Sussex County Prosecutor's Office
19-21 High Street
Newton, NJ 07860

Telephone (973) 383-1570



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Megan's Law and Buying Your New Home

You have found the home of your dreams. A beautiful home - a great place to raise your children. The home inspector's report is in and everything has been approved. The schools have a terrific reputation.

You are about to sign the contract, when you see the following clause:

MEGAN'S LAW STATEMENT---- Under the New Jersey Law, the county prosecutor determines whether and how to provide notice of convicted sex offenders in an area. In their professional capacity, real estate licensees are not entitled to notification by the county prosecutors under Megan's Law and are unable to obtain such information for you. Upon closing, the county prosecutor may be contacted for such further information as may be disclosed to you.

How could this happen in your ideal neighborhood? Could there really be convicted sex offenders in this perfect setting? The answer is 'yes'.

How do you find out if there are any sex offenders and what type of information is available?

Assuming the Court allows community notification to continue, the first thing you have to do to obtain this type of information is to contact the Megan's Law Unit of our office. You must be able to show that you reside in the home. You may present the lease or deed to the home, or recent utility bill. This information may not be disclosed to you until after you move into your home.

Once this information has been confirmed, you may receive information on any registered sex offender who lives in your neighborhood and has been classified as a high risk to re-offend.

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