Court records in Burlington County, New Jersey, are maintained by the Superior Court Clerk's Office and can be accessed through online tools, official court portals, and the clerk's office. BurlingtonCourt.us can help you find publicly available court record information for Burlington County. Additional access points include the Burlington vicinage page on NJ Courts, the Superior Court Clerk's Office, and statewide search portals operated by the New Jersey Judiciary.
Burlington Court System Overview
Burlington County is part of the Superior Court of New Jersey and is assigned to the Burlington Vicinage, which is the 10th judicial vicinage in the state. New Jersey operates a unified court system, meaning there is one Superior Court with three divisions — Criminal, Civil, and Family — rather than separate district and magistrate courts. The Burlington County Court Facility serves as the primary courthouse for all Superior Court matters in the county. Municipal courts in Burlington County's individual towns and townships handle lower-level matters such as traffic violations, disorderly persons offenses, and local ordinance violations.
Courts Serving Burlington County
Burlington County residents may interact with several courts depending on the nature of their case:
| Court | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court of New Jersey — Burlington Vicinage (Criminal, Civil, Family Divisions) | 49 Rancocas Road, Mount Holly, NJ 08060 | 609-288-9500 |
| U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (Camden courthouse) | 401 Market Street, Camden, NJ 08101 | 856-757-5021 |
| U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey (Trenton) | 402 East State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608 | 609-858-9200 |
Burlington County also has numerous municipal courts operated by individual municipalities — including Mount Holly, Moorestown, Burlington Township, Evesham, Mount Laurel, and others. Each municipal court handles its own traffic tickets, disorderly persons offenses, and ordinance violations. You can search municipal court cases through the Municipal Court Case Search portal.
What Types of Cases Burlington County Courts Hear
Courts serving Burlington County handle a wide range of case types across multiple divisions:
- Criminal Division: Indictable offenses (felonies), post-indictment proceedings, bail hearings
- Civil Division: General civil litigation, contract disputes, personal injury, foreclosures, landlord-tenant matters, small claims (Special Civil Part)
- Family Division: Divorce, custody, child support, domestic violence restraining orders, paternity, adoption, juvenile delinquency, child protective proceedings (DCPP matters), termination of parental rights
- Probate: Decedent estates, guardianships, conservatorships, trust matters (handled through the Surrogate's Office and Family Division)
- Municipal Courts: Traffic violations, DWI/DUI, disorderly persons offenses, petty disorderly persons offenses, local ordinance violations
District Court Cases in Burlington County
New Jersey does not use a district court / magistrate court structure at the state level. Instead, the Superior Court — Criminal Division in Burlington County handles all indictable criminal offenses (equivalent to felonies). Cases typically begin when a grand jury returns an indictment, after which the matter is assigned to a Superior Court judge in the Criminal Division. A presiding judge oversees case management, and individual judges handle trials, plea hearings, sentencing, and post-conviction proceedings. Appeals from Superior Court decisions go to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court, not to a separate county-level appellate court.
The Criminal Division also handles matters such as violations of probation, post-conviction relief petitions, and extradition proceedings. You can search criminal case information through the PROMIS/Gavel Public Access system.
Magistrate Court Cases in Burlington County
New Jersey's equivalent of magistrate-level courts are the municipal courts. Burlington County has over 30 municipal courts spread across its municipalities. These courts handle:
- Disorderly persons offenses and petty disorderly persons offenses
- Traffic and motor vehicle violations
- DWI/DUI cases
- Local ordinance violations
- Fish and game violations
The Special Civil Part of the Superior Court handles small claims cases up to $3,000 and other civil matters where the amount in controversy does not exceed $20,000. Small claims cases are heard in the Burlington County courthouse. Municipal court decisions can be appealed to the Superior Court — Criminal Division or Civil Division, depending on the case type. For ticket or complaint information, contact the relevant municipal court directly.
Family Law, Probate, and Juvenile Matters in Burlington County
Family Law
The Family Division of the Superior Court in Burlington County handles divorce, custody, parenting time, child support, domestic violence temporary and final restraining orders, paternity actions, and termination of parental rights. Family Division cases are heard at the Burlington County Court Facility in Mount Holly. Divorce decrees are available through the Superior Court Records Center.
Probate
Probate matters — including the administration of decedent estates, appointment of guardians, and trust disputes — are handled through the Burlington County Surrogate's Office and, when contested, through the Chancery Division of the Superior Court. The New Jersey State Archives holds historical probate records from the former Prerogative Court.
Juvenile
Juvenile delinquency cases and child protective proceedings (Division of Child Protection and Permanency matters) are heard in the Family Division. Juvenile court records are confidential under New Jersey law and are not available through public search portals.
How Cases Move Through the Burlington County Court System
- Filing / Initiation: Criminal cases begin with a complaint or indictment. Civil cases start with the filing of a complaint and summons. Family matters are initiated by petition or complaint.
- Assignment: Cases are assigned to a judge through the vicinage's case management system. The presiding judge of each division oversees assignments.
- Initial Hearings: Criminal defendants appear for arraignment. Civil cases proceed to a case management conference. Family cases may have an initial hearing or mediation session.
- Pre-Trial Phase: Discovery, motions, plea negotiations (criminal), settlement conferences (civil and family).
- Trial or Resolution: Cases are resolved by plea, verdict, settlement, default judgment, or consent order.
- Post-Judgment: Sentencing (criminal), appeals to the Appellate Division, enforcement of judgments, modification of family orders.
Court Administration, Local Rules, and Public Access in Burlington County
The Burlington Vicinage is administered by an Assignment Judge and a Trial Court Administrator who manage day-to-day court operations. The Burlington vicinage page provides information on local court operations, contacts, and procedures.
- Local Rules: Burlington County follows the statewide New Jersey Rules of Court. Any supplemental local practices or standing orders are posted on the vicinage page or available from the Trial Court Administrator's office.
- Public Access: Most court records in New Jersey are generally open to the public. However, certain records — including juvenile cases, sealed records, expunged records, and some family matters — are restricted. Public access is governed by Rule 1:38 of the New Jersey Rules of Court and the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
- Attending Hearings: Hearings at the Burlington County courthouse are generally open to the public. Some proceedings may be conducted by video or telephone — contact the court at 609-288-9500 for current remote hearing procedures.
Court Records and Related Court Resources in Burlington County
- Case Search — Civil and Criminal: Use the Find a Case page to locate public court case information, including civil, criminal, and appellate matters.
- Criminal Case Lookup: The PROMIS/Gavel Public Access system provides online access to criminal case data. Some records are restricted by statute.
- Municipal Court Case Search: Search traffic tickets and municipal complaints through the Municipal Court Case Search portal.
- Copies of Court Records: Request copies of court records — including certified and plain copies — through the Superior Court Clerk's Office. For closed cases, submit a Records Request Form.
- Historical Court Records: The Burlington County Clerk's Office records at the New Jersey State Archives include older court records, certificates of association, and bankruptcy notices. You can also search the State Archives collections for historical documents.
- Vital Records: Birth, marriage, and death records are available through the New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics. You can order vital records online.
- Divorce Decrees: Certified copies of New Jersey divorce decrees are obtained through the Superior Court Records Center, not the Office of Vital Statistics.
- New Jersey Sex Offender Registry: Search the New Jersey Megan's Law registry through the New Jersey State Police website.
- New Jersey Department of Corrections Inmate Search: The NJDOC offers an online inmate lookup tool on its official website.
- Property Tax Records: Burlington County property tax data is accessible through the NJ Transparency Center or local municipal tax assessor offices.