New Jersey criminal records are spread across several official systems. Superior Court criminal cases use the Judiciary’s PROMIS/Gavel and criminal-record services, Municipal Court complaints use separate municipal search tools, statewide criminal-history information is maintained by the New Jersey State Police State Bureau of Identification, and prison or parole information comes from the Department of Corrections and State Parole Board. This guide shows which source to use for each task.
Which New Jersey criminal record do you actually need?
New Jersey does not provide one public website containing every arrest, court case, conviction, prison record and background check. The fastest route depends on what you are trying to verify.
Indictable criminal case
Use New Jersey Judiciary criminal-record tools and county Criminal Division records for Superior Court prosecutions.
Disorderly persons / traffic
Municipal courts handle many traffic tickets, disorderly persons offenses, petty disorderly persons offenses and local ordinance cases.
Criminal-history record
The State Bureau of Identification maintains New Jersey’s computerized criminal-history repository.
State custody record
Use the New Jersey Department of Corrections Offender Search for qualifying state-custody information.
Parole information
Parole-supervision information and public-record requests are handled separately from NJDOC custody records.
Federal case
Federal criminal prosecutions are searched through PACER rather than New Jersey state court systems.
How New Jersey Superior Court criminal records work
New Jersey Superior Court Criminal Division handles indictable criminal offenses. Criminal cases are managed through the Judiciary’s PROMIS/Gavel criminal-case tracking system.
The Judiciary describes PROMIS/Gavel as a system shared by courts, prosecutors and law-enforcement personnel for criminal-case tracking. Public users receive more limited access than authorized justice agencies.
Official case file
Each county Superior Court Criminal Division maintains public criminal records for cases filed in that vicinage.
Case information
Provides eligible criminal-case information while excluding information considered confidential or nonpublic.
Courthouse access
Public-access terminals are available in Superior Courthouses for qualifying criminal case information.
PROMIS/Gavel public criminal-case access
New Jersey Courts uses PROMIS/Gavel for Superior Court criminal-case tracking. The public-facing access is an inquiry system, not unrestricted access to the entire criminal-justice database.
Public criminal information can include eligible details such as:
- defendant information
- criminal case number
- indictment or accusation information
- charges
- case status
- disposition information
- sentencing information
- selected court events
New Jersey criminal conviction information
New Jersey Courts also provides public access to limited information about defendants who have been convicted and sentenced for indictable offenses.
This type of conviction information is narrower than a full State Police criminal-history report. It is best used when the question is whether a Superior Court indictable prosecution resulted in a conviction.
Search New Jersey Municipal Court criminal and traffic cases
Municipal courts handle large numbers of lower-level matters, including traffic offenses, disorderly persons offenses, petty disorderly persons offenses and local ordinance violations.
New Jersey’s municipal case system allows users to locate certain tickets and complaints. If you do not know the ticket or complaint number, the Judiciary provides a case-search option.
Search Municipal Court casesChoose the municipal case-search option
Use the Judiciary’s Municipal Court search rather than guessing which local court has the case.
Enter the available identifiers
Ticket number, complaint number, court information or supported party details can help locate the case.
Identify the municipal court
Once found, note the municipality and court because follow-up questions and record requests are often handled by that specific municipal court.
Request a disposition when needed
If the online result does not provide enough detail, contact the municipal court for the official disposition or record.
How to request New Jersey criminal court records and certified copies
The New Jersey Judiciary provides a statewide Records Request Form for Superior Court, Municipal Court, Appellate Division, Supreme Court and other Judiciary records.
For a criminal request, the form asks for as much case-identifying information as possible. If the docket number is unknown, users can provide defendant information such as:
- full defendant name
- aliases
- date of birth
- indictment or arrest date
- indictment / accusation / complaint number
- sentencing date
- sentencing judge
Delivery options
The official form currently allows requests for:
- pickup
- U.S. mail
- on-site inspection
- fax where available
- email where available
New Jersey Judiciary court-record copy fees
The statewide Judiciary Records Request Form currently lists basic paper-copy fees of:
| Copy type | Published basic fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Letter-size copy | $0.05 per page | Basic copy charge listed on the Judiciary Records Request Form. |
| Legal-size copy | $0.07 per page | Basic legal-size copy charge. |
| Certified copy | Additional fee | Certification and seal charges can apply. |
| Exemplified copy | Additional fee | Higher-level court authentication that includes a seal. |
Certification and special-copy fees can vary by service. Confirm the total with the court processing the request before sending payment.
New Jersey State Police criminal-history records
The State Bureau of Identification (SBI) within the New Jersey State Police is the state’s central repository for criminal history record information.
