Unofficial 2026 General Election Candidate List Now Available

The Office of the Bergen County Clerk has released the initial candidate filings for the upcoming election. Please note that this list is currently unofficial and subject to change as petition verifications continue.

View the full UNOFFICIAL 2026 General Election Candidate List to stay informed on the latest updates.

This is how you look up what is already on file for a Bergen County property. County Clerk John S. Hogan's office keeps deeds, mortgages, liens, and related land documents in a searchable archive that goes back about 300 years.

Start on Land Record Services. That page is the door to Land Record Search, plus the coversheet, eRecording, and Agent Portal used by regular filers.

If you are not sure which tool you need, begin at the Land Records hub and choose search from there.

Recording is how a new deed, mortgage, or similar paper becomes part of the official county record. Until it is recorded, it is not in the public index other people search.

Use Land Record Services for the current coversheet, eRecording steps, and the Agent Portal. Title companies and high-volume filers usually go through the portal.

Before you send anything, check the document type and fee on Document Directory and Recording Fees.

The fee depends on the kind of document (deed, mortgage, UCC, construction lien, tax lien, certified copy, and others). The list is on Document Directory and Recording Fees.

How you pay also depends on the fee. Realty transfer fees must be paid with an attorney trust check, a certified check, or a bank check, not a personal check. See Payment Requirements before you come in or mail a package.

If a payment is rejected, the document will not record. Call from Contact if you need the Land Records counter to walk through a payment type.

Look at the official record first so you can see what was filed, when, and under which names. Use Land Record Search from Land Record Services.

If the filing looks like a foreclosure, read Residential Foreclosure Help and Information for counseling contacts and state refinance resources. The Clerk can show you what is on file. The Clerk cannot give legal advice or stop a court case.

Bring what you find, or ask a question, through Contact.

Land Records is a division of County Clerk John S. Hogan's office at One Bergen County Plaza in Hackensack. Staff there can help with a search, a recording, a fee, or a copy.

Start with the Land Records hub for self-service tools, then use Contact for the Land Records room, phone, hours, and a message form.

This is how you get on the New Jersey voter roll, or fix your name or address so your ballot goes to the right place. Registration is a state form. The Clerk's site opens that form for you.

Use Voter Registration to register or update. More voter tasks live on Voter Information.

Military and overseas citizens use a federal postcard application. Start at Overseas Citizens and Military Voters.

A mail-in ballot lets you vote without going to your Election Day polling place. You request the ballot, mark it, and return it by mail or at an official drop box. The full path is on Vote by Mail Information.

Apply online at Apply to Vote by Mail Online, or use the Vote-By-Mail Application. After you send it, Track My Ballot shows whether it was received.

Official drop boxes are listed at Ballot Drop Box Locations. If a ballot is lost, damaged, or spoiled, use Replace a Mail-In Ballot.

Your Election Day polling place is based on your registered address. Look it up on Voting Locations.

Bergen County also offers in-person early voting before Election Day. Current dates, hours, and sites are on Early Voting Information and Hours and Locations.

For the rest of the elections map, start at Elections.

A sample ballot shows the contests and public questions for your town before you vote. Bring it with you for a faster check-in. View it on Sample Ballots.

Certified results, including older years, are on Election Results. Both sit under Election Information.

Campaigns and reporters who need official mail-in applicant lists can order them from Mail-In Ballot Lists.

You can ask for an accessible voting option, help at the machine, or a mail-in ballot if getting to the polls is hard. Start at Assistance for Voters with Disabilities.

Bergen County also provides Spanish and Korean election materials and hotlines. See Bilingual Assistance in Spanish and Korean. Your legal protections are in Know Your Rights: NJ Voters' Bill of Rights.

If you are not sure which office to call, use Elections Contact Information.

No. The Bergen County Clerk does not issue marriage licenses. There is no Clerk license counter and no Clerk license application page.

