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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationNew Jersey

What to do when someone dies in New Jersey

The first things New Jersey’s own law asks for after a death, quoted word for word, then the pages for everything that follows, in the order it usually comes. Nothing here decides what a particular family must do. That belongs to the office named, the court, or an attorney in New Jersey.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 18, 2026 – October 24, 2026

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The free first-week checklist

Pages taken from the planner, by email: who to phone first, and a blank records sheet.

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Filing the death certificate: who is responsible, where it is filed, and the permit

Registering the death comes first. These are New Jersey’s own words on who files the record, and how soon.

The funeral director in charge of the funeral or disposition of the body of any person dying in this State shall be responsible for the proper execution of a death certificate in a legible manner, or by means of the NJ-EDRS, and filed in exchange for a burial or removal or transit permit with the local registrar of the district in which the death occurred or the body was found

New Jersey · general information · checked October 18, 2026 · N.J.S.26:6-6(a)

The death certification: who signs it, and how soon

Within a reasonable time, not to exceed 24 hours after the pronouncement of death, the attending, covering, or resident physician, … or the county or intercounty medical examiner or the assistant county or intercounty medical examiner shall execute the death certification.

New Jersey · general information · checked October 18, 2026 · N.J.S.26:6-8

Compelling someone to produce a will and lodge it with the Surrogate

The will has its own rules. These are New Jersey’s own words on who brings it to the court after a death, and what the court does with it.

The Superior Court shall have jurisdiction to compel discovery as to the existence or whereabouts of any paper purporting to be a will of any decedent who died a resident of the county, which has not been offered for probate, and to require the paper to be lodged with the surrogate of the county for probate.

New Jersey · general information · checked October 18, 2026 · N.J.S.3B:3-29

Where to keep a will, in one county Surrogate’s words

Your will should be stored in a safe location that is easily accessible to your executor in the event of your death.

New Jersey · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · Monmouth County Surrogate, FAQs

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

The funeral director in charge of the funeral or disposition of the body of any person dying in this State shall be responsible for the proper execution of a death certificate in a legible manner, or by means of the NJ-EDRS, and filed in exchange for a burial or removal or transit permit with the local registrar of the district in which the death occurred or the body was found

New Jersey · general information · checked October 18, 2026 · N.J.S.26:6-6(a)

Within a reasonable time, not to exceed 24 hours after the pronouncement of death, the attending, covering, or resident physician, … or the county or intercounty medical examiner or the assistant county or intercounty medical examiner shall execute the death certification.

New Jersey · general information · checked October 18, 2026 · N.J.S.26:6-8

The Superior Court shall have jurisdiction to compel discovery as to the existence or whereabouts of any paper purporting to be a will of any decedent who died a resident of the county, which has not been offered for probate, and to require the paper to be lodged with the surrogate of the county for probate.

New Jersey · general information · checked October 18, 2026 · N.J.S.3B:3-29

Your will should be stored in a safe location that is easily accessible to your executor in the event of your death.

New Jersey · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · Monmouth County Surrogate, FAQs

For anyone who would rather their family found it all in one place than went looking.

A couple. A parent. An adult child and a parent, doing it together. One sitting starts it; keep it current, and tell someone where it is.

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