SBI receives, verifies, codes, processes and disseminates criminal-history information used by criminal-justice agencies and authorized noncriminal-justice users.
The statewide criminal-history system can contain information connected to:
- fingerprint-based arrests
- prosecutorial information
- court dispositions
- custody information
- identification records
- qualifying conviction information
How to get your own New Jersey criminal-history record
A person who wants to review their own New Jersey criminal history should use the State Police personal-record / individual-review procedure rather than Form 212A.
Personal criminal-history review is fingerprint-based because fingerprints provide a stronger identity match than name-only searching.
Use the correct personal-record service
Do not use a licensing Form 212A simply to obtain a personal copy of your own criminal history.
Schedule fingerprinting when required
New Jersey uses an authorized state contractor for electronic live-scan fingerprint services.
Bring government identification
Follow the service-code and identity instructions associated with the specific State Police request.
Review the returned record carefully
Compare arrest entries with court dispositions and identify missing or inaccurate outcomes before beginning a correction or expungement process.
What New Jersey Form 212A is actually for
Online Form 212A is used for certain noncriminal-justice criminal-history requests involving local police departments or state licensing agencies.
Before submitting Form 212A, the applicant needs the correct ORI number for the local police department or state agency handling the licensing or authorization.
The current online 212A submission fee is $20. The criminal-history information is sent to the requesting licensing authority rather than directly to the applicant.
Official New Jersey Form 212A portalFingerprint-based New Jersey criminal-history checks
New Jersey uses a contracted fingerprint vendor for many employment, licensing, volunteer and personal-record checks.
The State Police says applicants can schedule electronic live-scan fingerprint appointments online or through the vendor call center. Fingerprints are electronically submitted for processing rather than relying on ordinary name matching.
Processing time depends on the program. NJSP notes that many applicant checks are completed within approximately one to ten business days after proper fingerprint submission.
New Jersey arrest records and police reports
A New Jersey criminal-history repository record, court record and police report are separate sources. Police departments and the New Jersey State Police can maintain investigative, arrest and incident records that are not automatically displayed through a court case search.
For an arrest or incident record, start with the agency that created the record. Depending on the record and applicable exemptions, access may proceed through New Jersey’s public-record procedures or a specific agency records process.
Incident / arrest record
Contact the municipal police department or State Police unit that handled the incident.
Criminal prosecution
Search the Judiciary once a complaint or criminal prosecution is filed with a court.
Criminal history
Use New Jersey State Police criminal-history procedures for official repository information.
New Jersey prison and parole records
The New Jersey Department of Corrections provides an official Offender Search Engine for qualifying state-custody information.
Search NJDOC offendersUse NJDOC when the question is about a person in New Jersey state correctional custody. County-jail detention is separate and may require the county sheriff or county corrections department.
Parole information
The New Jersey State Parole Board separately handles information about people on parole. Its official guidance directs general offender searches to NJDOC and provides a public-information contact for parole-specific questions.
New Jersey State Parole Board offender informationNew Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry
The New Jersey State Police manages the state’s public Sex Offender Internet Registry. The registry is part of the state’s Megan’s Law system and contains only offenders who meet the legal criteria for public disclosure.
It should not be treated as a list of every person with a sex-offense conviction or every person subject to registration requirements.
Open official NJ Sex Offender RegistryAre New Jersey juvenile criminal records public?
Juvenile delinquency records are subject to different confidentiality rules from ordinary adult criminal records. Public access is substantially more limited, and juvenile information should not be expected to appear in the same way as an adult Superior Court criminal conviction.
New Jersey expungement and Clean Slate records
New Jersey defines expungement broadly as the removal, sealing, impounding or isolation of qualifying records held by courts, detention or correctional facilities, law-enforcement agencies and criminal-justice agencies.
The Judiciary operates an electronic eCourts Expungement System for eligible applications. The system can retrieve Judiciary criminal and municipal case information and electronically serve required agencies after filing.
New Jersey Courts expungement guidanceClean Slate expungement
New Jersey law provides a Clean Slate pathway for qualifying individuals after the statutory waiting period. Eligibility depends on the person’s record and whether any conviction is excluded from expungement.
Current court rules allow Clean Slate applications to be submitted through the Judiciary’s electronic expungement system.
Automatic marijuana expungements
New Jersey also automatically expunged large numbers of qualifying marijuana and hashish cases under reforms that took effect in 2021.
What to do when a New Jersey criminal record is wrong
First determine which system contains the error. A mistake in a court docket and an error in State Police criminal-history data are not corrected through the same office.
Contact the court
If a disposition, case identifier or filing is incorrect in a Judiciary record, contact the Criminal Division or Municipal Court that maintains the official case.
