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Bergen County, NJ

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Bergen County, New Jersey — Tax Sale & Surplus Procedure

Local operations layer. The legal framework (redemption periods, surplus rights, statutes, case law, the post-P.L.-2024-c.39 reform) lives on the parent page → new-jersey. This page covers how Bergen County actually runs it. Legal information, not legal advice. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

Critical jurisdictional note — NJ sales are MUNICIPAL, not county. Under New Jersey law, all 70 Bergen County municipalities conduct their own independent tax-lien-certificate (TSC) sales — there is no county-level tax sale aggregator or consolidated platform. Bergen County itself does not hold tax sales. The Bergen County Sheriff conducts mortgage foreclosure (and post-P.L.-2024-c.39 judicial/Internet tax-cert) sales, which are a distinct proceeding from the municipal tax-lien sales. Surplus from sheriff sales is deposited with the NJ Superior Court Trust Fund in Trenton (not with the county). See C1 and C3 for full detail.

C0. Identity

  • County seat: Hackensack, NJ 07601
  • Population: 955,732 (2020 Census) (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts — Bergen County, NJ)
  • Recording unit: county — deeds, mortgages, and TSCs are recorded at the Bergen County Clerk’s Office, One Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack, NJ 07601
  • FIPS: 34003
  • Number of municipalities: 70 (each conducts its own TSC sale)
  • Parent legal framework: new-jersey

C1. Local Tax Sale

Municipal — not county — sales. Bergen County has 70 municipalities. Each municipality’s tax collector independently schedules and conducts at least one annual tax-lien-certificate sale, as required by N.J.S.A. 54:5-19. There is no county-wide tax sale platform or consolidated Bergen County bidding portal. Investors must monitor each municipality separately.

  • Conducts own county-level sale? No. Tax-lien-certificate (TSC) sales are conducted by each of Bergen County’s 70 municipal tax collectors. The county’s role is limited to recording TSCs and sheriff’s deeds at the County Clerk’s office. (NJ DLGS — Elements of Tax Sales)

  • Municipal platform (predominant): Multiple Bergen County municipalities use RealAuction / newjerseytaxsale.com. For example:

  • Bergen County Tax Collectors Association (TCTA): The BCTA maintains an informal tax-sale listing page at bergentcta.org/taxsale/ aggregating upcoming municipal sale notices, but it is not an official county government portal. needs_verification (SSL certificate error on fetch; confirm current URL is active and up to date before relying on it; email contact is akalata@mdlandparknj.gov).

  • Sale calendar: annually per municipality; commonly held in fall or December for the prior year’s delinquencies. Some municipalities run “accelerated” sales later in the year (e.g., Hackensack’s December 21–22 dates). Exact dates vary by municipality and year. (NJ DLGS)

  • Rate within statutory range: each municipal tax collector sets the opening bid; interest is bid down from the statutory 18% maximum per N.J.S.A. 54:5-32. Once bid to 1%, a premium is then bid up. No Bergen County–wide deviation from the statutory rate band.

  • Registration / deposit: procedure varies by municipality. For online (RealAuction) sales: register on the platform with a W-9; payment is due immediately at close of sale. For Hackensack in-person: bidder number confirmed in advance via emailed registration materials. Winning bidders must pay the municipality the full delinquency + interest immediately. (Hackensack Tax Collector; Teaneck Tax Sale)

  • TSC recording: the successful bidder must record the TSC at the Bergen County Clerk within ~90 days of sale. Recording fee information: (201) 336-7036 or bergencountyclerk.gov — Land Record Services.

  • Delinquent list location: each municipality publishes its own delinquent parcel list, typically on the RealAuction platform or on the municipal website, in advance of the sale. No single county-wide delinquent list exists. Individual parcel tax records can be searched via the Bergen County property assessment portal (maintained by the NJ County Boards of Taxation).

  • Sheriff sales (distinct from TSC sales): The Bergen County Sheriff conducts mortgage foreclosure sales and, post-P.L.-2024-c.39, court-ordered judicial or Internet tax-cert sales. See C3 for surplus details. Sale listings: salesweb.civilview.com (Bergen County — countyId=7) (Tyler Technologies / CivilView platform). Confirmed 2026 sale dates (from retrieved CivilView listing): June 12, June 26, July 10, July 17, July 24, Aug. 7, Aug. 14, Sept. 11, and continuing at a primarily biweekly cadence thereafter. (Bergen County Sheriff — Sheriff Sales)

