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New Jersey · Bayshore · #719
Cumberland County, New Jersey
In South Jersey's agricultural lowlands along the Delaware Bay shore, Cumberland County holds Bridgeton - New Jersey's largest historic district by acreage - and the Bayshore communities whose oyster beds, migratory shorebirds, and working watermen culture represent the most authentically old-fashioned corner of the Garden State.
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Cumberland County Office of Emergency Management – 637 Bridgeton Ave, Bridgeton, NJ 08302 | (856) 455-8770; Emergency Management Coordinator Dawn Bowen, [email protected]; Deputy Coordinator Gabriel Scarpa, [email protected]. Cumberland County CART (County Animal Response Team) provides emergency pet sheltering during declared disasters/evacuations.
Sheriff: Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office – Bridgeton, NJ; Sheriff Michael Donato; confirm current phone via ccsonj.opsnetwork.org.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: NJ-49 and NJ-77 serve Bridgeton, the county seat, in South Jersey along the Delaware Bay.
Notes: Cumberland County’s economy centers on Bridgeton (county government/historic resources), Millville (arts, motorsports, glass heritage), and Vineland (residential/commercial hub), shaped by the Delaware Bay, the Maurice River, and Delaware Bay oyster heritage.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Cumberland County Administration Building – 164 W. Broad St, Bridgeton, NJ 08302 | (856) 453-2100.
Notes: Bridgeton is genuinely home to one of New Jersey’s largest historic districts – the Bridgeton Historic District, NRHP-listed (1982), encompassing roughly 616 acres and over 2,200 buildings, largely Late Victorian architecture; the historic Cumberland County Courthouse is a contributing property. Millville has hosted continuous glassmaking industry since 1739, and today’s Glasstown Arts District and WheatonArts and Cultural Center (founded 1968 as Wheaton Village) house the Museum of American Glass, one of the most comprehensive collections of American-made glass in the country.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Cumberland County Veterans Services/Department of Veterans Affairs – confirm current contact via cumberlandcountynj.gov.
Federal: Philadelphia VA Medical Center (nearby).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Cumberland County Library – provides public library resources and community services countywide; confirm current branch addresses/hours via cumberlandcountynj.gov.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: WheatonArts and Cultural Center/Museum of American Glass, the Glasstown Arts District in Millville, the Bridgeton Historic District, East Point Lighthouse (built 1849, near Heislerville), and Cohanzick Zoo are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine 1739 continuous glassmaking heritage and one of New Jersey’s largest historic districts are distinctive local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Cumberland County Board of Taxation – confirm current contact via cumberlandcountynj.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter – Vineland, NJ; confirm current phone via sjras.org; genuinely traces its roots to an 1891 Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Animals chapter, becoming the humane law enforcement entity for Cumberland County in 1915; open-intake, handles roughly 4,000 animals/year, offers a service/emotional-support-animal adoption program for veterans; one of the few non-government-funded shelters in New Jersey.
Associated Humane Societies South – Vineland, NJ; part of the century-old Associated Humane Societies network (founded 1906, also operating Popcorn Park wildlife sanctuary in Forked River).
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Cumberland County – 164 W. Broad St, Bridgeton, NJ 08302 | (856) 453-2100.
NOTES: Cumberland County is the sixth county in the New Jersey v2 A+ sourced redo’s first batch (Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex). The genuine 1739 continuous glassmaking heritage in Millville and one of New Jersey’s largest historic districts in Bridgeton are distinctive local facts. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Cumberland County
Cumberland County is New Jersey’s most economically challenged county and simultaneously one of its most historically rich – a combination that is more common in American geography than comfortable narratives allow. Bridgeton’s historic district, with 2,200 contributing buildings in its National Register Historic District, is the largest in New Jersey and one of the most significant collections of nineteenth-century commercial and residential architecture in the mid-Atlantic. The poverty that preserved the buildings – development never had the resources to replace them – has produced an architectural heritage that more prosperous communities destroyed in the postwar decades.
