Essex County Property Records

Essex County property records go back to 1637, making them some of the oldest land documents in New Jersey. The Register of Deeds office in Newark stores deeds, mortgages, liens, and other recorded instruments for more than twenty municipalities. Residents and title professionals can search these property records online through the PRESS portal or visit the Hall of Records in person. Whether you need a recent deed or a colonial land grant, the Essex County recording office provides access to centuries of real estate history across this densely populated part of northern New Jersey.

Essex County Register of Deeds Office

Juan M. Rivera, Jr. serves as the Register of Deeds for Essex County. The office is at the Hall of Records, Room 130, 465 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Newark. Staff handle all property records for the county. They record new deeds, file mortgages, and process lien documents each business day. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

The Hall of Records also has a Public Vault where visitors can view older property records in Essex County. This vault holds books and maps that span nearly four hundred years. Colonial deeds, slave manumissions, and Revolutionary War era land transfers are stored here. Title searchers and historians use the vault regularly. Walk-in title searches must be done in person at this location since the office does not perform them by mail or phone.

The Essex County Register website provides general information about the office, services, and recording requirements for property records in Essex County.

This screenshot shows the main page of the Essex County Register website where visitors can find office hours, contact details, and links to the online search system for property records.

Note: Title searches at the Essex County Hall of Records must be done in person and cannot be requested by phone or mail.

Online Property Records Search in Essex County

The PRESS system is the main online tool for searching Essex County property records. PRESS stands for Public Records Electronic Search System. It holds records from May 1, 2001 to the present day. You can look up deeds, mortgages, liens, and other recorded documents through this portal. Access is available at press.essexregister.com during regular business hours and beyond.

To search property records on PRESS, you can use the grantor or grantee name, document type, book and page number, or date range. Results show basic index information for each recorded document. You can then view the full document image if it is available in the system. Records before May 2001 are not in the PRESS database, so you must visit the Hall of Records to find older Essex County property records.

The PRESS portal for Essex County property records is shown below.

This is the search screen where users enter names, dates, or document types to find recorded property records in Essex County. The system returns matching results with links to full document images when available.

One thing to keep in mind is that cancellations of mortgage filed before July 2, 2012 may not appear in the electronic images. If you need a mortgage discharge from before that date, you should check the physical records at the Hall of Records in Newark. Under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1, the Open Public Records Act gives the public a right to access government records, including property records held by the Essex County Register.

Essex County PRESS Login and Account Access

Some features of the PRESS system require a user account. Creating an account lets you save searches, view document images, and order copies of Essex County property records directly from the system. Registration is straightforward.

The login page for the PRESS system is shown here.

After logging in, users gain full access to document images and can track their search history. The system is maintained by the Essex County Register office and updated as new documents are recorded each day.

Note: Free basic searches are available without an account, but viewing full document images on PRESS may require registration.

Essex County Property Records Recording Fees

Recording fees in Essex County follow the schedule set by New Jersey law. When someone files a deed, the first page costs $40 and each additional page is $10. Mortgages have a lower first page fee of $30 with the same $10 charge for extra pages. These fees apply to all property records submitted for recording at the Hall of Records in Newark.

Certified copies of property records cost $8 for the first page and $2 for each page after that. Many people need certified copies for court proceedings, title work, or loan closings. You can request them at the counter during business hours. The Record Room at the Hall of Records is open to the public at no charge, so browsing older books and indexes costs nothing. Under N.J.S.A. 46:26A-1, New Jersey law governs how and when real estate documents must be recorded to protect property rights in Essex County.

• Deed recording: $40 first page, $10 each additional page
• Mortgage recording: $30 first page, $10 each additional page
• Certified copy: $8 first page, $2 each additional page
• Record Room access: free

Historical Land Records in Essex County

Essex County holds some of the oldest property records in the United States. Documents date back to 1637, before New Jersey was even a state. Colonial land grants, early deeds of sale, and survey plats from the Dutch and English periods are part of the collection. Researchers travel from across the country to study these records at the Public Vault in the Hall of Records.

The historical collection also includes slave manumission records. These documents freed enslaved people and were recorded as part of the property records system in Essex County. Revolutionary War era land transfers and military bounty warrants are also in the archives. These records help genealogists trace family lines and historians study early American land ownership patterns. The condition of the oldest books varies, so staff may need to assist with fragile volumes. All of these records fall under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 and are open to the public for inspection at the Essex County Register office.

Tax assessment records for Essex County are maintained separately under N.J.S.A. 54:4-1, which governs how municipalities assess real property for taxation purposes. Each of the twenty-two municipalities in Essex County has its own tax assessor who determines property values each year.

How to Get Property Records in Essex County

There are two main ways to get property records in Essex County. You can search online through the PRESS system or visit the Hall of Records in Newark. Each method works best for different situations.

For records from May 2001 forward, the PRESS system at press.essexregister.com is the fastest option. You can search by name, address, or document type. Results appear quickly. If you find what you need, you can view the document image and order copies without leaving your home. This works well for recent deeds, current mortgages, and new liens filed in Essex County.

For older property records, a trip to the Hall of Records is necessary. The building is at 465 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Newark. Bring the property address or the names of the parties involved. Staff can help you locate documents in the index books. The Public Vault has records going back to 1637. Plan to spend some time if you are doing a full title search on an Essex County property, as older records require manual review of multiple volumes.

Note: Bring a valid photo ID when visiting the Essex County Hall of Records for property record searches.

Cities with Property Records in Essex County

Essex County has twenty-two municipalities. All property records for these cities and townships are recorded at the Register of Deeds office in Newark. Below are city pages with more detail on searching property records in specific Essex County locations.

Other municipalities in Essex County include Montclair, West Orange, Livingston, South Orange, Maplewood, Nutley, and Belleville. Property records for all these towns are filed at the Hall of Records in Newark.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Essex County. If a property sits near a county line, make sure you search the correct county. Property records are filed in the county where the land is located, not where the owner lives.