  • Sheriff sale bidding: open-type auction; opening minimum bid $100; bid increments$100 (up to $100k) /$1,000 (above $100k). Deposit: 20% of winning bid due immediately in cash, certified funds, or cashier’s check (dated no earlier than 90 days before the sale), payable to “Bergen County Sheriff.” Balance due within 30 calendar days from the sale date; late payment accrues NJ post-judgment default interest from day 31. Former owner has 10 calendar days to redeem post-sale. Deed delivered within 14 business days of full payment; buyer must then record deed. (Bergen County Sheriff — About Foreclosures & Sales)

C2. Local Redemption → framework: right-of-redemption

  • Where to redeem a TSC (pre-foreclosure): at the municipal tax collector’s office for the municipality where the property is located. The tax collector computes the exact redemption amount (certificate + bid interest ≤18% + 2/4/6% redemption penalty + any subsequently paid taxes with interest + lawful costs). Once a foreclosure action is pending in Superior Court, the party redeeming must intervene in the court action. (Simon v. Cronecker, 189 N.J. 304, 915 A.2d 489 (N.J. 2007); new-jersey Module 2.)

  • Where to redeem a sheriff’s-sale property (post-sale): within the 10-day redemption period (confirmed from Bergen County Sheriff’s website); redemption is through the court action. See new-jersey Module 4 for the mortgage-foreclosure reinstatement right under the Fair Foreclosure Act.

  • Local fees: no Bergen County–specific fee deviations from the statutory schedule have been identified. Deviations from state default: none confirmed.

  • Redemption contact: the individual municipal tax collector. Directory: Bergen County Board of Taxation — Municipal Tax Assessors/Collectors

C3. Local Surplus / Excess Proceeds → framework: surplus-funds

BUSINESS-CRITICAL for surplus-recovery operations. There are two distinct surplus streams in Bergen County: (A) mortgage foreclosure sheriff’s-sale surplus and (B) post-P.L.-2024-c.39 tax-cert judicial/Internet-sale surplus. Both are deposited with the NJ Superior Court Trust Fund in Trenton under N.J.S.A. 2A:50-37, not with Bergen County. Bergen County government does not maintain or publish a surplus list.

(A) Mortgage Foreclosure Sheriff’s Sale Surplus

After a Bergen County sheriff’s sale, the Sheriff pays the foreclosing lender’s judgment amount first. Any surplus is deposited with the NJ Superior Court Trust Fund (administered by the Superior Court Clerk’s Office, Trenton). Former homeowners and junior lienholders claim their share by filing a motion in the Superior Court (Bergen County Chancery Division; docket “BER-C-”) citing N.J.S.A. 2A:50-37.

(B) Tax-Cert Judicial/Internet-Sale Surplus (Post-P.L.-2024-c.39)

Under the reform act (eff. July 10, 2024), a TSC holder who forecloses via a court-ordered sheriff’s sale or Internet auction must, after satisfying the lien and a 10%/$5,000 admin-cost first lien, deposit any surplus with the Superior Court Clerk. Distribution follows N.J.S.A. 2A:50-37 priority. See new-jersey Module 3 for the full reform mechanism.

Internet auction status for Bergen County: P.L. 2024, c.39 (N.J.S.A. 54:5-98.1 and 54:5-98.2) authorizes Internet auctions “through the office of the county sheriff,” but the statute explicitly acknowledges that “In the event that the sheriff has not established an Internet auction, the owner or the owner’s heirs shall only be entitled to a judicial sale.” Whether Bergen County Sheriff has established a separate Internet auction mechanism (distinct from the in-person CivilView-listed sales) has not been confirmed from retrieved sources. needs_verification (P.L. 2024, c.39 text — NJ Legislature)

Claim filing venue:

  • Office: NJ Superior Court Trust Fund Unit (statewide; handles all NJ county surplus deposits including Bergen County)
  • Mailing Address: SCCO Trust Fund, Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 971, Trenton, NJ 08625-0971
  • Hand Delivery: 25 Market Street, Trenton, NJ 08625
  • Phone: 609-421-6100 (confirmed from NJ Courts SCCO page, retrieved 2026-06-02; a second number 609-815-2900 x54200 appeared in a 2025 escheat notice but is not listed as the primary contact on the official SCCO page)
  • Email: SccoTrustfund.Mailbox@njcourts.gov
  • URL: NJ Courts — Superior Court Clerk’s Office

Note: Bergen County Superior Court (Bergen Vicinage) processes the underlying foreclosure docket (BER prefix). Surplus funds themselves flow to the Trenton Trust Fund Unit, not to the Hackensack courthouse.

