Somerset County Certificate of Trust Form (New Jersey)

All Somerset County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:

Certificate of Trust Form

Somerset County Certificate of Trust Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Somerset County compliant document last validated/updated 5/13/2025

Certificate of Trust Guide

Somerset County Certificate of Trust Guide

Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Included Somerset County compliant document last validated/updated 6/3/2025

Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Somerset County Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Somerset County compliant document last validated/updated 6/2/2025

The following New Jersey and Somerset County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order:

When using these Certificate of Trust forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Somerset County. The executed documents should then be recorded in the following office:

Somerset County Clerk

20 Grove St / PO Box 3000, Somerville, New Jersey 08876-1262

Hours: 8:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m M-F

Phone: (908) 231-7013

Local jurisdictions located in Somerset County include:

  • Basking Ridge
  • Bedminster
  • Belle Mead
  • Bernardsville
  • Blawenburg
  • Bound Brook
  • Bridgewater
  • Far Hills
  • Flagtown
  • Franklin Park
  • Gladstone
  • Hillsborough
  • Kingston
  • Liberty Corner
  • Lyons
  • Manville
  • Martinsville
  • Neshanic Station
  • Peapack
  • Pluckemin
  • Raritan
  • Rocky Hill
  • Skillman
  • Somerset
  • Somerville
  • South Bound Brook
  • Warren
  • Watchung
  • Zarephath

How long does it take to get my forms?

Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.

How do I get my forms, are they emailed?

Immediately after you submit payment, the Somerset County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.

What does "validated/updated" mean?

This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:

  • Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
  • Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Somerset County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Somerset County?

Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Somerset County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.

Can the Certificate of Trust forms be re-used?

Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Somerset County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Somerset County.

What are supplemental forms?

Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by New Jersey or Somerset County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.

What type of files are the forms?

All of our Somerset County Certificate of Trust forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I need any special software to use these forms?

You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.

Do I have to enter all of my property information online?

No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.

Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?

Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.

Are there any recurring fees involved?

No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.

Trusts in New Jersey are governed by the New Jersey Uniform Trust Code (NJSA 3B:31). A trust is an estate planning vehicle whereby one person (the settlor) transfers assets to another person (the trustee), who holds them for the benefit of another (the beneficiary). The settlor establishes the terms of the trust in an unrecorded document called a trust instrument.

When a trustee enters into a transaction involving real property held in the trust, additional documentation confirming the trustee's authority to act on behalf of the trust may be requested. To maintain the trust's privacy, the trustee may provide a certificate of trust under 3B:3-81 to parties outside of the trust arrangement instead of furnishing the entire trust instrument.

The certificate, signed by all acting trustees of the trust in the presence of a notary public, provides the recipient with only the information about the trust necessary for the transaction at hand. Recipients of a certificate may rely on the information provided within as factual (requesting the entire trust instrument opens the recipient to certain liabilities under 3B:31-81(g)). The document certifies that the trust is in existence and that the trustee has authority to act in the transaction for which the certificate is being presented.

The form gives the trust's name and date of execution and the settlor's identity. Other requirements include the name and address of each acting trustee, a description of the relevant powers conferred upon the trustee by the trust instrument, and, in the case of co-trustees, identification of the trustees having authority to sign trust documents, and how many of the total trustees are required to exercise trustee powers. Recipients of a certificate of trust can request the excerpts from the trust instrument that designate the trustee and confer the specific powers that enable the trustee to enter into the transaction at hand (3B:31-81(e)).

As the document is used in transactions involving real property, it should also include the legal description, complete with municipality and county and tax map reference, of the subject real estate.

In addition, the certificate identifies the trust as either irrevocable or revocable, and who, if any, has a power to revoke the trust, as well as the name by which the trust will hold title to acquired assets. Finally, it includes a statement that the trust has not been modified in any way that invalidates the certified statements contained within the document.

Consult a lawyer with any questions regarding certifications of trust.

(New Jersey COT Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)

Our Promise

The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Somerset County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.

Save Time and Money

Get your Somerset County Certificate of Trust form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.

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June 2nd, 2022

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