Beach Haven Municipal Court – What To Know

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

Beach Haven Municipal Court is in Borough Hall at 300 Engleside Avenue, Beach Haven, NJ 08008, on Long Beach Island, and it holds Monday sessions at 10:00 a.m., once a month in the off-season and twice a month during the busy summer stretch. Its docket is a mix of Beach Haven parking and motor vehicle tickets, DWI arrests, ordinance complaints and lower-level criminal charges. Judge Stacey Kerr presides, and the same judge and court administrator also serve Harvey Cedars. If you have been charged in Beach Haven, phone (848) 238-2100 at any hour of the day or night; Spanish-speaking callers are welcome.

Beach Haven Criminal Defense Lawyer

With Fantasy Island, the Thundering Surf water park, Surflight Theatre and the Bay Village and Schooners Wharf shops, Beach Haven pulls in far more summer visitors than its roughly 1,000 year-round residents. Some of them leave with a court date. Whether the case is an ordinance complaint from a rental, a disorderly persons charge from a night out, or a DWI stop on Bay Avenue, a conviction can bring fines, license consequences or a lasting record. Our Ocean County defense practice represents people charged in Beach Haven, from first appearance through trial.

Why Beach Haven Clients Call Us

• Summer doubles the session count. Beach Haven adds second monthly sessions from June through September, so the gap between court dates depends on when you were charged.
• Most sessions require preregistration. There is a distinct sign-up link for most dates, so find the one that matches your notice.
• A shared judge and administrator. Judge Kerr and administrator Karen Garcia also run the Harvey Cedars court, so the same staff juggle two boroughs’ cases.
• A high share of non-traffic complaints. Of 1,663 filings last court year, 518 were criminal-category complaints, roughly 31%, a much larger share than at Surf City or Harvey Cedars.

Beach Haven’s Seasonal Court Schedule

Beach Haven Municipal Court sits on Mondays at 10:00 a.m., and the schedule follows the island’s seasons:

• January through May: one session a month, usually on the first Monday.
• June through September: two sessions a month.
• October: two sessions.
• November and December: one session a month.

Because the Monday used shifts during the year, follow the date printed on your summons or notice. Staff confirm session dates at 609-492-0111, extension 228, and the Violations Bureau answers weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Shared Court With Harvey Cedars

Beach Haven’s court and the Harvey Cedars court operate as two separate municipal courts with their own caseloads. Judge Stacey Kerr presides in both, and Karen Garcia administers both, so a single judge and a single administrator cover the two boroughs. Your court notice tells you where and when your case is called.

What Beach Haven’s Court Numbers Mean

Beach Haven’s caseload shrank last year. The Judiciary’s figures for the July 2025–June 2026 court year count 1,663 filings in Beach Haven, down about 15.9% from 1,978 the previous year. Of those, parking tickets were the largest group at 659, about 40%, and moving violations totaled 478, about 29%, down from 595. The court received 518 criminal filings: 16 indictable complaints, 53 disorderly persons complaints and 449 other complaints counted in that category. DWI filings held steady at 8 in each year.

Beach Haven resolved 1,681 cases, a 101% clearance rate, so it closed slightly more than it took in. By June 2026, 70 cases were in backlog and 313 were pending. These counts track the court’s workload over a year; they are not a guide to how your own case will be decided.

Virtual Hearings at Beach Haven Municipal Court

Beach Haven allows virtual appearances, but it asks defendants to take several steps first:

• Contact the court administrator. Reach the office at extension 228 or by email before the session to arrange your virtual appearance.
• Preregister for your date. Beach Haven posts a registration link for most individual session dates.
• Watch the judge’s opening remarks and certify. The remarks are available in English and Spanish, and you must certify that you have watched them.
• Set up properly. Join from a closed, quiet room under your real name, allow audio and video, and keep the call-in number handy in case your connection drops.
• Do not record. Recording proceedings is strictly prohibited; anyone wanting a copy must ask the Judiciary for one using its records request form.

Criminal matters always require an appearance before the judge, whether virtual or in person.

