Access Burlington County Clerk Records

Burlington County Clerk Is Not the Court Clerk

This point matters more than any other on the page. The Burlington County Clerk is a land-records and recording office. It is not part of the court system. The official County Clerk page states plainly that the office is not associated with the judicial system. Court business goes elsewhere.

So where does court work go? Summonses, jury duty, requests for court documents, and divorce records must be handled by NJ Courts, the Burlington Vicinage, the right municipal court, or the Prosecutor. The County Clerk cannot pull a case file or a divorce decree for you. If you need a court record, start with the Superior Court Clerk instead, or read the court records page for the full search path.

A simple rule helps here. If the document is a deed, a mortgage, a lien, or another recorded instrument, begin with PRESS or the County Clerk. If it is a court filing, a judgment, or a divorce decree, begin with NJ Courts. The County Clerk also does not keep vital records. Births, deaths, adoptions, marriages, civil unions, domestic partnerships, and divorces are held by the municipal registrar or the New Jersey Department of Health, not by this office.

The Burlington County Clerk's Office

Joanne Schwartz serves as the Burlington County Clerk. The main office sits in Mount Holly and handles every core Clerk service, from recording deeds to running elections. Deputy Clerks Jalen Singleton and Phil Warren help lead the staff, with Confidential Aide Yoselin Nardone supporting the office. The main office is open on weekdays during normal business hours.

The County Clerk's own website breaks down the office and its many duties in plain terms. You can read the office summary at co.burlington.nj.us, which describes the recording and public-service roles the Clerk carries.

That overview makes clear the office wears many hats, but court records are not one of them. The contact card below lists the main office details for in-person and phone help.

Burlington County Clerk Services

The office does a lot beyond land records. Some services bring residents in person, while others run online. Most of these have nothing to do with the courts, but they round out what the Clerk actually does day to day.

• Search public land records through PRESS and order copies of recorded documents.
• Record deeds, mortgages, liens, and other instruments, with fees set by the Clerk.
• Free Property Fraud Alert that emails or phones residents when a deed, lien, or mortgage is recorded with their name.
• Passport applications and renewals, plus notary commissions.
• Business trade name and firm name registrations.
• Election and vote-by-mail services, Gold Star Parent and Family IDs, and veterans services.

The Clerk can also officiate a marriage ceremony by appointment. That said, the license itself comes from the municipal level, not the County Clerk. If you need marriage or divorce paperwork, the marriage and divorce records page explains where each piece lives.

The Property Fraud Alert deserves a note of its own. It is free for county residents and acts as an early warning system. Sign up, and the office will reach out by email or phone the moment a document with your name gets recorded. That can flag a forged deed or a fraudulent lien before it does real harm.

Burlington County Land Records on PRESS

PRESS stands for Public Records Electronic Search System. It is the online tool the Clerk uses to publish recorded land documents. The system covers property-related transaction records for Burlington County. It is a property and document-recording database, not a court docket database, so do not expect case files here.

The public search runs at the official PRESS portal. You can open it at press.co.burlington.nj.us to start a property search or browse election results.

PRESS has two tiers. A Quick Search runs without registration. An Expanded Public Search of Records needs you to register, and registering removes the watermark from the documents you view. The menus inside PRESS include Property Records, Election Results from 2002 to the present, and Property Record Images from before 1964. The table below maps each PRESS option to what it does.

Note: PRESS holds recorded documents and property data, so a court case or a divorce file will not appear there no matter how you search.

How to Search PRESS Land Records

A PRESS search is straightforward once you know what you are after. Start with the type of record, then pick the right tier. A quick name or property search is enough for most users, while a registered search clears the watermark for cleaner copies.

1. Open the PRESS portal at the official county address.
2. Pick Quick Search to look without an account, or register for the expanded search.
3. Choose the Property Records menu for deeds, mortgages, and liens.
4. Enter the owner name or property details and run the search.
5. Open a matching record, then order a copy if you need it.

If you cannot find a document, the name spelling or the recording date may be off. Older images may sit in the pre-1964 archive instead. When the online search stalls, the main office can help by phone.

Recording and Document Copies

The Clerk records new land documents and keeps copies of past ones. Recording fees are set by the Clerk and are not published as flat figures here. Confirm the current recording cost with the office before you send a document in, since amounts can change and depend on the document type.

Copies of recorded documents are a different request than a court record. The Clerk gives copies of deeds, mortgages, and liens, not certified copies of court judgments or divorce decrees. When you submit an open public records request to the county, set copy rates apply under OPRA. The table below lists those copy rates from the county form.

These are OPRA copy rates, not document-recording fees. The recording fee for filing a deed or mortgage is set by the Clerk and should be confirmed with the office. You can view the county OPRA request form at co.burlington.nj.us. The public records page walks through the full OPRA request process.

Note: a deposit may be required where the cost of reproduction is expected to top $5, so a large copy order may need money up front.

Why the County Clerk Holds Land Records

The split between court records and land records is old. New Jersey's recording system traces back to an 1799 act on conveyances. That law required deeds and conveyances for land in a county to be recorded in well-bound books and kept by the clerk.

That early duty stuck. Modern court records moved to the judiciary, but the county clerk kept the land-record job. It is the reason the Burlington County Clerk still holds deeds, mortgages, and liens today while the courts handle case files. For probate and estate matters, which follow their own path, see the probate records page.

Other Burlington County Clerk Offices

The Clerk runs a few locations beyond the main Mount Holly office. Each handles a slice of the work. None of them is a court records counter, so a court file request will not be filled at any of these spots.

Election Services has two sites. One is at 50 Rancocas Road, 3rd Floor in Mount Holly, open weekdays from 8 AM to 4 PM. The other is at 301 Harper Drive in Moorestown, open weekdays from 8:30 AM to 4 PM. Both can be reached at 609-265-5229. For voter questions, the Burlington County Voter Hotline is 609-265-VOTE (8683).

The County Store is a walk-in satellite. It handles passport applications, business trade and firm names, and the notary oath of office. It is not a court records counter, and it does not pull case files. For court matters, the court records page points you to the right system.

Related Burlington County Records

The County Clerk handles land and recorded documents, but most court searches start elsewhere. Use the Superior Court Clerk for the court side, court records for case files, public records for OPRA requests, marriage and divorce records for vital and divorce paperwork, probate records for estates, and the FAQ for quick answers.