Morris County Surrogate, Heather J. Darling, Esq.

Surrogate Heather J. Darling, Esq., was elected Surrogate in 2019 and was reelected in 2024. She is now serving in her second term. She received her bachelor’s degree from New York University in Finance and International Business in 1990 and earned her law degree Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, in 2002 from Seton Hall School of Law.

Heather opened her own law practice in 2004 and focused on Family, Wills, Trusts and Estates in addition to Business and Criminal law, serving Morris County for over 19 years. She is a member of the New Jersey, New York, and Morris County Bar Associations. Heather also continues to operate her father’s real estate business.

Heather is a former Morris County Freeholder and Deputy of the Board. She took office as Morris County’s first woman Surrogate in January of 2020. Heather has made significant advancements to the Surrogate’s Office, the means by which Surrogates in New Jersey can assist the public including services such as virtual filing of documents to probate wills; an idea conceived by Heather to serve seniors and citizens with mobility issues which became indispensable to the public by COVID-19. Additionally, she advocated and pushed for electronic wills and electronic signatures on qualifying documents in New Jersey probate matters.

Heather hosts her own talk show “Have You Heard” with Heather Darling. An advocate of lifelong improvement, Surrogate Darling recently completed Professional Development Academy for High Performance Leaders and Leading with Analytics Leadership Academy and County Administrators Certificate program from Rutgers. She is currently enrolled in Rutgers University’s Certified Public Managers program which will be completed in August 2026. Surrogate Darling was elected to the Board of Directors of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) in March 2026. She serves on the Executive Board of the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey where she formerly served as President, Vice President and Secretary of COANJ and Section Chief of the Surrogates. Surrogate Darling serves on the Employment Horizons Community Advisory Board.

Heather is dedicated to community service. She has served her local municipality as the appointed public defender and alternate prosecutor. She has also served as Vice Chair of the Roxbury Economic Development Committee. She was a member of the Roxbury Zoning Board and served on Roxbury’s Environmental Commission and Dog Park Committee. She has been a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, the Roxbury Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Morris, the Parsippany Chamber of Commerce, and the Roxbury Rotary. She is also a charter member of the recently restarted Roxbury Kiwanis. Heather continues to serve in many roles including positions in civic, government, business and animal welfare organizations.

Surrogate Darling has also focused much of her attention, using her office as a platform for the special needs community, providing a voice for those who cannot represent themselves, including those with special needs, seniors, and animals.

Heather Darling resides in Roxbury where she has lived most of her life in her family home.