The Municipal Clerk is a statutory position. Under Bridgewater’s form of government, the Clerk is appointed by the Township Council and is a direct link between the residents and their government. The Municipal Clerk’s duties are secretary to the municipal corporation and the governing body, chief administrative officer in all elections, coordinator and records manager of local archives and record retention, licensing official for licenses including alcoholic beverages, dogs, cats, raffles, bingo and other games of chance, and other duties as imposed by statute, regulation or municipal ordinance.

Township Clerk:
Grace W. Njuguna, RMC
100 Commons Way
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
(908) 725-6300 Ext. 5025
bwtclerk@bridgewaternj.gov

2024 GENERAL ELECTION NEWS
Click here for 2024 General Election News

OPRA REQUESTS:
(Open Public Records Act)
Requests for Open Public Records are requested through this office. By law, the Township has seven (7) business days to respond to all non-commercial requestor and fourteen (14) days for all commercial requestors.  

OPRA requests will now be submitted online through Next Request. Click here to file an OPRA request.

DOG & CAT LICENSES:
State Law requires the owners of all dogs and cats seven (7) months of age OR with permanent teeth to apply for a license annually. While Licensing is conducted throughout the year, Dog Licenses are generally issued in the month of January and Cat Licenses are generally issued in the month of June.

Licensing Options:

1. Visit the Clerk’s Office during regular business hours. We are open Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 5 pm
2. Mail to 100 Commons Way – Bridgewater, NJ 08807 ATT: Animal Licensing
3. Register your pets online by logging onto    https://pets.munidex.info/bridgewater-nj-1806

For Option #1 and #2, please enclose a check or money order (NO CASH) payable to “Bridgewater Township” and enclose a Self- Addressed STAMPED envelope for us to mail your license and tag back to you. Additional postage is required when mailing back more than one license. PLEASE ENSURE THE CORRECT POSTAGE.

Cost for Dogs: $15.00 Altered or $18.00 if NOT Altered.
Cost for Cats: $5.00, No late fees
Note: Late Fees (for Dogs) are an additional $3.00 after February 1st and $10.00 after June 1st per license.
IF PAYING BY CASH, EXACT CHANGE IS REQUIRED

RABIES VACCINATION MUST be good for the licensing period which means it must be good through November 1^ST  (Dogs) & May 1^ST (Cats) of the licensing year. Proof of current rabies vaccination must be provided if new to our system, near expiration, or expired.  Proof of spaying/neutering is required unless previously provided.

DOG AND CAT APPLICATION FORM CAN BE FOUND HERE. If a dog/cat is already in our system, an application is not required.

TORT CLAIM:  
Pursuant to the provisions of the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, N.J.S.A. 59:2-1 et seq., the following Tort Claim form has been adopted as the official form for the filing of claims against the Township of Bridgewater.

TORT CLAIM FORM CAN BE FOUND HERE. 

LIMOUSINE APPLICATIONS:
A Limousine letter of Compliance is required for owners of Limousines whose businesses are located in Bridgewater. Limo licenses are issued throughout the year.

Limousine Applications must be submitted in person.  In order for us to issue your letter of compliance, the Township requires that you provide an original certificate of insurance in the amount of NO LESS than $1.5 million and requires that Bridgewater Township be named on the certificate. A $25.00 application fee for each vehicle is also required.

LIMOUSINE APPLICATION FORM CAN BE FOUND HERE.

LANDLORD REGISTRATIONS:
Within 30-days of transfer of ownership or creation of a new apartment, every landlord of a dwelling, except owner-occupied premises with not more than two(2) rental units must file with the clerk of the municipality in which the residential property is situated, a certificate of registration.

Landlord registrations are filed annually in this Office. They can be mailed, emailed, or submitted in person.

LANDLORD APPLICATION FORM CAN BE FOUND HERE

BINGO APPLICATIONS, RAFFLE APPLICATIONS, AND BINGO/RAFFLE AMENDMENTS
These must be submitted in person to the Clerk’s office and must adhere to the following requirements:

• Must show an original copy of the organization’s registration card from the NJ Legalized Game of Chance Control Commission
• All applications must be filed in quadruplicate with ORIGINAL signatures of at least two members and one officer in charge
• All applications must be notarized
• Organization should be prepared to submit two checks for fees that may be incurred when applications are submitted
• New organizations must include a copy of their by-laws

PACKETS FOR RAFFLE/BINGO APPLICANTS
Click here for detailed instructions on how to apply for/amend a Raffle License
Click here for detailed instructions on how to apply for/amend a Bingo License

Application Forms:

LGCCC Application for Bingo License

LGCCC Application for Raffle License

LGCCC Application to Amend Bingo/Raffle License

LGCCC Initial Affidavit and Application for Biennial Registration

SOCIAL AFFAIR PERMITS
These applications are filed online and must be applied for at least 21 days prior to the event date. There will be a 7 business day deferral of processing this permit to allow for municipal review. CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE WITH POSSE ABC

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are applying for this permit less than 21 days prior to the event date, you must submit a paper application to the Clerk’s Office at least 14 days in advance. YOU MAY DOWNLOAD THE SOCIAL AFFAIRS APPLICATION HERE.

NOTARY PUBLIC
All Clerk’s Office personnel are notaries. We certify people’s identities on documents and authenticate true copies of original documents.
While appointments are not required, they are recommended.

SALE OF MAPS AND LAND USE BOOKS
MAPS – (Street, Zoning, Fire Districts, Voting Districts) can be purchased in the Clerk’s office for $1.61.

