Ship Bottom Municipal Court – What To Know

Reviewed by William A. Proetta, Esq. · Updated October 2026

Ship Bottom’s municipal court is based at borough hall, 1621 Long Beach Boulevard, Ship Bottom, NJ 08008, and holds one court day a month, usually a Monday, with a 1:00 p.m. virtual session every time and an in-person session only four times a year. The court handles motor vehicle and parking tickets, DWI, disorderly persons charges and borough ordinance cases from Ship Bottom, the borough where Route 72 reaches Long Beach Island. Judge Daniel F. Sahin presides, and Carol Jenkins is the court administrator. Anyone with a Ship Bottom ticket or complaint can reach us at (848) 238-2100, where someone answers 24/7, and hablamos español.

Ship Bottom Criminal Defense Lawyer

Route 72, the only road onto Long Beach Island from Manahawkin, crosses the Manahawkin Bay Bridge and ends in Ship Bottom, which is known as the “Gateway to Long Beach Island.” A great deal of traffic passes through this borough of about 1,100 residents, and in summer Wikipedia puts its population at up to 20,000. Ship Bottom tickets and complaints are part of our Ocean County criminal defense work, whether the client lives on the island or was just passing through.

Why Ship Bottom Clients Call Us

• You have to ask to be scheduled. Defendants must contact the court by phone or email to be put on the calendar. Waiting for the court to reach out can leave a case unresolved.
• In-person court is rare. The court adds an in-person session on only four court days a year, one each in March, June, September and December. Every other appearance is virtual.
• Moving violations jumped. NJ Judiciary statistics show 1,912 moving violations filed in Ship Bottom over the latest court year, against 1,552 the year before, an increase of about 23%.
• A shared legal team. Judge Sahin, prosecutor Bonnie R. Peterson and public defender Debra H. Rumpf also serve the Little Egg Harbor and Eagleswood court, so the same people handle cases on both sides of the bay.

Ship Bottom’s Court Schedule

Ship Bottom holds court on one day each month, typically the second Monday, and some sessions fall on a different Monday or another weekday. Your notice controls, and the court mails a new notice whenever a date changes.

• Virtual sessions at 1:00 p.m. on every court day.
• In-person sessions at 1:30 p.m. only on the quarterly court days in March, June, September and December.

Phone the Ship Bottom court before your appearance to confirm the day, the time and whether you are expected online or in the courtroom.

Getting on the Ship Bottom Calendar

Unlike courts that simply mail a hearing date, Ship Bottom asks defendants to reach out first. To be scheduled, phone 609-494-2171 (extension 118 or 124) or email ShipBottom.MC@njcourts.gov, and give your name, case number, phone number and email address. Attorneys can ask for a working date for their client’s case. Set aside at least an hour and a half for a hearing.

What Ship Bottom’s Court Numbers Mean

For July 2025 through June 2026, the NJ Judiciary’s statistics credit Ship Bottom with 2,677 filings, about 6% more than the 2,525 the year before. Most are traffic cases: 1,912 moving violations, about 71% of the total, plus 628 parking tickets. Criminal filings were only 125, including 15 indictable complaints, down from 44. DWI filings went from 10 to 12, numbers small enough that a handful of arrests can change the trend.

Ship Bottom resolved 2,666 matters, which rounds to a 100% clearance rate: the court closed almost exactly as many cases as came in. Its backlog stood at 134 cases at the end of June 2026, with 405 pending. Like any court statistics, these describe the size and pace of the docket, not the outcome of a specific ticket or charge.

Virtual and In-Person Hearings in Ship Bottom

Most of this court’s work happens remotely, and the court issues separate written instructions for virtual court and for in-person court. A few points stand out:

• Virtual is the default. Every court day has a 1:00 p.m. virtual session. Courtroom sessions at 1:30 p.m. happen only in March, June, September and December.
• Watch the opening statement. The court links videos of the opening statement in English and in Spanish.
• Read the instructions for your format. The virtual and in-person instruction sheets are separate documents, so download the one that matches your notice.
• Budget your afternoon. The court asks defendants to allow at least 1.5 hours.
• Request accommodations ahead of time. Disability accommodation requests go through an online ADA portal the borough links.

What Cases Does Ship Bottom Municipal Court Handle?

Only non-indictable offenses are heard here: disorderly persons cases, drunk driving, moving and parking violations, and breaches of borough ordinances. A selection of the charges on its docket:

Criminal and Disorderly Persons Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(a) — simple assault charges
• N.J.S.A. 2C:20-11 — shoplifting
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10 — drug possession charges
• N.J.S.A. 2C:29-1 — interfering with police or other officials performing their duties

DWI and Traffic Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 — drunk driving (DWI)
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.4a — Alcotest refusal
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-98 — speeding
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-88 — failure to maintain a lane
• N.J.S.A. 39:6B-2 — driving an uninsured car
• Other moving violations under Title 39 — Ocean County traffic tickets

Route 72 ends in Ship Bottom after crossing the Manahawkin Bay Bridge, its only road connection to the mainland, and Long Beach Boulevard (County Route 607) runs through the borough north and south. The free LBI Shuttle and Ocean Ride’s island route also travel the boulevard.

Paying or Contesting a Ship Bottom Ticket

Pleading guilty and paying without a court appearance can be done in these ways:

• By mail. Make the check or money order out to the court (payable to “Ship Bottom Municipal Court”) and mail it along with the summons. Call the court if you do not know the amount due.
• Online by card. Credit and debit card payments are taken through NJMCdirect.
• Plea by mail. The court provides a fillable plea-by-mail form.
• Not guilty. To contest a ticket, contact the court to be scheduled for a hearing.

Mailing a payment or paying online ends the case with a guilty finding. If the violation carries motor vehicle points, insurance surcharges or a chance of suspension, consult a lawyer before you pay. You can apply for a public defender by phone or email, and the court’s financial questionnaire is available in Spanish as well as English.

Preparing for Your Ship Bottom Court Date

• Get yourself scheduled. If you want to contest a ticket and have no hearing date yet, contact the court with your name, case number, phone and email.
• Confirm the format. Unless your notice places you in one of the quarterly in-person sessions, plan on a virtual appearance at 1:00 p.m.
• Clear your schedule. The court recommends allowing at least 90 minutes.
• Sign up for alerts. Ship Bottom offers sign-up for Nixle emergency alerts.
• Keep your paperwork handy. Gather the summons and your driving documents, plus any pictures, receipts or records that support what you say happened.

When a Ship Bottom Charge Leaves Municipal Court

Only a small number of Ship Bottom cases each year involve indictable crimes, and those are outside the borough court’s authority. The complaint goes to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for screening, and a case that is indicted will be tried at the Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River. Prosecutors sometimes amend such a charge down to a disorderly persons offense, which sends it back to Ship Bottom Municipal Court. Defendants without a prior record should ask about diversion, through programs like PTI or conditional dismissal, either of which can end in a dismissal.

Nearby Courts

On the island, Ship Bottom’s neighbors are Surf City and Long Beach Township; across Manahawkin Bay is Stafford Township. Judge Sahin also sits in Surf City, but each borough keeps its own court and calendar, so the town on your ticket determines where you go.

Official court page: Ship Bottom court page on shipbottom.org

Ship Bottom Municipal Court FAQs

Talk to a Ship Bottom Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Ship Bottom expects you to contact the court yourself, so it helps to have a plan before you make that call. Reach us at (848) 238-2100 for a confidential case review that costs you nothing. We answer any time of the day or night, and Spanish speakers are welcome to call. We can talk by phone or video, or arrange to meet in person if that suits you better.