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. 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: 609-594-3718
Email: opra@atlantic-county.org

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: Timothy Edmunds,  Phone: (609) 343-2390   Email:  edmunds_timothy@aclink.org
• Atlantic County Utilities Authority
  Custodian: Lisa Duffner,  Phone: (609) 272-6929  Email:  gduffner@acua.com
• Board of Elections
  Custodians: 
  

  Bill Sacchinelli, Phone (609) 645-5888 Sacchinelli_Bill@aclink.org
  Jenna Baruffi (609) 645-5893 Baruffi_Jenna@aclink.org

• Board of Taxation *
  Custodian: Thersea Prendergast,  Phone: (609) 909-5844   Email:  prendergast_theresa@aclink.org
• Office of the County Clerk *
  Custodian:  Mike Sommers, Phone: (609) 625-4011   Fax:  609-909-5111 Form:  OPRA Request Form,  Email:  sommers_mike@aclink.org
• Office of the Prosecutor
  Custodian: Chief Assistant Prosecutor Courtney Cittadini,  Phone: (609) 909-7966   Email:  OPRA@acpo.org
• Sheriff's Office *
  Custodian: Tracy Amici,  Phone: (609) 909-7234   Email:  ACSOoprarequest@aclink.org
• Superintendent of Elections *
  Custodian: Maureen Bugdon,  Phone: (609) 345-6700, Ext. 2245   Email:  bugdon_maureen@aclink.org
• Superintendent of Schools *
  Custodian: Kelly Cotter,  Phone: (609) 625-0004, Ext.6151   Email:  cotter_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 Surrogate's Office web page or contact the office directly.