Access Passaic County Clerk Records

The Passaic County Clerk's Office

The Passaic County Clerk is Danielle Ireland-Imhof, an elected New Jersey constitutional officer. She was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2023. The office handles real estate recording, passport applications, notary certifications, military discharge records and veterans identification cards, business trade names, and election materials.

The main office is at 401 Grand Street, Room 130, in Paterson. The Registry Division, where land documents are recorded, is in Room 113. A satellite office in Wanaque serves the north end of the county. The contact card below has the key numbers, and appointments are required at the main office.

What the Passaic County Clerk Records

The County Clerk is the official repository for documents affecting real property in Passaic County. The Registry Division records a long list of land-title documents. These are county records, not Superior Court case files.

• Deeds and mortgages.
• Mortgage cancellations and releases.
• Notices of settlement and lis pendens.
• Tax sale certificates and assignments.
• Powers of attorney and related instruments.

Surveys are not recorded here, and the office does not perform title searches. The Registry page gives a separate title-searcher phone line for that work. The Land Records Vault sits in the courthouse basement at 77 Hamilton Street.

Land Record Terms

Land records use words that come up rarely elsewhere. A quick glossary helps when reading a deed or a Registry index. These terms appear often in Passaic County recorded documents.

Deed

The document that transfers ownership of real property.

Mortgage

A lien on property that secures a loan.

Lis pendens

A notice that a lawsuit affecting the property is pending.

Grantor and grantee

The party giving and the party receiving an interest in property.

Consideration

The value, usually the price, stated in a deed.

The County Clerk records these instruments but does not interpret them. For legal advice on a title issue, a title company or an attorney is the right resource.

PRESS Land Records Search

Passaic County land records are searched through the County Clerk PRESS system. You can search by name, by book and page, by document number, or by date, and often by document type or municipality. The table lists the common search fields to expect.

These are land records, not court case records. For a court case search, use the Passaic County court records tools instead.

Passaic County Clerk Fees

The Registry Division charges several fees and surcharges on recorded documents. Payment is due upon receipt, and checks are payable to the Passaic County Clerk. Checks of $10,000 or more must be a certified check or money order. The table shows common charges.

How to Record a Document

Recording a deed or mortgage follows strict rules. Documents must be in English, legible, and properly acknowledged. The steps below outline the basic process for the Registry Division.

1. Prepare the document with original signatures and printed names underneath.
2. Attach the official county cover sheet, or pay the extra fee without it.
3. For a deed, state the preparer, the tax block and lot, and the consideration.
4. Include a record-and-return address for the document.
5. Submit with payment, due upon receipt, payable to the Passaic County Clerk.

Realty transfer fees and the 1% buyer fee accept only specific payment types, such as an attorney or title trust account check, a certified check, or cash. Checks dated more than 90 days old are not accepted.

Passports, Notary, and Other Services

The County Clerk does more than land records. It processes passport applications, certifies notaries, records military discharges, issues veterans identification cards, registers business trade names, and prepares election ballots, including vote-by-mail. Many of these need an appointment, and the office warns visitors to arrive fully prepared or risk rescheduling.

The Clerk also runs outreach across the county. Mobile office hours and the Wanaque satellite help reach a large, spread-out population. A property fraud warning system lets owners get alerts about suspicious recordings against their deed.

The office takes appointments seriously. The County Clerk page warns that appointments are required and that visitors should arrive fully prepared or they may need to reschedule. Bringing the right documents, ID, and payment the first time avoids a wasted trip to Paterson. For land records specifically, the Land Records Vault advises arriving by 4:00 p.m. for staff help.

Remember the core split as you plan a visit. The County Clerk holds land and county records, while court case files live with the Judiciary. If you walk in asking for a court docket, staff will point you to NJ Courts. Knowing that before you go saves a trip across the civic center.

Other Passaic County Offices

The County Clerk is one of several county offices, each with its own records. The Passaic County Sheriff, for example, handles courthouse security and civil process, and posts public services on its site. The image below is the Sheriff's home page.

The page shown is the Passaic County Sheriff's Office. County offices also use online forms for public contact. The Sheriff's Search and Rescue inquiry form is one example of a simple county web form, shown below.

The page above is the Passaic Sheriff Search and Rescue inquiry form. It asks for a name, email, phone, and a preferred contact method, a typical county web inquiry form, not a records request.

Legal Help and the Public Defender

People dealing with county records sometimes need legal help nearby. The New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, Passaic County Office, at 66 Hamilton Street in Paterson, defends people who cannot afford counsel in indictable cases. The image below is the state Public Defender application information.

The page shown is the New Jersey Public Defender application information. For court case files, the Clerk of the Superior Court is the right office, and the public records page explains the OPRA custodian rule.