Bergen Vicinage address (for filing motions to claim surplus): Bergen County Justice Center, 10 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 Phone: 201-221-0700 · Civil Division ext. 25210 (NJ Courts — Bergen Vicinage)

Claim form: a motion (R. 4:64-3 or R. 4:57-2) filed with the court in the underlying foreclosure action; the Trust Fund Unit provides a proposed order form and a Practitioner’s Guide for use when seeking withdrawal from the Trust Fund. needs_verification (specific form name and PDF URL not confirmed from a retrieved NJ Courts page; contact the Trust Fund Unit at 609-421-6100 for current forms.)

Local deadline notes:

  • Surplus claim through motion: no fixed statutory deadline shorter than the 10-year escheat period (N.J.S.A. 46:30B-41) — but the practical window closes when funds escheat.
  • The demand to convert a TSC strict foreclosure to a sale (to preserve equity) must be made before entry of final judgment in the foreclosure action. (new-jersey Module 3; P.L. 2024, c.39.)

Unclaimed-funds list published?

  • Bergen County level: No. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office confirmed (via OPRA request) it does not maintain a list of surplus funds — these are held by the Superior Court Trust Fund in Trenton. (OPRAmachine OPRA request — Bergen County Sheriff)
  • State level (NJ Courts): The NJ Superior Court Trust Fund publishes an annual escheat notice listing all matters (by docket number, including Bergen County “BER-” docket numbers) scheduled to escheat in the upcoming year if unclaimed. Bergen County cases are included in these lists (e.g., BER L-000202-11, BER L-009157-12 appeared in the 2025 notice). (NJ Courts — Superior Court Trust Fund Escheat Notice 2025)
  • Escheat: 10 years of inactivity → presumed abandoned → escheats to NJ Treasury Unclaimed Property Administration under N.J.S.A. 46:30B-41.

Contact for surplus verification:

Scam warning: The Bergen County Clerk’s Office has published a consumer alert about surplus-funds scams targeting NJ foreclosure defendants; official surplus claims go through the court, never through unsolicited mailers. (Bergen County Clerk — Surplus Funds Scam Alert (PDF))

▸ For Investors / Operators — Bergen County has no county-level tax sale; investors must monitor each of the 70 municipalities independently (directory at bergencountynj.gov/boards-commissions/about-board-of-taxation/municipal-tax-assessors-collectors/). Municipalities use a mix of formats — online via RealAuction (confirmed: North Bergen, Teaneck) and in-person (confirmed: Hackensack, with required email pre-registration one week before). TSC holders must record the certificate at the Bergen County Clerk within ~90 days. Sheriff sales (mortgage foreclosure and post-P.L.-2024-c.39 judicial/internet tax-cert sales) run biweekly on the CivilView platform and require a 20% deposit due at the sale in cash or certified funds, with the balance due within 30 calendar days.

▸ For Former Owners — Surplus from Bergen County sheriff sales (mortgage foreclosure) and post-P.L.-2024-c.39 tax-cert judicial/internet sales is held by the NJ Superior Court Trust Fund Unit in Trenton (Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 971, Trenton, NJ 08625; 609-421-6100; SccoTrustfund.Mailbox@njcourts.gov) — not at the Hackensack courthouse. A motion to withdraw is filed in the Bergen County docket (BER prefix) at the Bergen Vicinage (10 Main Street, Hackensack; 201-221-0700 ext. 25210). Funds are subject to a 10-year escheat period under N.J.S.A. 46:30B-41; Bergen County BER-docket numbers appear in the annual NJ Courts Trust Fund escheat notice.

C4. Offices & Contacts

OfficeNameAddressPhoneURL
Bergen County Sheriff (mortgage foreclosure sales; judicial/Internet tax-cert sales)Anthony Cureton2 Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack, NJ 07601(201) 336-3500; Foreclosure Unit ext. 4453bcsd.us/sheriff-sales
Bergen County Clerk (TSC recording; deed recording; land records)John S. HoganOne Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack, NJ 07601(201) 336-7000; Land Records: (201) 336-7036bergencountyclerk.gov
Bergen County Board of Taxation (assessment administration; municipal tax collector directory)Robert F. Layton (Tax Administrator)Two Bergen County Plaza, 1st Floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601-7076(201) 336-6300bergencountynj.gov — Board of Taxation
Bergen County Superior Court — Bergen Vicinage (foreclosure dockets; motions to claim surplus)Assignment Judge: Carol V. Novey CatuognoBergen County Justice Center, 10 Main Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601(201) 221-0700; Civil Div. ext. 25210njcourts.gov — Bergen
NJ Superior Court Trust Fund Unit (surplus deposit & withdrawal; statewide)—Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 971, Trenton, NJ 08625-0971609-421-6100njcourts.gov — SCCO Trust Fund
Bergen County Surrogate’s Court (probate / estate administration — relevant to heir surplus claims)Michael DresslerTwo Bergen County Plaza, Suite 5000, Hackensack, NJ 07601(201) 336-6700bergencountysurrogate.com

Note — no county Tax Collector: Bergen County does not have a county-level tax collector. Property taxes are collected by each of the 70 municipal tax collectors. The county’s role is assessment oversight (Board of Taxation) and deed recording (County Clerk). A full 2026 directory of all 70 municipal tax collectors is available from the Board of Taxation’s website above.

