STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Senator CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.
District 9 (Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires county recording officer to establish property alert service to notify participating property owners of recording of certain documents that affect property.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act enhancing protections against fraudulent recordings and supplementing chapter 19 of Title 46 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A county recording officer shall establish a property alert service in accordance with rules and regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Community Affairs. If a property owner is participating in the property alert service in accordance with subsection b. of this section, the property alert service shall notify the participating property owner within seven days of recording, whenever a lien, deed, or any other document that affects the owner’s property, has been recorded.
b. The property alert service shall allow a participating property owner to voluntarily participate by submitting information on the property owner’s preferred mailing address or e-mail address, or both, through which to be notified through the service. A county recording officer shall be permitted to charge a fee, not to exceed $10 per property per year, for participation in the property alert service.
2. On or before the first day of the fifth month next following enactment of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Commissioner of Community Affairs shall, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt the rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fifth month next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires a county recording officer to establish a property alert service (service) to enhance protections against fraudulent recordings of liens, deeds, and other documents on real property. A "county recording officer" is also known as a "register of deeds and mortgages" in some counties, and a "county clerk" in the others.
The property alert service is to notify a participating property owner within seven days of recording, whenever a lien, deed, or any other document that affects the owner’s property, has been recorded. The service is to allow a participating property owner to submit information on the property owner’s preferred mailing address or e-mail address, or both, through which to be notified. The bill permits a county recording officer to charge a fee, not to exceed $10 per property per year, for participation in the property alert service.
The bill directs the Commissioner of Community Affairs to adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of the bill on or before the first day of the fifth month following enactment. The bill is to take effect on the first day of the fifth month following enactment.