In the State of New Jersey, the County Clerk is an elected Constitutional Officer, who serves a 5 year term.  The title of Hudson County Clerk currently belongs to Hon. Barbara A. Netchert.  By virtue of the position, the County Clerk serves as a liaison between the governing officials and the taxpayers. The Clerk operates as the "keeper of records," and the hub of many countywide operations. All fees or service charges obtained by the County Clerk’s Office are revenue producing, and help to reduce the county budget.  

The County Clerk is responsible for the administration of a broad range of services. The County Clerk can swear you in to an elected office, or a position that requires an oath of allegiance.  The Clerk also oversees four service-providing offices: the Divisions of Public Records, Passports, Elections and Archives & Records Management.

In the Division of Public Records, you can be sworn in as a notary public, register your business or file a trade name, dissolve your business, and file construction liens, mechanics liens, or physician liens.  This division also issues veterans identification cards.  All of these documents, excluding the veterans’ identification records, have been microfilmed and made available to you on computers set up in our public waiting area! This division can also certify documents (not notarize) for a small fee.

If you are planning a trip abroad, you should stop by the County Clerk’s Division of Passports, for a passport or passport card.  Travel guidelines now require you to obtain at least a passport card if you are planning a trip to Mexico, the Caribbean Islands or Canada.  Looking for your ancestors who might have been naturalized?  You can request a naturalization records search through the Clerk’s Division of Passports.

The County Clerk participates in the conduct of school board, primary, special and general elections by designing ballots, drawing ballot positions, and printing ballots. The Clerk’s Division of Elections is responsible for accepting and processing Vote by Mail Applications, and mailing Vote by Mail ballots to voters.  Voters can Vote by Mail up until 3 o’clock in person, on the day before the election, after which, permission by court order is required. The Division of Elections also issues and accepts petitions to run of County Office and/or special elections.  The Clerk also tabulates voting results and certifies the election.

The Clerk’s Division of Archives & Records Management, located at 595 County Avenue, Secaucus, NJ, is responsible for archiving, shredding, microfilming and storing County documents that have not reached their retention schedule.