Bergen County Clerk Goes Electronic for Land Use Records

Digital technology is having profound effects upon all areas of the law. Real estate practice is no exception.

As of this past May, the Bergen County Clerk’s office permits individuals, attorneys and title companies to file and record land transaction records electronically. The electronic recording system functions through the website: http://www.bergencountyclerk.org. Land transaction records were required to be mailed or hand delivered to the Bergen County Clerk’s office prior to the implementation of the electronic recording system. While the Bergen County Clerk’s office will still accept hard copies of land transaction records, there is now an alternative method. Electronic recording, or e-recording, will be conducted through the use of Corporation Service Company, a third party vendor.

In addition to the ability to file and record land transaction records electronically, Bergen County now offers users the ability to search land transaction records online. Users can go to the website, www.bergencountyclerk.org and access an online database that contains images of deeds dating back to 2004 and images of mortgages dating back to 2007. The Bergen County Clerk’s office is in the process of uploading more images from earlier years to enhance the depth of the database.

These new electronic functions will enable documents to be processed faster than the Bergen County Clerk’s office was previously capable of, and will hopefully provide for fewer errors in documentation filed with the land transaction department. Additionally, it will now be easier to locate land transaction records, and will save time and money typically associated with attempting to locate such documents in the actual books in which they were originally recorded.

This new practice is in the process of being adopted throughout New Jersey. Eventually, all recording and searching will be done electronically, which will be a great convenience for all real property transactions.