Toms River Municipal Court – What To Know

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

Toms River Municipal Court is at 255 Oak Avenue, Toms River, NJ 08753, and it holds sessions on Mondays, on the first three Wednesdays of each month, on the second Thursday and on the first Friday, with some sessions on Zoom and others in the courtroom. The court decides traffic tickets, DWI charges, disorderly persons offenses and township ordinance violations from Toms River, including its Ortley Beach and other barrier-island neighborhoods. The township describes it as the eighth-largest municipal court in New Jersey, and two judges share its calendar. If you have a Toms River case, contact us any time of day or night; se habla español.

Toms River Criminal Defense Lawyer

A Toms River charge can come from a stop on the Garden State Parkway, a dispute at the Ocean County Mall, or a summer night on the barrier island. Wherever it started, a conviction in this court can bring up to six months in jail for a disorderly persons offense, a suspended license for a DWI, and a record that follows you. Our Ocean County criminal defense practice handles Toms River cases from the first notice to trial.

Why Toms River Clients Call Us

• A split schedule. Monday sessions run on Zoom, Wednesday has both virtual and in-person times, and the second Thursday and first Friday are in the courtroom. We confirm which one your notice points to and make sure you are ready for that format.
• Trials have their own day. The court reserves the first Friday of each month for in-person trial sessions, so a contested case is planned around that date.
• One of Ocean County’s busiest DWI dockets. State figures show 308 DWI filings in Toms River over the latest court year, the most of any municipal court in the county.
• Two judges. Chief Judge James J. Gluck and Judge Benjamin H. Mabie III both preside here, and a case may come before either one.

Toms River’s Session Calendar

Toms River Municipal Court runs four kinds of sessions. Your notice tells you which one is yours and whether you appear in person or on Zoom.

• Mondays, virtual. Zoom sessions start at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
• First, second and third Wednesdays. A virtual session at 9:00 a.m., followed by in-person sessions at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
• Second Thursday, in person. Sessions at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
• First Friday, in-person trials. Sessions at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. are set aside for trials.
• Tuesday mornings, mediation. Trained volunteer mediators run Citizen Dispute Resolution sessions, and many neighbor and private-complaint disputes are settled there without a trial.

The court closes on certain days, including holidays that can fall on a regular session day. If your date lands near a holiday, call the court to confirm that it is still on.

What Toms River’s Court Numbers Mean

Toms River is one of the busiest municipal courts in Ocean County. The NJ Judiciary’s statistics for July 2025 through June 2026 count 19,092 filings, up about 4.8% from 18,217 the year before. Moving violations made up 10,506 of them, about 55%. The court also took in 4,443 criminal filings, including 1,289 indictable complaints that were first filed here before any transfer to Superior Court. DWI filings edged up to 308 from 301.

Across all case types the court resolved 18,151 matters, a 95% clearance rate. A rate under 100% means more cases came in than were closed, so the docket grew slightly over the year. The report shows 2,973 cases in backlog and 4,659 pending at the end of June 2026. These figures measure the court’s workload; they do not predict what will happen in any single case.

How Virtual Court Works in Toms River

Toms River runs its virtual sessions on Zoom and posts detailed rules for joining. Missing a step can be treated as missing court.

• Register under your legal name. Use the monthly registration link or meeting ID posted on the township’s Join Court Session page, and enter your legal first and last name, phone number and email.
• Connect with internet audio. The court says that if you do not connect your audio, you may be treated as failing to appear. Do not connect through Bluetooth speakers or a car.
• Expect a waiting room. You will not be let in before your scheduled time. A moderator may ask about your case or message you through the chat.
• Calling in by phone is allowed. Dial 1-929-205-6099 and enter the meeting ID for your month.
• Do not record. Audio and video recording is prohibited under court rules. A copy of the proceeding can be requested through the Judiciary’s records request form.
• You can speak with the prosecutor. The township notes that defendants in virtual court can talk privately with the prosecutor during the session.

What Cases Does Toms River Municipal Court Handle?