C5. Local Procedure Notes

  • Municipal sales — 70 independent processes: Bergen County’s 70 municipalities each run their own TSC sales. Investors tracking Bergen County must either monitor individual municipal websites, check the informal Bergen TCTA aggregator (bergentcta.org/taxsale/ — needs_verification on current reliability due to SSL cert error), or contact municipal tax collectors directly. There is no county-mandated single portal.

  • Platform mix: Bergen County municipalities use both online (RealAuction / newjerseytaxsale.com) and in-person formats. The mix is not uniform; each municipality chooses its format annually. North Bergen and Teaneck confirmed online; Hackensack confirmed in-person with email pre-registration.

  • TSC recording at County Clerk: after purchase, buyers must record the TSC at the Bergen County Clerk (One Bergen County Plaza, Hackensack) within ~90 days. E-recording is available via erecording.com for eligible document types. (Bergen County Clerk — Land Record Services)

  • Sheriff sales — biweekly cadence: confirmed from the 2026 CivilView schedule, Bergen County Sheriff sales are held approximately every two weeks (primarily biweekly, with occasional weekly intervals). All upcoming sales are listed on the CivilView/Tyler Technologies platform and on the BCSD website. (salesweb.civilview.com — Bergen County)

  • Surplus flows to Trenton, not Hackensack: a common practitioner error is attempting to claim Bergen County foreclosure surplus at the Hackensack courthouse. The funds are deposited with the Trenton Trust Fund Unit; a motion to withdraw is filed in the Bergen County docket, but the check comes from Trenton. The Bergen Vicinage Civil Division can confirm whether surplus has been deposited.

  • Post-P.L.-2024-c.39 transition: the reform eff. July 10, 2024 introduced new rights for TSC owners to demand a sheriff’s sale or Internet auction before final judgment. The statute (N.J.S.A. 54:5-98.1 and 54:5-98.2) allows property owners to demand an Internet auction “through the office of the county sheriff,” but only if the sheriff has established such a mechanism — if not, only a judicial sale is available. Bergen County TSC investors should review whether pending foreclosure matters filed before July 10, 2024 are subject to the new surplus-preservation demand mechanism. See new-jersey Module 3 and 257-261 20th Avenue Realty, LLC v. Alessandro Roberto, 259 N.J. 417, 327 A.3d 1177 (2025). (NJ Courts — Opinion)

  • Third-party recovery operations: no NJ statute capping surplus-recovery agent fees for TSC or mortgage-foreclosure surpluses has been identified from retrieved sources. Simon v. Cronecker, 189 N.J. 304 (2007) limits third-party intervention in redemption scenarios (third-party investors must intervene in pending foreclosure actions before redeeming tax certificates). Assignment of the surplus claim: permissible in the mortgage-foreclosure context under a court order; specific procedures for TSC-reform surplus assignments not yet settled by reported case law.

C6. Records Access

C7. Meta

  • parent_state: new-jersey
  • last_verified: 2026-06-02
  • confidence: 0.91
  • completeness_score: 0.87
  • gap_score: 5

sources:

needs_verification:

  • Bergen County TCTA aggregator (bergentcta.org/taxsale/): SSL certificate error on fetch (ERR_TLS_CERT_ALTNAME_INVALID); the site appears in search results and an email contact (akalata@mdlandparknj.gov) was found, but the URL cannot be verified as currently active and content-current. Confirm before directing investors to it. Not an official county government portal.
  • Full list of RealAuction-enabled Bergen County municipalities: only North Bergen and Teaneck have been confirmed via direct fetches as using RealAuction / newjerseytaxsale.com. Other municipalities may use in-person formats (like Hackensack) or different online vendors. The 2026 Municipal Tax Collectors PDF (bergencountynj.gov) should be downloaded and cross-referenced.
  • Post-P.L.-2024-c.39 Internet auction — Bergen County Sheriff implementation: The statute (N.J.S.A. 54:5-98.1) authorizes Internet auctions “through the office of the county sheriff” but includes a fallback: “In the event that the sheriff has not established an Internet auction, the owner or the owner’s heirs shall only be entitled to a judicial sale.” Whether Bergen County Sheriff has established a distinct Internet auction mechanism separate from the in-person CivilView-listed sales is not confirmed from retrieved sources.
  • Claim form specifics (Trust Fund Unit): the NJ Courts SCCO page references a “Superior Court Trust Fund Practitioner’s Guide” but does not provide a specific form number or PDF link for surplus withdrawal. Contact 609-421-6100 for current forms.
  • No county-wide tax payment portal: Bergen County is believed to have no county-wide tax payment portal (municipal-only), consistent with the county’s general structure, but no direct Bergen County government statement to this effect was retrieved.