What Cases Does Beach Haven Municipal Court Handle?

The cases on Beach Haven’s calendar range from parking tickets to DWI and disorderly persons charges. Representative examples appear below with their statutes.

Criminal and Disorderly Persons Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 2C:18-3 — defiant trespass on private property
• N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(a) — simple assault
• N.J.S.A. 2C:20-11 — shoplifting from seasonal shops and boutiques
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10(b) — being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance
• N.J.S.A. 2C:33-2 — disorderly conduct, including loud or tumultuous behavior
• N.J.S.A. 2C:25-19 — domestic violence related offenses

DWI and Traffic Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 — DWI
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.4a — declining to provide breath samples after a DWI arrest
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-98 — speeding
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-96 — driving recklessly
• N.J.S.A. 39:6B-2 — no insurance

Beach Haven has no state highway. Bay Avenue, part of County Route 607, is the borough’s main road, and the island’s free shuttle and Ocean Ride’s OC9 LBI South route serve the town in season. Beach badges are required from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the core of the summer season.

Paying or Contesting a Beach Haven Ticket

Beach Haven accepts payment four ways:

• At the window: cash, a credit card, or a check or money order payable to Beach Haven Municipal Court, during Violations Bureau hours, weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• By mail: a check or money order; the borough advises against mailing cash.
• Online: through NJMCdirect, reached by a link or QR code on the court page, for parking, traffic and time payments.
• Time payments: fines set at a court appearance are placed on a payment plan. Contact the court if you need to change the payment schedule or cannot pay, and expect the paperwork by email if you have given one, or by regular mail if not.

Skipping court is allowed only when your ticket’s “Court Appearance Required” box is blank and the charge appears on one of the violations schedules, statewide or local. Paying in that situation is a guilty plea. The court also posts a Plea By Mail form. Before you pay anything that carries motor vehicle points or could lead to a suspension, get legal advice. If you cannot afford a lawyer and the charge could bring jail, a license loss or a significant fine, ask the court for a public defender application well before your session.

Preparing for Your Beach Haven Court Date

• Register for the correct session. Match the link on the court page to the date on your notice.
• Watch the opening remarks early. Do it the day before, in English or Spanish, so the certification is complete.
• Talk to the right person. Karen Garcia handles court administration; ticket and payment questions can go to the violations clerk, Patrick Corbet.
• Allow for summer traffic. If you appear in person in July or August, give yourself extra time to cross the causeway and travel down the island.
• Bring documents and evidence. Pack the summons, your driving documents, and any photos or receipts that back up your account.

When a Beach Haven Charge Leaves Municipal Court

New Jersey’s indictable offenses, its version of felonies, may begin with a Beach Haven complaint but are never tried by the borough’s judge. Those files move to the county prosecutor, and an indicted case is heard at the Superior Court in Toms River. Some lower-level indictable charges are instead downgraded and sent back to Beach Haven to be handled as disorderly persons offenses. If you have no record, ask early whether you qualify for conditional dismissal, Pretrial Intervention or another of New Jersey’s diversion programs, any of which can keep a conviction off your record.

Nearby Courts

Most of the land around Beach Haven belongs to Long Beach Township. Up the island are Ship Bottom, Surf City and Harvey Cedars, which shares Beach Haven’s judge. Across Little Egg Harbor bay on the mainland are Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton and Eagleswood, and Stafford Township sits at the foot of the causeway. Each of these towns runs its own court, and a ticket is heard where the stop or offense happened.

Official court page: Beach Haven Municipal Court (Borough of Beach Haven)

Beach Haven Municipal Court FAQs

Talk to a Beach Haven Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

A Beach Haven case moves quickly in summer, when sessions come every two weeks, and slowly in winter, when they come once a month; either way, early preparation makes a difference. Get in touch at (848) 238-2100; reviewing your case costs nothing and stays confidential. Our phones are answered all day and all night, and we serve clients in Spanish too. A phone or video meeting is usually easiest for people who live off the island, and we can meet in person when you would like.