Individual review / challenge
Use the State Police criminal-history review process when the inaccurate information is in SBI’s computerized criminal-history record.
Keep copies of the relevant court disposition, complaint number, indictment or accusation number, SBI number and any fingerprint-based identity information associated with the disputed record.
Federal criminal records in New Jersey
A federal prosecution filed in New Jersey is not a New Jersey Superior Court case. Federal criminal records are maintained by the U.S. federal judiciary.
Use PACER to search federal court cases. The PACER Case Locator can help when you do not know which federal district or appellate court handled the case.
A person seeking their own nationwide FBI Identity History Summary should use the FBI’s official fingerprint-based Identity History Summary process rather than a New Jersey-only background check.
New Jersey State Police headquarters
The New Jersey State Police State Bureau of Identification operates within the Division of State Police. Many background-check services are completed online, through local agencies or through fingerprint vendors, so confirm the correct procedure before traveling to headquarters.
New Jersey State Police Division Headquarters
West Trenton, New Jersey 08628Main phone: 609-882-2000
New Jersey criminal-record search tips
Separate Superior and Municipal Court
Indictable Superior Court cases and municipal complaints use different access paths.
Get the complaint number
Complaint, indictment, accusation and PROMIS/Gavel numbers can make follow-up searches much easier.
Check the final disposition
A filed complaint does not tell you whether the charge ended in conviction.
Use courthouse terminals
If internet-accessible criminal information is limited, county Superior Court terminals can provide additional eligible PROMIS/Gavel information.
Don’t use Form 212A for yourself
The NJSP portal says Form 212A is for specified licensing/noncriminal-justice purposes, not a personal copy.
Verify the ORI
When a licensing request uses Form 212A, obtain the correct ORI from the requesting authority before paying.
County jail ≠ NJDOC
NJDOC covers state correctional custody. County detention requires the relevant county facility.
Expunged cases may disappear
A known case may no longer appear publicly after expungement or another access restriction.
Use fingerprints for identity certainty
Fingerprint-based checks reduce the risk of confusing two people with similar names or dates of birth.
Using New Jersey criminal records for employment, licensing or housing
The fact that information can be viewed through a public court system does not automatically make that record a legally compliant consumer background report.
New Jersey agencies use different criminal-history procedures depending on the specific employment, licensing, volunteer or regulatory program. Fingerprinting may be mandatory for some positions.
New Jersey criminal records FAQs
1. Can I search New Jersey criminal records online for free?
Some New Jersey court information can be searched online without paying a court-record copy fee. Access depends on whether the case is a Superior Court criminal case, municipal complaint or another record type.
2. What is PROMIS/Gavel?
PROMIS/Gavel is New Jersey’s criminal-case tracking system used by courts, prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies. Public access provides only eligible nonconfidential information.
3. Where do I search New Jersey Municipal Court cases?
Use the New Jersey Judiciary Municipal Court case-search system to locate eligible traffic tickets and complaints.
4. Is a court case search the same as a New Jersey criminal-history check?
No. Court searches provide judicial case information. New Jersey State Police’s State Bureau of Identification maintains the statewide criminal-history repository.
5. Can I use Form 212A to get my own criminal-history report?
No. The New Jersey State Police online portal says Form 212A is for specified noncriminal-justice licensing purposes and cannot be used as a personal background check.
6. How much does online Form 212A cost?
The current online fee is $20. The correct ORI number from the licensing agency is required.
7. Where can I search for a New Jersey state prisoner?
Use the official New Jersey Department of Corrections Offender Search Engine for qualifying state-custody information.
8. Are expunged New Jersey records public?
Expungement removes qualifying records from ordinary public access through sealing, impounding or isolation. Limited criminal-justice access can remain where New Jersey law permits it.
9. How do I request a certified New Jersey criminal court record?
Use the New Jersey Judiciary Records Request Form and submit it to the appropriate Superior Court Criminal Division or Municipal Court. Certified and exemplified services can involve additional fees.
10. Does a New Jersey criminal-history record include federal cases?
New Jersey criminal-history systems are not substitutes for a nationwide federal court or FBI search. Federal court cases use PACER, and FBI Identity History Summaries follow a separate fingerprint-based process.
Official sources used for this New Jersey guide
- New Jersey Courts — Criminal Practice Division
- New Jersey Municipal Court Case Search
- New Jersey Judiciary Records Request Form
- New Jersey Courts — Expunging Your Court Record
- New Jersey State Police — State Bureau of Identification
- New Jersey State Police — Online Form 212A
- New Jersey Department of Corrections
- NJDOC Offender Search
- New Jersey State Parole Board — Offender Search Guidance
- New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry