ACCESS TO ATLANTIC COUNTY PUBLIC RECORDS and the OPEN PUBLIC
RECORDS ACT (OPRA)
The
Open Public Records Act became effective on July 7, 2002. It amended the
prior Right to Know Law. Under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), members
of the public may have access to public records held by Atlantic County.
INFORMATION ON OPRA
The underlying purpose of OPRA is to provide that government records,
with certain exceptions, be available for public inspection and copying.
Not all records are disclosable under OPRA. Exceptions to public accessibility
are based on such principles as: a reasonable expectation of privacy by
citizens regarding records in the possession of a public agency; public
safety concerns; and the need to foster unrestrained discussion and consideration
of issues inside public agencies.
The State of New Jersey established the Government Records Council
to assist in disseminating information about OPRA. For more information
on your right to obtain records under OPRA go to its web site at http://www.nj.gov/grc
. You may also contact the council by phone at its toll free information line:
866-850-0511, or by mail to: Government Records Council, P.
O. Box 819, Trenton, NJ 08625.
INFORMAL REQUESTS FOR COUNTY RECORDS
Routine requests for documents may still be made informally, directly
to the holder of the record you are seeking. However, informal requests
are not governed by OPRA. If the holder of the record you are seeking
believes that a formal request would be more appropriate, they may request
that you file an Atlantic County Request for Government Records Form with
the Custodian of Records for Atlantic County.
REQUESTS UNDER OPRA FOR COUNTY RECORDS
You may also direct your initial request to the Custodian of Records by
using the Atlantic County Request for Government Records Form. In order
for the request to be covered by the Open Public Records Act, the Atlantic
County Request for Government Records Form must be submitted to the Custodian
in person, by mail, or by FAX at 609-343-2373, by email, OR by using our on-line request form (CLICK HERE to go to the on-line form now). The form is available as
a downloadable pdf file from the link on this page (left) or from the
Custodian at :
Atlantic County Custodian of Records
Department of Law
1333 Atlantic Ave. 8th floor
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
phone: 609-343-2279
FAX: 609-343-2373
Please be specific when requesting documents. If you know which County
office has the records you want, please include that information. Also,
indicate a date or time frame for the documents you want. Provide any
information that would assist the Custodian in determining what specific
documents you are seeking. More Information on public access to government records...
OTHER COUNTY AGENCIES
Some county agencies have their own Custodian of Records. They are: the
County Prosecutor, the County Clerk, the County Sheriff, the Board of
Elections, the Superintendent of Elections, the Superintendent of Schools,
the Board of Taxation, Atlantic Cape Community College, the Atlantic County
Improvement Authority and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority. The
County Surrogate is subject to the Court rules on disclosure. Contact
these entities directly for their records.
NOTE: All records for the following agencies are handled by the OPRA custodian for the agency listed. All OPRA requests for these agencies should be submitted to the agency directly.
- Atlantic Cape Community College
Custodian: Eileen Curristine, Phone: (609) 343-5610 Email: ecurrist@atlantic.edu
- Atlantic County Improvement Authority
Custodian: John Lamey, Phone: (609) 645-5838, Ext. 5818 Email: lamey_john@aclink.org
- Atlantic County Utilities Authority
Custodian: Brian Lefke, Phone: (609) 272-6950 Email: blefke@acua.com
- Board of Elections
Custodian: Susan Sandman, Phone: (609) 645-5878 Email: sandman_susan@aclink.org
- Board of Taxation
*
Custodian: Marge Schott, Phone: (609) 645-5820, Ext. 5824 Email: schott_marge@aclink.org
- Office of the County Clerk
*
Custodian: Art Lucchesi, Phone: (609) 625-4011, Ext. 5243 Email: lucchesi_arthur@aclink.org
- Office of the Prosecutor
Custodian: Haleigh Walz, Phone: (609) 909-7881 Email: walz_h@acpo.org
- Sheriff's Office
*
Custodian: Pam Hoerter, Phone: (609) 909-7213 Email: oprarequest@acsheriff.org
- Superintendent of Elections
*
Custodian: John Mooney, Phone: (609) 345-6700, Ext. 2245 Email: mooney_johnw@aclink.org
- Superintendent of Schools
*
Custodian: Kelly Will, Phone: (609) 625-0004, Ext.6151 Email: will_kelly@aclink.org
- Surrogate's Court Judge, Deputy Clerk of Superior Court, Chancery Division - Probate Part
Documents from the Surrogates Office are not subject to OPRA regulations. For information please visit the Surroagate's Office web page or contact the office directly.
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Request
for Government Records Form 
