Property Records

Property records are the official documents the Bergen County Clerk’s Office keeps on file for every recorded real estate transaction in the county. They include deeds, mortgages, liens, assignments, and transfers, each one documenting a specific legal event tied to a parcel of land.

Bergen County’s Land Records system covers documents recorded into the Official Records from January 1, 1970, to the present. These records matter most during three key moments: title searches, appraisals, and legal disputes. A title search uses property records to confirm the seller actually owns the property and that no liens or claims will transfer to the new owner. Appraisers reference past sale prices and property details recorded in these files. And in legal proceedings, like inheritance disputes or boundary disagreements, property records often serve as the deciding evidence.

Deeds: What They Are and How to Look Them Up

A deed is the legal document that transfers ownership of real property from one party (the grantor) to another (the grantee). Without a properly recorded deed, there’s no official proof that a sale or transfer ever happened. Bergen County’s system includes multiple deed types, ranging from standard bargain and sale deeds to specialized categories like deeds in lieu of foreclosure, corrective deeds, and deeds tied to senior citizen or low-income exemptions.

Finding a deed in Bergen County starts at the Clerk’s Land Records Public Search Page. Searches can be run by party name (with automatic wildcard matching), document type, date range, book and page number, clerk’s file number, consideration amount, or legal description (town, lot, and block). If you need help navigating the system or have questions about a specific search, the Bergen County Land Records team can be reached directly at (201) 336-7036 during business hours.

The Cost of Deed Records and Other Documents

Recording a deed in Bergen County costs $45 for the first page plus $10 for each additional page, which already includes the required $10 tax abstract fee. Other documents have their own fee schedules, so it helps to know them before you file:
Mortgages, contracts of sale, leases, and powers of attorney: $35 for the first page plus $10 per additional page.
Satisfactions, discharges, or assignments of mortgages (or tax sale certificates): $45 for the first page plus $10 per additional page, including a $10 marginal notation fee.

Lis pendens: $30 for the first page plus $10 per additional page for recorded filings, or a flat $40 for foreclosure-related filings.
Certified copies: $10 for the first page plus $2 per additional page (free for military and veterans’ documents).
UCC filings: generally $25 each, or $50 for a financing statement paired with an assignment.
To order copies or start a search, use the Bergen County Clerk’s Land Records Public Search Page online, or call the Land Records team at (201) 336-7036 for in-person requests and payment options.