Licenses come from a town or municipal office, usually the local Health Department. If neither spouse lives in New Jersey, apply at the Hackensack Health Department. New Jersey has a 3-day (72-hour) waiting period after you apply. The license is then valid for 30 days.

The Clerk's role is the civil ceremony, not the license. Read Wedding Ceremonies and the Registry hub, or ask a question on Contact.

Yes. County Clerk John S. Hogan's office can officiate a civil ceremony at One Bergen County Plaza in Hackensack. This is a short civil wedding, not a religious service, and same-sex couples are welcome.

Call (201) 336-7006 to schedule. A Spanish-speaking officiant is available. The ceremony room holds about 10 guests, so plan a small group.

Review the steps on Wedding Ceremonies before you call. The Registry page has related office information.

Bring everything the officiant needs to complete the license the same day. That means all 4 copies of the marriage license, valid photo IDs for both spouses, and two witnesses who are 18 or older and have ID.

A suggested donation of $35, cash or check, is requested. Confirm the current amount when you book the time at (201) 336-7006.

The checklist and room details are on Wedding Ceremonies. If you need to change a time, use Contact or the scheduling line.

The Clerk officiates and returns the completed license copies. The official certified marriage certificate is not handed out at One Bergen County Plaza.

Pick the certificate up at the Hackensack Health Department, 215 State Street, about 7 to 10 days after the ceremony. Call that office if you need the pickup window or a copy later.

Ceremony steps are on Wedding Ceremonies. For Clerk office hours and the plaza address, use Contact.

After the ceremony, get a certified marriage certificate from the Hackensack Health Department (215 State Street). Use that certificate first with the Social Security Administration, then with MVC for a driver license or ID.

When the new name is on those records, update voter registration through Voter Registration. If you also need a U.S. passport in the new name, start at Apply for a Passport. The Clerk can help with those two forms.

Wedding and registry questions stay on Wedding Ceremonies or Contact.

A trade name filing is how a sole proprietor or partnership puts the business name on the county record. It is not a town license, a corporation, or a tax ID.

Download and file the Certificate of Trade Name from Registering a New Trade Name. The Business and Trade Names hub lists related filings. Mail or drop-off steps are on Submitting Documents.

The Service Counter is part of County Clerk John S. Hogan's office at One Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack. Start at Service Counter if you are combining this with a notary or other counter errand.

A church corporation that files in Bergen County brings three notarized original documents (three pages each) to the Clerk. The checklist is on Registering a Church Corporation.

Most other corporations, limited partnerships, fictitious names, and nonprofit organizations file with the New Jersey Division of Revenue, not the County Clerk. That split is explained on Incorporation, Limited Partnerships, Fictitious Names, and Non-profit Organizations.

If you are still choosing a structure, Small Business Counseling can point you to county advisors.

Usually yes, and those do not come from the Clerk. A trade-name filing only records the name in the county. It does not replace a municipal license or a tax number.

Local licenses come from your town building or zoning office. See Business License Information. A federal EIN is issued by the IRS, not this office: Federal Tax Information. A New Jersey tax ID comes from the Division of Revenue: Tax Identification Number.

Return to Business and Trade Names when you are ready to file the county name paperwork.

Each of those is a separate county form. Use the one that matches the change so the public record stays accurate.

Adding a New Owner or Partner and Removing an Owner or Partner update who is on the trade name. Business Address Change is for a move. Closing a Business uses the discontinuance form.

File the papers using Submitting Documents. Free mentoring is listed on Small Business Counseling.

These are three different stamps, and they start in different places. To become a New Jersey notary and register the commission in Bergen County, use Become a Notary Public. The broader counter page is Notary Public and Certifications.

If you already have a notarized document and need the Clerk to certify the notary's signature, use County Clerk Certification. An apostille or New Jersey state seal for use outside the United States is explained on Apostille or State Seal.

Questions about which stamp you need can go through Contact.