early 1700s. These books hold hand-written deeds, land grants, and mortgage records from long before the state's birth. Researchers, title firms, and genealogists use these records to trace land back through the centuries. Cancellations of mortgage filed before July 2, 2012 are not in the online system but can be found in the physical index books at the office.

The New Jersey State Archives also holds earlier Essex County deed records starting from 1683. Their special collections include unique documents such as Manumissions of Slaves Book A from 1804 to 1817, Birth Certificates of Children of Slaves from 1804 to 1843, and Civil War volunteer records from 1861 to 1865. These archives give a fuller picture of land and property in Essex County across the full span of its long past.

Deed records from Essex County reveal how land changed hands over more than three and a half centuries. Each deed shows the grantor, grantee, date, price, and a legal description of the land. Mortgages show how much was owed and the terms of the loan. Together, these records form a complete paper trail for every piece of land in Essex County.

Essex County Deed Record Details

A deed record filed in Essex County holds key facts about a property sale or transfer. The document lists the names of the seller and buyer, a legal description of the land, the sale price, and the date of the transaction. It also shows the notary who witnessed the signing and the date the deed was recorded at the Register's office.

Common types of deed records you can find in Essex County include:

• Warranty deeds for full property transfers
• Quitclaim deeds for partial or release transfers
• Mortgage deeds and assignments
• Liens and releases of liens
• Lis pendens filings

Essex County deed records are public under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1. Any person can ask to view them. You do not need to own the land or be a party to the deed. This makes Essex County deed records a useful resource for buyers, sellers, attorneys, and title companies.

Visiting the Essex County Register

For records that are not in the online system, an in-person visit is the way to go. The Public Search Room at the Hall of Records in Newark has index books, deed books, and mortgage books going back to the early 1700s. Staff can point you to the right set of books based on the time frame and type of record you need.

Bring the property address or the names of the parties if you can. Title searches must be done in person at the Essex County Register. The PRESS system alone is not enough for a full title check. Plan to spend some time if you are tracing a long chain of ownership. The office can make copies of any deed record you find in Essex County.

Note: No photos of documents are allowed in the Public Search Room at the Essex County Register.

Recording Deeds in Essex County

When you buy or sell property in Essex County, the deed must be filed with the Register of Deeds and Mortgages. New Jersey law under N.J.S.A. 46:16 requires that all deeds be recorded in the county where the land is. Filing your deed protects your ownership rights and puts the transfer on the public record in Essex County.

The Register's office in Newark accepts deed filings in person during normal business hours. Each document must meet state format rules for margins, font size, and notarization. Staff will review the deed, stamp it with a book and page number, and enter it in the index. Once filed, the deed becomes part of the permanent record in Essex County. Attorneys, title companies, and property owners all use this process to put land transfers on record.

Related Property Records in Essex County

Beyond deed records, other offices in Essex County hold property data that may help your search. The Essex County Tax Board keeps assessment records for each parcel. Local tax assessors in Newark, East Orange, Bloomfield Township, and Irvington Township can provide current and past property values. These records often tie back to deed records when a sale changes the assessed value.

The Essex County Surrogate handles estate matters that may result in property transfers. When land passes through a will or probate, new deed records are created. The County Clerk's office deals with trade names, notary registrations, and other filings that may relate to property owners. Together, these offices give a full view of property records in Essex County, New Jersey.

Cities in Essex County

All 22 municipalities in Essex County file deed records at the Register of Deeds and Mortgages in Newark. Property transfers in any town in the county are recorded at this one office.

Other towns in Essex County include Montclair, Livingston, West Orange, Maplewood, South Orange, Nutley, and Belleville. All of these record deed transfers at the Essex County Register in Newark.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Essex County. If you are not sure which county holds the deed records for a property, check the land's address. Each county records deeds only for property within its own borders.