Hiring a new employee is one of the most common reasons for using New Jersey public records. A small business may prefer to take advantage of the free information available online instead of hiring another company to perform this service.

Finding an applicant with the right job qualifications is only part of the hiring process. Background checks should be essential because the employer can be held responsible for an employee’s actions on the job. Free New Jersey public records can help identify individuals that could be a poor choice due to their credit or criminal history. Employers must also specifically check people who will be working with children or the elderly for any history of abuse.

There are three types of public records of particular interest when performing background checks:

1. Credit reports that show current lines of credit, payment histories and declarations of bankruptcy.

2. Public records that include New Jersey divorce records, past convictions or birth records. These may also be useful in determining criminal history, residency requirements and alimony payments.

3. Registered sex offender lists. New Jersey requires convicted sex offenders to be kept on a list for a specified period after their conviction.

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Use New Jersey open public records to get general information on individuals

A New Jersey record can include information on births, deaths and divorces. Many cities and counties in New Jersey have websites with this information that is freely available to the general public.

I recommend: The Hartford County Health Department provides specific instructions for obtaining a copy of a birth certificate. Bergen County has an online form for requesting all types of government records.

Search state of New Jersey public records to get information on criminal history

Law enforcement agencies keep criminal records which may be publicly available. Laws vary widely by state as to the specific information you will be able to obtain. Some government agencies may also charge fees.

I recommend: Legal Services of New Jersey provides instruction for retrieving your criminal history record. The New Jersey State Police allows individuals to retrieve criminal history record information for the purpose of performing background checks.

Use public records to conduct a New Jersey background check

There are many sites dedicated to performing background checks for prospective employees. These checks can also include Social Security number verification, education verification and reference checks.

I recommend: New Jersey Background Checks provides a variety of search categories including a background check. Private Eye performs background checks in New Jersey by name, address and phone number. It also performs other searches for public records and families.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You will first need to obtain some basic information on the individual you are seeking New Jersey public records for. Job applicants will need to provide this information on the application form or on a separate form for the background check. Individuals must also grant permission for a background check in most cases.

Taking advantage of the New Jersey Open Public Records Act is a good way to vet out new hires and new clients for your business. Searching public databases for criminal records in New Jersey and New Jersey public tax records can help you obtain important data about the people who come work for you and the businesses that want to partner with you.

Sifting through the state of New Jersey public records, companies can avoid troublesome employees or disastrous business deals before investing valuable time and money. Here are just a few of the categories you can access when you search New Jersey public records:

1. New Jersey divorce records
2. New Jersey criminal records
3. New Jersey marriage certificates
   

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Locate free New Jersey public records

If you have a name, whether it is the name of a potential employee or the name of a company you are partnering with, you can contact the offices of the various New Jersey court clerks at the local level to track down information like New Jersey divorce records and New Jersey criminal records. Most clerks will at least let you view court dockets and other public documents like New Jersey marriage certificates.

I recommend: NJcourtsonline.com is a great tool that provides all kinds of good information and links to access free New Jersey public records. Check out the New Jersey Department of Public Records and Archives to search state of New Jersey public records, including New Jersey public tax records, dating back to the 1600s.

Conduct a New Jersey background check

Anytime you are going to offer employment to an individual, one of the first things to do is conduct a criminal background check.

I recommend: A quick and easy way to find out if someone has criminal records in New Jersey is to do an offender search on the state's corrections website. Otherwise consult with the state police to run a New Jersey criminal records search on an individual.

Verify corporate connections

State of New Jersey public records include the filing of corporate documents with state agencies that regulate commerce. For corporations, a search of New Jersey public tax records can turn up liens for unpaid taxes.

I recommend: The New Jersey Secretary of State provides information on corporations, LLCs and partnerships. The Department of Revenue is another great resource for New Jersey public records.

Use an online service to search state of New Jersey public records

Searching for New Jersey public records can take up a lot of time. Using online services can help you save that time by locating and retrieving information faster than contacting the courts. These companies usually charge a fee, but it can be a value-added service that helps your firm avoid a bad business decision.

I recommend: Two of the easiest public record search services available are offered by GovtRegistry.com and USInfoRegistry.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Try to obtain as much personal information as possible on an individual, especially driver's license numbers, before conducting a background check to ensure you obtain accurate New Jersey public records.

