The New Jersey records that decide what a home really costs and what the seller has to tell you: disclosure law, property-tax reset, the official registry, and the FEMA flood map — sourced, with the county offices that hold the files.
Check the records behind the address before you offer.
Check any address — free previewThe legal standard: Since August 1, 2024, under the Real Estate Consumer Protection Enhancement Act (P.L. 2024, c.32), sellers of residential real property must complete and sign the Property Condition Disclosure Statement before the buyer becomes obligated under contract, and since March 20, 2024 flood-risk disclosure is mandatory on that statement.
Demand the completed, signed disclosure before you are contractually bound — that timing is now the law for residential sales, not just good practice. Answer-check the flood addendum (questions on FEMA Special and Moderate Flood Hazard Areas, flood history, insurance and elevation certificate) using NJDEP's flood disclosure tool, because failure to comply can release a purchaser from the contract. Treat answers as 'to the best of the seller's knowledge' and still inspect and pull flood maps yourself.
Sources: dep.nj.gov · sellecksellsnj.com · homelight.com · nj.gov · appealdesk.com · njsp.njoag.gov
Your bill is based on the municipal assessment as of October 1 and local levies, and there is no cap on how much an individual assessment can rise — the 2% cap limits the town's total levy, not your bill. If the town revalues after you buy, your assessment can jump to full market value in one year even though the seller's bill, set on a stale assessment, was much lower.
Homestead: New Jersey has no traditional homestead exemption verified in the sources used; owner relief runs through rebate and reimbursement programs, including the ANCHOR benefit for eligible homeowners and the Senior Freeze (Property Tax Reimbursement) for eligible seniors.
New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry is run by New Jersey State Police. Search it by the home's address before you offer — and search again before closing, because registry data changes as people move.
Open the official New Jersey registry
You can also search every state at once through the federal National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). A CurbFacts report shows the registry count for the home's ZIP — the same public data, organized for the decision.
The only flood map that decides a lender's insurance requirement is FEMA's — the National Flood Hazard Layer behind the official FEMA flood map viewer. Listing sites license private models that can and do disagree with it; when they conflict, the FEMA map is the one your lender and insurer use.
New Jersey also republishes the official flood data through NJDEP Flood Disclosure Law / Flood Risk Notification Tool — a second official look at the same FEMA determinations.
Check the exact parcel, not the ZIP code: flood-zone boundaries cut through streets, and two houses side by side can sit in different zones.
P.L. 2023, c.94 requires every seller, before the purchaser becomes obligated, to disclose on the property condition disclosure statement whether the property is in FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Area or Moderate Flood Hazard Area and the seller's actual knowledge of flood risks — check the answers against NJDEP's tool and FEMA maps, and budget for flood insurance if a lender will require it.
The old 1% buyer 'mansion tax' became, effective July 10, 2025 under P.L. 2025, c.69, a Graduated Percent Fee paid by the seller/grantor: 1% over $1M-$2M, 2% over $2M-$2.5M, 2.5% over $2.5M-$3M, 3% over $3M-$3.5M, and 3.5% over $3.5M, calculated on total consideration — who bears it in your deal is now a negotiation point, not an automatic buyer cost.
What the New Jersey disclosure does and does not cover, section by section, and the questions it never answers.
Read the guideHow to run an address through the official New Jersey registry, and how to read what comes back.
Read the guideRecords live at the county level — assessor, recorder, permits. Pick the county for its records checklist.
Every CurbFacts report pulls the public records behind an address — flood determination, registry, tax reset, price history, permits, and what's planned nearby — and shows its sources.
Check any address — free preview