Every one of New Jersey's 21 counties elects its own sheriff, and that fact shapes how this whole directory works. There is no statewide sheriff's agency. Each office answers to county voters, operates under state law, and sets its own counter hours, phone lines and procedures. Our listings run from the Gloucester County Sheriff's Office in Woodbury to the Sussex County Sheriffs Office in Newton, so you can find the one that covers your address.

How Sheriff's Offices Are Organized Across New Jersey's 21 Counties

New Jersey sheriffs are elected countywide to three-year terms. They are county officers, not municipal ones. That separates them from your town police department, the county prosecutor's office and the New Jersey State Police, which all have different jobs and different phone numbers.

State law gives every sheriff a core set of duties. The exact mix of extra services varies by county, but the basics are the same everywhere:

The Attorney General's office sets statewide law enforcement standards that sheriff's officers must follow, and the courts supervise the civil work the sheriff performs. Still, the sheriff is not a state employee. Budgets come from the county board of commissioners (called the board of county commissioners in most counties, with some counties using a county executive), and the voters decide who holds the job.

A sheriff's office is generally not where you report a burglary or a car accident. Call 911 for emergencies and your municipal police department for most other matters. The exceptions are towns that contract with the county, so ask if you are unsure.

Metro Counties Versus Rural Counties: What Changes From Place to Place

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country, yet the sheriff's role looks very different from one corner to the next. The size of the office, the number of buildings and the extra services all follow the local population.

Dense northeastern counties

In Hudson County, we list two offices in Jersey City: the Hudson County Sheriffs Department at 595 Newark Avenue (201-795-6300) and the Hudson County Sheriff's Office at 257 Cornelison Avenue (201-915-1300). A county packed with courtrooms, high-rise addresses and heavy foreclosure activity needs more than one location. Nearby, the Essex County Sheriffs Office sits at 50 West Market Street in Newark (973-621-4111), and the Bergen County Sheriffs Office is at 10 Main Street in Hackensack (201-646-2200).

In these counties the courthouse is a busy complex. Expect security screening, long lines on motion days and limited parking. Plan extra time, and check which building handles your business before you leave home.

Passaic, Union and the middle of the state

Passaic County splits its listings between Paterson and Wayne. The Passaic County Sheriffs Office / Passaic County Jail is at 77 Hamilton Street in Paterson (973-881-4590), while another Passaic County Sheriffs Office listing is at 435 Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne (973-881-4200). The Union County Sheriffs Department is at 10 Elizabethtown Plaza in Elizabeth (908-527-4450), and the Middlesex County Sheriff's Office is at 701 Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick (732-745-3271).

Rural northwest and Highlands counties

Further out, offices are smaller and more personal. The Warren County Sheriffs Office is at 413 2nd Street in Belvidere (908-475-6309), the Hunterdon County Sheriffs Office is at 8 Court Street in Flemington (908-788-1166), and the Sussex County Sheriffs Office is at 39 High Street in Newton (973-579-0850). Staff often know regular callers, but fewer employees means narrower counter hours. A short phone call before a drive from the hills is usually worth it.

The Southern and Shore Counties: Woodbury to Cape May

South Jersey follows the Delaware River and the Atlantic coast, and the sheriff's offices reflect that geography. The Gloucester County Sheriff's Office at 2 South Broad Street in Woodbury (856-384-4600) is the county seat office for Gloucester County, and Woodbury has more of our listings than any other city. The Camden County Sheriffs Office is at 520 Market Street in Camden (856-225-5475), close to the courts that serve the Philadelphia-area suburbs.

Farther south, the Cumberland County Sheriffs Department is at 220 North Laurel Street in Bridgeton (856-451-4449), and the Salem County Sheriff's Office is at 94 Market Street in Salem (856-935-7510). The Atlantic County Sheriffs Office operates from 4997 Unami Boulevard in Hamilton (609-641-0111), and the Cape May County Sheriff's Office is at 4 Moore Road in Middle Township (609-465-1233).

Shore counties add a seasonal wrinkle. The Ocean County Sheriff's Office at 120 Hooper Avenue in Toms River (732-929-2044) and the Monmouth County Sheriffs Office at 50 East Main Street in Freehold (732-431-7138) serve very large year-round populations. Summer crowds and second-home owners can raise the number of civil matters, so allow a little extra time in peak months.

Getting Things Done at a New Jersey Sheriff's Office

Most visits come down to a handful of tasks. Knowing which one you have saves a wasted trip.

Sheriff's sales

When a court orders a property sold to satisfy a debt, usually a foreclosure judgment, the county sheriff runs the sale. Notices are published ahead of time, and the sheriff's office keeps the sale list. Sales are often adjourned or cancelled at the last minute, for example when the owner reaches a settlement or files for bankruptcy. Always confirm the status of a specific property with the office on the day before and the morning of the sale.

Court papers and civil process

Not every legal paper goes through the sheriff. Landlord-tenant evictions are carried out by court officers of the Superior Court, Special Civil Part, rather than by the sheriff. Many other papers are served by mail or private process servers. If a document tells you to contact the sheriff, take the paper with you, because staff need the docket number and the court name to help.

Courthouse access

Sheriff's officers run the entrances at most county courthouses. Bring photo identification, leave prohibited items in the car and expect to pass through a metal detector. The Morris County Sheriffs Office at 56 Washington Street in Morristown (973-285-6600) and the Somerset County Sheriffs Office at 20 Grove Street in Somerville (908-231-7140) are among the offices that sit beside active county courts.