Toms River Municipal Court hears motor vehicle violations, DWI, disorderly and petty disorderly persons offenses, and township ordinance cases. Here is a sample of the charges it sees, with the New Jersey statute for each:

Criminal and Disorderly Persons Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 2C:20-11 — shoplifting, including cases from the Hooper Avenue and Route 37 shopping corridors
• N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(a) — simple assault
• N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4 — harassment
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10 and 2C:36-2 — drug possession and paraphernalia charges
• N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2 — disorderly conduct and other disorderly persons offenses
• N.J.S.A. 2C:18-3 — criminal trespass

DWI and Traffic Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 — driving while intoxicated (DWI)
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.4a — refusing a breath test
• N.J.S.A. 39:3-40 — driving while suspended
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-96 and 39:4-97 — reckless and careless driving
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-129 — leaving the scene of a crash
• N.J.S.A. 39:6B-2 — driving without insurance

Many Toms River tickets come from the Garden State Parkway interchanges in the township, from Route 37 between the Parkway and the bridges to Seaside Heights, and from Hooper Avenue, Route 9 and Route 166. Summer traffic on Route 37 and the barrier-island beaches of Ortley Beach and Normandy Beach add seasonal stops.

Paying or Contesting a Toms River Ticket

Toms River accepts payment three ways, and each one is a guilty plea if you pay without contesting the ticket.

• Online. Pay through NJMCdirect with the information on your ticket or summons.
• By mail. Send a check or money order with your summons number written on it to Toms River Municipal Court, 255 Oak Avenue, Toms River, NJ 08753. Never mail cash.
• In person. The violations window takes all major credit cards, checks and cash, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• After a virtual hearing. If your case is resolved on Zoom, the court mails you the payment instructions.
• If you cannot pay on time. Call the court before the deadline to ask for different arrangements. Missed payments can lead to license suspension and a warrant.

Paying a ticket ends the case and makes the conviction permanent, with any points, surcharges and insurance increases that come with it. If the charge carries points or a possible license suspension, talk to a lawyer before you pay. If you cannot afford a lawyer, you can ask the court for a public defender by filling out the township’s financial questionnaire form.

Preparing for Your Toms River Court Date

• Read your notice twice. Check the date, the time, and whether it says Zoom or in person. Toms River uses both, often on the same day.
• Know the order of the day. The township explains that cases are usually called in this order: requests to postpone and uncontested motions, first appearances, guilty pleas, contested motions, then not-guilty pleas with an attorney, then those without one.
• Ask for a postponement the right way. Adjournment requests go to the court at 732-797-3914, extension 1062, before your date.
• Bring your paperwork. Have your ticket or complaint, license, registration and insurance card, and any photos, receipts or repair records that support your side.
• Watch the opening statement. The judge’s opening statement explains your rights, and the township posts it as a video in English and Spanish.

Appealing a Toms River Decision

If you are convicted and disagree with the judge’s decision, you can appeal to the Superior Court. The appeal must be filed within 20 calendar days of the conviction, and it requires a $100 filing fee plus a deposit toward the cost of the trial transcript. The court staff can give you the appeal packet, but because an appeal is decided on the record from the municipal court, the best time to protect that record is at trial.

When a Toms River Charge Leaves Municipal Court

Toms River Municipal Court does not decide indictable crimes. Those complaints are first filed here and then sent to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, and serious cases are heard in Ocean County Superior Court, which is also in Toms River. A charge can come back down if the prosecutor downgrades it to a disorderly persons offense and returns it to the municipal court. First-time defendants may also qualify for diversion programs such as Pretrial Intervention or a conditional dismissal, which can end with the charge dismissed.

Nearby Courts

Toms River borders several Ocean County towns, each with its own municipal court: Berkeley Township, Brick Township, Island Heights, Jackson, Lakewood, Lavallette, Manchester, Seaside Heights and South Toms River. A ticket is heard in the court of the town where it was issued, so a stop just over the line can mean a different court.

Official court page: Toms River Municipal Court (Toms River Township)

Toms River Municipal Court FAQs

Talk to a Toms River Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

A Toms River ticket or criminal complaint is easier to handle before your first court date than after it. Contact us for a free, confidential case review. We answer 24 hours a day, and se habla español. We can meet by phone or video, or in person when that works better for you.