Making the most of New Jersey public records will require you to have a guide or referral. You can conduct Internet searches of many government agencies for free but you will spend a lot of time looking at irrelevant links and websites if you have no idea where to start.

You will first need to obtain some basic information on the individual or property you are seeking information on. For example, if you are seeking information on an individual, it will be helpful to know some addresses where that person has previously lived.

There are three general types of public records in New Jersey:

1. New Jersey criminal records that include files on registered sex offenders, past convictions or current information on current inmates in a particular prison. These records can help you investigate individuals such as prospective employees.

2. New Jersey divorce records, consumer protection information or legislation minutes. You may find these records helpful when researching a product or political candidate.

3. Real estate records like property appraisals, ownership and taxes. These types of records can be useful when buying or selling a home.

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Find New Jersey open public records from local government agencies

City and county clerks in New Jersey can frequently provide a great deal of current information on an individual when you know their name and address.

I recommend: Njcourtsonline.com lists links to all of the local courts in New Jersey and also offers extensive resources on the New Jersey judicial system. The Official Web Site For The State Of New Jersey displays the websites for the cities and counties in New Jersey.

Learn more about the laws regarding free New Jersey public records

The records that are publicly available vary widely by state. You will want to have at least a general idea of what information you can expect to find before conducting your search.

I recommend: The Office of the Attorney General summarizes the procedure for accessing information under the Open Public Records Act. The State of New Jersey Vehicle Commission provides the specific steps needed to obtain an abstract of your driving record.

Search state of New Jersey public records

Many cities and counties in New Jersey maintain a variety of records on individuals and property that are freely available to the general public.

I recommend: The Union County Clerk’s Office allows you to search for land records by name, book and page, instrument and date. The Office of the County Clerk for Atlantic County provides an online search of public records for both guests and account holders.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Exhaust free sources of information before you consider paying for criminal records in New Jersey. Sites that charge a fee may only provide information you could obtain elsewhere for free. Fortunately, libraries frequently subscribe to services that you would normally need to pay a fee to access. You should also bear in mind that many public records are simply not available online.

Public records are now easy to research and search for online by accessing many government databases. Most public information can be found for free or for a nominal fee through other websites. What is contained in Public records can be a valuable resource in finding important information about a person, including unpaid bills, locating a registered sex offender's address, government jobs, birth and death records and unclaimed property. Knowing the terminology of public record searching can make the search easier.

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Unclaimed property

Unclaimed property is defined as assets that have been left unclaimed, inactive or abandoned by the original owner. Some examples of unclaimed property are dormant bank accounts, stocks, insurance proceeds, deposits, dividends, credit refunds and uncashed checks.

I recommend: The State of New Jersey Department of the Treasury Unclaimed Property Office administrates and maintains custody of any unclaimed property until the owner claims it.

VINE

The New Jersey Department of Corrections maintains an online resource that allows an individual to search for information regarding current custody status of inmates at local or regional jails. VINE gives crime victims free, confidential and accurate information about a specific inmate's escape, release or transfer. This information is available via phone, Internet or email.

I recommend: The VINELink website is available 24 hours a day to all consumers and victims. Further information about additional services provided can be found on the website.

New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry

New Jersey law allows the Division of State Police to make available to consumers information about sex offenders registered in the state. People can access this information through the New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry.

I recommend: The New Jersey State Police is the repository for information concerning sexual predators and offenders in the state.

New Jersey Civil Service Commission

The New Jersey Civil Service Commission is the agency that lists government jobs within the system. The search for these positions has been made much easier by utilizing the Internet to post and advertise openings. The State is one of the biggest employers in New Jersey.

I recommend: Search for jobs online for the state of New Jersey.

Lawyer referral

The New Jersey Bar Association plays a key part in choosing the right attorney for legal help. The association has a tremendous amount of legal information and maintains a searchable database of all attorneys in the state and their respective specialty areas of law. This information can help consumers when making a choice about the type of representation they require.

I recommend: The New Jersey Bar Association promotes access to the New Jersey justice system by supplying important legal information to the public, including a lawyer referral service that you can access online.

Vital records

In the state of New Jersey, vital records refer to records of marriage, death, birth, adoption and marriage dissolution. This information could be needed for things such as school entrance, employment, passports, proof of citizenship or governmental benefits.

I recommend: To order any type of vital record, access the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services for instructions and details.