Bay Head Municipal Court – What To Know

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

Bay Head Municipal Court is in the borough’s Municipal Building at 83 Bridge Avenue, Bay Head, NJ 08742, and it meets once a month, on the first Thursday at 4:00 p.m., using Zoom for virtual attendance. The court hears traffic and parking tickets, DWI charges, disorderly persons offenses and borough ordinance violations from Bay Head only; it is not a shared court. Judge James J. Gluck presides, and the court office is staffed just two hours a week, on Wednesday evenings. For a Bay Head ticket or complaint, phone (848) 238-2100 any day, at any hour; atendemos en español también.

Bay Head Criminal Defense Lawyer

The borough counted about 930 residents in the 2020 census, but its court sees far more traffic than its size suggests. Route 35 runs through town, the North Jersey Coast Line ends at Bay Head station, and summer brings visitors to the beach, the historic district and Twilight Lake. A ticket here carries the same consequences it would anywhere in New Jersey, from points and surcharges to the license consequences that follow a DWI. Our Ocean County criminal defense practice represents residents and visitors alike who are charged in Bay Head.

Why Bay Head Clients Call Us

• One court date a month. Bay Head sits only on the first Thursday, so a postponement usually means waiting another month for the next session.
• A small office with limited hours. Court staff are available Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. At other times you reach voicemail, which makes it harder to sort out a question before your date.
• More DWI cases than you might expect. Bay Head recorded 26 DWI filings in July 2025–June 2026, almost as many as Point Pleasant Borough’s 27.
• Meeting details come only on your notice. The Zoom meeting ID and password are printed on your court notice, and the borough does not email links. If you lose the notice, you need to reach the court before the session.

Bay Head’s Court Schedule

Bay Head Municipal Court meets at 4:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month, and the borough publishes its full session list for the year. Now and then a session moves to a different Thursday, so rely on the Thursday printed on your court notice. A call to the court during its Wednesday evening hours confirms your date.

Reaching a Court With Wednesday Evening Hours

Bay Head’s court office keeps unusual hours: staff are in only on Wednesdays, 4:30–6:30 p.m. Borough Hall itself is open weekdays 8:30–4:30, but the court office keeps only the Wednesday evening window. Outside the Wednesday window, leave a voicemail at 732-892-4737 with your name, summons number and a call-back number, or fax the court at 732-899-5945. Tracey E. McCrystal, CMCA, runs the Bay Head court office and handles the same role for Point Pleasant Beach.

What Bay Head’s Court Numbers Mean

Because Bay Head’s totals are small, a few extra cases in either direction can change its percentages noticeably. For the court year ending June 2026, Judiciary figures put Bay Head at 1,674 filings, nearly unchanged from 1,691 the year before, a dip of about 1%. Moving violations were 1,015 of them, about 61%, and the Judiciary also counts 560 parking tickets. Criminal filings were light, at 73, including 17 indictable complaints. DWI filings rose from 21 to 26.

The court resolved 1,614 cases across all types, a 96% clearance rate, slightly fewer than it received. Bay Head had 205 cases in backlog and 391 pending at the end of June 2026. Bay Head’s filings actually exceeded Point Pleasant Borough’s 1,248 last year, which may reflect the Route 35 and seasonal traffic passing through this small borough. Even so, these figures only describe the court’s workload and cannot predict how a particular case will end.

How Bay Head Court Sessions Work

Bay Head uses Zoom for its monthly session, and your notice gives the instructions for joining.

• Use the notice for access. The Zoom meeting ID and password are on your court notice. The court does not send links by email.
• Watch the opening statement first. Bay Head asks participants to view the Official Municipal Court Opening Statement, in English or Spanish, before joining.
• Log in on time. The session begins at 4:00 p.m., late in the afternoon, so plan around work and traffic.
• Request records the right way. The court’s forms page provides a Records Request form for copies of court documents.

What Cases Does Bay Head Municipal Court Handle?

Bay Head’s court resolves motor vehicle tickets, drunk driving cases, low-level criminal complaints and borough ordinance matters. Among them:

Criminal and Disorderly Persons Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2 — public fighting, loud disturbances and other disorderly conduct
• N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(a) — simple assault charges filed in the borough
• N.J.S.A. 2C:18-3 — trespass on private property or a closed area
• N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4 — harassment complaints between neighbors or visitors
• N.J.S.A. 2C:17-3 — damage to property (criminal mischief)

DWI and Traffic Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 — driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-98 — speeding on Route 35 and local streets
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.4a — Alcotest refusal
• N.J.S.A. 39:6B-2 — no insurance on the vehicle
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-97 — careless operation of a motor vehicle

Route 35, the borough’s main road, is the source of many Bay Head tickets, along with the streets around the beach, the historic district and Bay Head station, the last stop on NJ Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line.

Paying or Contesting a Bay Head Ticket

You can pay a Bay Head ticket online through the borough’s payment page. For mail or other payment options, call the court at 732-892-4737 during its Wednesday evening hours or fax 732-899-5945. The borough’s forms page also provides the NJ Courts plea-by-mail form.

Paying is a guilty plea. Once you pay, the conviction stands, and points, surcharges and insurance consequences follow from the Motor Vehicle Commission and your insurer. If a Bay Head ticket threatens points or your license, a lawyer’s advice before payment is worth the call. The court posts a financial questionnaire in English and Spanish for anyone asking the judge to appoint a public defender.

Preparing for Your Bay Head Court Date

• Keep the notice safe. It holds the only copy of your Zoom meeting ID and password.
• Use the Wednesday window. If you need to ask the court something, call between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday before your session.
• Plan for a late-afternoon start. Arrange to be somewhere quiet with a working camera and microphone at 4:00 p.m. on the first Thursday.
• Get the opening statement done ahead of time. Watch it the day before so you are not rushing at 3:55.
• Organize your paperwork. Have your ticket, license, registration and insurance card nearby, along with any evidence you want the judge to see.

When a Bay Head Charge Leaves Municipal Court

Bay Head’s court had 17 indictable complaints filed last court year, and it cannot hear any of them. Each is sent up for review by county prosecutors, and the ones that continue are resolved at the Superior Court for Ocean County, which sits in Toms River. A downgraded charge can come back to 83 Bridge Avenue for the municipal judge. First-time defendants should also ask about diversionary programs, including Pretrial Intervention and conditional dismissal, which may avoid a conviction.

Nearby Courts

Bay Head is bordered by Point Pleasant and Brick Township, and by Point Pleasant Beach and Mantoloking; Mantoloking is the one neighbor we have not published a court page for. Each of these municipalities has its own court, and a ticket stays with the court of the borough or township where the officer issued it.

Official court page: bayheadnj.org municipal court section

Bay Head Municipal Court FAQs

Talk to a Bay Head Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Since Bay Head court meets only once a month, a little planning before your Thursday session goes a long way. Ring (848) 238-2100 for a no-cost, confidential look at your case. We answer every hour of the day and night, and se habla español. Pick whatever is easiest: a phone call, a video meeting, or sitting down with us in person.