TOWNSHIP CODE – Land Use Books (Chapter 126 of the Municipal Code), including the Zoning Map can be purchased in the Clerk’s Office for $35.40.

ELECTIONS AND VOTING INFORMATION
The Municipal Clerk is the Chief Administrative Officer in all elections held in the municipality and the Chief Registrar of Voters in the municipality. 

To be eligible to vote:

• A person must be 18 years of age or older at the time of the next ensuing election
• Must be a United States citizen and be a resident of the State of New Jersey and of the County at least 30 days before the election.
• Not be on parole, probation, or serving sentence due to a conviction for an indictable offense under any federal or state laws.

Registration of new voters is required prior to the 28th day preceding the election. Voters may register after the deadline, but the registrant should be advised that he will not be eligible to vote in the election immediately forthcoming but will be eligible to vote in elections held thereafter.  Evening registration is held at the Somerset County Administration Building, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the twenty-ninth (29th) day prior to an election.

CLICK HERE to check whether you are registered to vote.

To Access the Voter Registration Form, Vote by Mail Form, and other Elections-related information, visit the Somerset County Election Page by CLICKING HERE.

VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATION (can be mailed or submitted in person)

Application for Mail-In Ballot – The application must be either mailed to the County Clerk seven days prior to the election OR must be handed in at the County Clerk’s office before 3 p.m. on the day prior to the election.

 PRIMARY/GENERAL ELECTION POLLING LOCATIONS
The following is a list of polling places in Bridgewater Township for primary and general elections only. To determine where you vote, locate your election district number on the election map then use the list below to determine your polling place.

District #1 Bradley Gardens Firehouse, 24 Old York Road
District #2  Bradley Gardens Firehouse, 24 Old York Road
District #3  Adamsville School, Union Avenue
District #4  Bridgewater Municipal Court – Mtg Rm 102, 100 Commons Way
District #5 4-H Center, 310 Milltown Road
District #6 Hamilton School, Hamilton Lane (off Frohlin Dr.)
District #7 Bridgewater Senior Center, 455 Somerville Road
District #8 People Care Center, 120 Finderne Avenue
District #9 Finderne Rescue Squad, 476 Union Avenue
District #10 Blessed Sacrament Parish Center, Washington Valley Road, Martinsville
District #11 Bridgewater Municipal Court – Mtg. Rm 102, 100 Commons Way
District #12 Blessed Sacrament Parish Center, Washington Valley Road, Martinsville
District #13 Hillside School, Brown Road
District #14 Adamsville School, Union Avenue
District #15 Finderne Rescue Squad, 476 Union Avenue
District #16 Bradley Gardens Firehouse, 24 Old York Road
District #17 Hamilton School, Hamilton Lane (off Frohlin Dr.) 
District #18 Bridgewater Senior Center, 455 Somerville Road
District #19 Bridgewater United Methodist Church, 651 Country Club Road
District #20 Blessed Sacrament Parish, Washington Valley Road, Martinsville
District #21 Bridgewater Senior Center, 455 Somerville Road
District #22 Hillside School, Brown Road
District #23 Blessed Sacrament Parish Center, Washington Valley Road, Martinsville
District #24 Blessed Sacrament Parish Center, Washington Valley Road, Martinsville
District #25 Eisenhower School, 791 Eisenhower Avenue (off Steeple Chase)
District #26 Eisenhower School, 791 Eisenhower Avenue (Off Steeple Chase)
District #27 Adamsville School, Union Avenue
District #28 Hillside School, Brown Road
District #29 Hillside School, Brown Road
District #30 Bridgewater United Methodist Church, 651 Country Club Road
District #31 Bradley Gardens Firehouse, 24 Old York Road
District #32 Bridgewater Senior Center, 455 Somerville Road
District #33 4-H Center, 310 Milltown Road
District #34 4-H Center, 310 Milltown Road
District #35 4-H Center, 310 Milltown Road
District #36 Bridgewater United Methodist Church, 651 Country Club Road

POLL WORKERS NEEDED
Interested parties should fill out and submit a poll worker application to ElectionBd@co.somerset.nj.us as soon as possible, and will be directed to an online training program they must complete before being assigned a polling location.

QUALIFICATIONS

• You must be a registered voter of Somerset County.
• High school students (16 or 17 years old) can serve as poll workers as long as they are a United States Citizen, a resident of Somerset County, and have written permission from a parent or guardian and high school representative.
• You must work at a polling location in the County where you are registered.

DUTIES

• Typically, four poll workers, (two Republicans and two Democrats), serve on a District Board.
• Poll workers must arrive at 5:15 AM on Election Day to set up and will declare the polls open on time (6:00 AM).
• Poll workers will remain at the polling location until the close of the polls and will perform all necessary steps in shutting down the voting machine.
• One poll worker will be charged with obtaining and signing for the supplies and returning the supplies to the municipal clerk after the close of the election. This person will receive additional compensation.

TRAINING
All poll workers are now required to attend a class every other year. Failure to comply will reduce the Election Day compensation to $50.00.
Click here for a brief summary of the poll worker training.

COMPENSATION
During the Primary and General Elections, each poll worker will be compensated in the amount of $300.00 for the Election Day from set-up to closing. The poll worker who obtains the supplies for their assigned district prior to the opening of the polls will be compensated the additional amount of $12.50. The poll worker who returns the supplies after the close of the polls will be compensated the additional amount of $12.50.

NEW JERSEY LEGISLATURE
For information on how to contact your Legislative Representative, click here