The county’s Bayshore communities – Port Norris, Bivalve, Mauricetown – preserve a commercial oyster and fishing heritage on the Maurice River that has declined significantly with Delaware Bay oyster disease but remains an authentic working waterfront culture. The Millville Arts District has developed genuine creative community investment. The county’s agricultural economy – tomatoes, peppers, and blueberries in the sandy Pine Barrens soils – persists.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
New Jersey assesses property at 100% of true value. Property owners may appeal to the County Board of Taxation. New Jersey’s inheritance tax applies to Class C and D beneficiaries.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Cumberland County Division of Aging
790 East Commerce Street, Bridgeton, NJ 08302
Phone: (856) 453-2220
Senior Services
Cumberland County Division of Aging
790 East Commerce Street, Bridgeton, NJ 08302
Phone: (856) 453-2220
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
60 W. Broad St., Bridgeton, NJ 08302
(856) 453-2125
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
60 W. Broad St., Bridgeton, NJ 08302
(856) 453-2122
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Cumberland County Surrogate’s Court, Bridgeton (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The Cumberland County Courthouse, part of the NRHP-listed Bridgeton Historic District, is a significant local landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Cumberland County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Cumberland County Surrogate’s Court Cumberland County Courthouse, 60 West Broad Street, Suite A111, Bridgeton, NJ 08302 (856) 453-4800
Cumberland County is in southwestern New Jersey, seated in Bridgeton. The Cumberland County Courthouse is a contributing property in the Bridgeton Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
New Jersey probate is governed by Title 3B of the New Jersey Statutes. The elected Surrogate’s Court in each county handles uncontested probate matters; contested matters are referred to the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Probate Part.
Affidavit of Surviving Spouse (N.J.S.A. 3B:10-3) – available only when the decedent died WITHOUT a will (intestate) and the total value of real and personal assets does not exceed $50,000. The surviving spouse, civil union partner, or domestic partner may file this affidavit with the Surrogate’s Court and receive the assets without formal administration. The first $10,000 of the estate is free from the decedent’s debts. There is no affidavit shortcut if a will exists – a will must always be probated regardless of estate size.
Affidavit of Next of Kin (N.J.S.A. 3B:10-4) – available only when the decedent died intestate, there is no surviving spouse/partner, and the estate does not exceed $20,000. One of the next of kin may file this affidavit with the written consent of all other heirs of equal or greater priority.
Regular (Formal) Probate – required whenever there’s a will, or when an intestate estate exceeds the small-estate thresholds above.
Step 2: filing for regular probate
File an Application for Probate with the Surrogate’s Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled (as soon as 10 days after death).
The Surrogate admits the will and issues Letters Testamentary, or – for intestate estates – appoints an administrator and issues Letters of Administration. A surety bond may be required for an administrator.
The Surrogate issues “short certificates,” which the executor/administrator uses as proof of authority – a certificate is typically needed for each asset that must be transferred or sold.
The personal representative notifies creditors and beneficiaries; New Jersey’s creditor claim period is 9 months from death.
The personal representative inventories assets, pays debts and taxes (including any New Jersey Inheritance Tax return, if applicable), and distributes the remaining assets according to the will or New Jersey’s intestacy statute.
The estate is closed with a final accounting filed with the court.
What it costs
Surrogate’s Court filing fees generally range from about $100 to $250 depending on the county and the complexity/value of the estate.
New Jersey does NOT require an attorney for probate, but one is commonly recommended for anything beyond the simplest estates.
UNIQUE TO NEW JERSEY: New Jersey has an INHERITANCE TAX that applies to transfers to “Class C” and “Class D” beneficiaries – nieces, nephews, friends, and other non-immediate relatives – even for relatively small inheritances; there is no minimum exemption threshold. Transfers to a spouse, civil union/domestic partner, parents, children, grandchildren, and stepchildren (“Class A” beneficiaries) are exempt.
New Jersey repealed its separate state ESTATE tax for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2018 – only the inheritance tax remains at the state level.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
60 W. Broad St., Bridgeton, NJ 08302
(856) 453-2900
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK — ELECTIONS
60 W. Broad St., Bridgeton, NJ 08302
(856) 453-2122
ELECTIONS
60 W. Broad St., Bridgeton, NJ 08302
(856) 453-2122
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
NJ DHHS — Cumberland
(856) 696-6600
Inspira Health Network — Bridgeton
inspirahealthnetwork.org (Bridgeton — quality regional hospital; south Jersey anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Cumberland County Health Department – confirm current contact via cumberlandcountynj.gov.
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Bridgeton
Population: 154,000
Area: 483 sq mi
Established: 1748
Tier: 2
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Cumberland County facilities via Amazon.