Why Some Counties Have More Than One Listing

You may notice several counties appear twice. Morris County has a street address in Morristown and a separate PO Box 900 listing, both with the same phone number, 973-285-6600. Ocean County has two Toms River entries: the Ocean County Sheriff's Office on Hooper Avenue and the Ocean County Sheriffs Department at 144 Chestnut Street (732-929-2119). Treat the PO Box as a mailing address and use a street address when you are delivering something in person.

Whenever two entries exist, call the main number first and ask which building handles your request. The same advice applies to the Mercer County Sheriffs Office at 175 South Broad Street in Trenton (609-989-6100) and the Burlington County Sheriffs Department at 49 Rancocas Road in Mount Holly (609-265-5046), where the county seat and the administrative buildings may not be side by side.

Sheriff offices in New Jersey are independently elected county agencies responsible for law enforcement, jail operations, and civil process service. Each county in New Jersey elects its own sheriff, who serves as the chief law enforcement officer for that county's unincorporated areas.

Sheriff locations are available in 22 cities across New Jersey. They are spread across 21 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of sheriff office listings include Woodbury, Toms River, Morristown, reflecting the population centers where multiple sub-offices or specialty divisions may be located.

New Jersey residents should note that sheriff offices handle civil law enforcement functions — such as serving eviction notices and foreclosure papers — in addition to criminal law enforcement, so the sheriff office is often the correct point of contact for civil legal matters at the county level.

Sheriff by Counties

A
B
C
E
G
H
M
O
P
S
U
W

If you are a New Jersey resident looking to obtain a concealed carry permit, request a background check clearance letter, or serve legal documents through official channels, your county sheriff office is the starting point — contact them directly to confirm required documentation and current processing times.

Browse Sheriff by county across New Jersey to find the nearest location.

Sheriff Services From the Highlands to the Jersey Shore

New Jersey packs very different landscapes into a small area, and the sheriff you need depends on a county line you may not notice day to day. A resident of Wayne deals with Passaic County, while a neighbor a few miles away may be in Morris or Bergen. Always check the county before calling.

If you are in the northwest, start with Warren County in Belvidere or Hunterdon County in Flemington, where offices are compact and the courthouse sits in the county seat. In the urban northeast, Bergen County in Hackensack and Union County in Elizabeth handle high volumes of court business, so schedule ahead.

Along the Delaware River, Camden County and Cumberland County have their offices on Market Street and North Laurel Street, close to the county courts. Along the shore, the Monmouth County Sheriffs Office in Freehold and the Atlantic County Sheriffs Office in Hamilton serve big populations spread over wide areas.

Phone numbers and addresses on this page come from our listings, but counters change hours, and some functions move between buildings. A two-minute call before you drive is the most reliable way to avoid a wasted trip.

Sheriff Questions New Jersey Residents Ask

Sheriffs in New Jersey are organized by county, not by town. Find your municipality's county first. A Jersey City address belongs to Hudson County, Woodbury belongs to Gloucester County, and Toms River belongs to Ocean County. Then call that county's office, such as the Gloucester County Sheriff's Office at 856-384-4600 or the Ocean County Sheriff's Office at 732-929-2044. If your property sits near a county line, check your tax bill or deed, which names the county, and use that office for court or sale matters.

Generally no. In New Jersey, applications for a firearms purchaser identification card or a permit to purchase a handgun go through your local police chief, or through the New Jersey State Police when your town has no police department. The county sheriff does not normally take these applications. Rules and forms change, so check with your municipal police department or the State Police firearms unit for current requirements. A sheriff's office can tell you where to apply, but do not expect to file the paperwork at the counter.

After a court enters a foreclosure judgment, the county sheriff advertises and conducts a public sale of the property. Each office keeps its own sale list and rules, whether it is the Camden County Sheriffs Office in Camden or the Monmouth County Sheriffs Office in Freehold. Bidders should expect to pay in certified funds and to buy without an inspection. Many sales are adjourned or cancelled, so confirm the status of your property by phone before you go. Ask the office what deposit it requires, because amounts and procedures differ by county.

Landlord-tenant evictions are normally handled by court officers of the Superior Court, Special Civil Part, after a judgment and a warrant of removal. That means you usually do not go to the sheriff for an eviction, unlike in some other states. If you hold a court order and are unsure who enforces it, contact the Special Civil Part office in your county courthouse, or call the sheriff's office and ask whether your paper is one they handle. Bring the docket number, since staff cannot look anything up without it.

These counties list separate buildings or addresses for the same sheriff. Passaic County appears in Paterson at 77 Hamilton Street and in Wayne at 435 Hamburg Turnpike. Hudson County has two Jersey City addresses, on Newark Avenue and Cornelison Avenue. Ocean County has two Toms River entries, and Morris County lists both a Washington Street address and a PO Box in Morristown. Call the main number first and ask which location handles your request, and use a street address rather than a PO Box if you are visiting in person.

Bring a government-issued photo ID, any court papers with the docket number, and certified funds if you plan to pay for something. Courthouses guarded by sheriff's officers, such as those in Morristown, Somerville and Trenton, screen visitors at the door, so leave prohibited items in your car and allow extra time. Call ahead to confirm counter hours, since smaller offices in Warren, Sussex and Hunterdon counties may have shorter schedules than metro offices in Newark or Jersey City.