cross_links: new-jersey, surplus-funds, right-of-redemption, third-party-recovery-rules, sheriff-sale, treasurer-sale, due-process-notice, tyler-v-hennepin-county, bankruptcy-automatic-stay, federal-tax-lien-redemption, heirs-property

changelog:

  • 2026-06-02: Initial research draft. All C0–C7 modules populated from direct fetches of official Bergen County sources: BCSD sheriff sales page (20% deposit, 30-day balance, CivilView platform confirmed), NJ Courts Bergen Vicinage, SCCO Trust Fund Unit (Trenton address + phone + escheat statute confirmed), Bergen County Clerk (John Hogan, address, phone, land records portal), Board of Taxation (Layton, address, phone, tax records portal), GIS office, Surrogate’s Court (Michael Dressler confirmed), three municipal tax sales confirmed (North Bergen/RealAuction, Teaneck/RealAuction, Hackensack/in-person). OPRA request confirmed Bergen County does not hold surplus lists. NJ Courts 2025 escheat notice confirmed Bergen County BER-docket numbers in published list, N.J.S.A. 46:30B-41, 10-year dormancy, R. 4:57-2 withdrawal procedure.
  • 2026-06-02: Gap-closing pass. Removed two broken wiki-links (simon-v-cronecker-2007 and 257-261-20th-avenue-realty-v-roberto-2025 — no case pages exist; replaced with inline citations to verified primary sources). Resolved Trust Fund phone discrepancy (609-421-6100 confirmed as sole official number from NJ Courts SCCO page). Confirmed biweekly sheriff sale cadence from 2026 CivilView schedule. Confirmed Surrogate Michael Dressler from live website fetch. Added P.L. 2024, c.39 statute text source confirming Internet auction mechanism and county-sheriff fallback provision. Confirmed both case citations (Simon v. Cronecker and 257-261 20th Avenue Realty v. Roberto) are real, decided, and correctly cited. Confirmed no NJ statutory fee cap for surplus recovery agents from search of primary sources. Consolidated needs_verification from 9 items to 5 (resolved phone discrepancy, sheriff cadence, surrogate name, fee cap non-existence, and broken wiki-links).

▸ For Investors / Operators — Bergen County has no county-level tax sale; investors must monitor each of the 70 municipalities independently (directory at bergencountynj.gov/boards-commissions/about-board-of-taxation/municipal-tax-assessors-collectors/). Municipalities use a mix of formats — online via RealAuction (confirmed: North Bergen, Teaneck) and in-person (confirmed: Hackensack, with required email pre-registration one week before). TSC holders must record the certificate at the Bergen County Clerk within ~90 days. Sheriff sales (mortgage foreclosure and post-P.L.-2024-c.39 judicial/internet tax-cert sales) run biweekly on the CivilView platform and require a 20% deposit due at the sale in cash or certified funds, with the balance due within 30 calendar days.

▸ For Former Owners — Surplus from Bergen County sheriff sales (mortgage foreclosure) and post-P.L.-2024-c.39 tax-cert judicial/internet sales is held by the NJ Superior Court Trust Fund Unit in Trenton (Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 971, Trenton, NJ 08625; 609-421-6100; SccoTrustfund.Mailbox@njcourts.gov) — not at the Hackensack courthouse. A motion to withdraw is filed in the Bergen County docket (BER prefix) at the Bergen Vicinage (10 Main Street, Hackensack; 201-221-0700 ext. 25210). Funds are subject to a 10-year escheat period under N.J.S.A. 46:30B-41; Bergen County BER-docket numbers appear in the annual NJ Courts Trust Fund escheat notice.

Disclaimer: This page is legal information, not legal advice. Tax-foreclosure and surplus-recovery law changes frequently; verify every fact against the cited primary sources before acting, and consult a licensed New Jersey attorney before relying on any information on this page. Last verified: 2026-06-02.

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