South Toms River Municipal Court – What To Know

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

South Toms River Municipal Court is based at Borough Hall, 19 Double Trouble Road, South Toms River, NJ 08757, and it holds one session a month, on the fourth Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., currently conducted by Zoom. Judge Scott J. Basen hears the borough’s moving violations, DWI charges, disorderly persons offenses and ordinance complaints there. The borough has 3,643 residents and sits on the south bank of the Toms River, across from Toms River Township, with the Garden State Parkway’s Exit 80 and Route 9 inside its borders. If a South Toms River ticket or complaint has your name on it, contact us; we are reachable around the clock, and nuestro equipo habla español.

South Toms River Criminal Defense Lawyer

In a borough this compact, many cases come from a handful of roads: the Parkway at Exit 80, Route 9, Dover Road and South Main Street (County Route 530), and Main Street (Route 166). The penalties are set by state law, not by the size of the town, so a disorderly persons conviction in South Toms River still carries up to six months of jail exposure, and an impaired-driving conviction still brings an interlock order or suspension. We represent South Toms River defendants through our Ocean County criminal defense practice, on Zoom or wherever the case requires.

Why South Toms River Clients Call Us

• Only twelve court dates a year. With a single monthly session, a missed or unprepared appearance can cost a month or more.
• Everything happens on Zoom. Sessions are currently held virtually, so how you connect and present yourself on video matters.
• More serious complaints are rising. Indictable complaints first filed in South Toms River more than doubled, to 154 from 72, in the July 2025–June 2026 statistics.
• A busy judge. Judge Basen also presides in Lakewood, which recorded the most filings of any Ocean County municipal court that year.

South Toms River’s Monthly Zoom Session

South Toms River holds court on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 2:00 p.m., on Zoom. The Zoom link is on the borough’s website, and your court notice gives your exact date and time; call the court office at 732-349-1141 with any questions.

South Toms River Court Office Hours

The court office keeps limited, partly evening hours: Monday and Tuesday from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Borough Hall itself keeps weekday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 732-349-1141 before visiting, and treat your notice as the final word on anything tied to your case.

What South Toms River’s Court Numbers Mean

South Toms River’s docket is mostly traffic. For the court year that closed in June 2026, the Judiciary counted 1,805 filings, an increase of about 15.3% over the prior year’s 1,566. Moving violations accounted for 1,380, about 76% of the total. There were 390 criminal filings, including 154 indictable complaints, and DWI filings fell to 30 from 37.

The court resolved 1,814 cases, a 100% clearance rate; in other words, closings matched new filings. Even so, 363 cases were in backlog and 516 pending as of June 2026, a notable carryover for a court with one session a month. With numbers this small, a few dozen cases can move these figures noticeably. They show the court’s workload only and do not forecast any individual result.

Attending South Toms River Court by Zoom

Because South Toms River holds its sessions virtually, your hearing will most likely take place on a screen. The borough provides several aids:

• Opening remarks video. The court asks defendants to watch the judge’s opening remarks before the session. The video is available in English and in Spanish.
• Remote-court tutorial. The court offers a YouTube guide titled “Attending Municipal Court Remotely.”
• Zoom link. The meeting information is on the borough’s website; check it there before each session, since it can change.
• After the hearing. When a case wraps up on Zoom, allow about a week for the disposition and any paperwork to arrive by mail.

Log in a few minutes early from a quiet place with a reliable connection, and keep your summons in front of you.

What Cases Does South Toms River Municipal Court Handle?

Judge Basen takes every non-indictable matter that arises in the borough, from traffic summonses and drunk-driving arrests to disorderly and petty disorderly persons complaints and local ordinance violations. Some of the charges:

Criminal and Disorderly Persons Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 2C:18-3 — defiant trespass on property you were told to leave
• N.J.S.A. 2C:33-4 — harassment through texts, calls or in-person contact
• N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(a) — a simple assault complaint, including mutual fights
• N.J.S.A. 2C:20-11 — shoplifting charged as a disorderly persons offense
• N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10(b) — being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance
• N.J.S.A. 2C:17-3 — criminal mischief, such as vandalism to a vehicle or fence

DWI and Traffic Offenses

• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50 — DWI stops near the Parkway and Route 9
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.4a — refusing a breath test at the police station
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-98 — speeding
• N.J.S.A. 39:4-49.1 — possessing drugs in a motor vehicle
• N.J.S.A. 39:3-10 — unlicensed operation
• N.J.S.A. 39:6B-2 — failure to carry insurance

Many South Toms River summonses come from Garden State Parkway Exit 80 and the stretch of Route 9 that runs with the Parkway from that exit, from County Route 530 along Dover Road and South Main Street, and from Route 166 in the borough’s northeastern corner. Our Ocean County traffic ticket page explains the points and penalties behind the most common of these violations.

Paying or Contesting a South Toms River Ticket

Tickets from South Toms River can be paid at the court window, by mail, or online through NJMCdirect. Its rules are specific:

• Cards online only. Credit cards are taken through the state’s NJMCdirect site, not over the phone.
• Checks and money orders. Make them payable to “South Toms River Municipal Court,” write your summons number and full name on them, and mail them to 19 Double Trouble Road, South Toms River, NJ 08757.
• Time to pay. If you need a payment plan, complete the court’s Financial Questionnaire and mail it with a payment. A Spanish version of the questionnaire is available.
• Plea by mail. Use the court’s Plea By Mail form to plead without appearing.

Remember that paying settles the case as a conviction, with whatever points and surcharges the offense carries. Before paying a South Toms River ticket that threatens points or a suspension, have a lawyer look at it. Anyone without the means to hire counsel may ask for the municipal public defender, Charles Tivenan, Esq.; the court decides who qualifies based on financial need. The municipal prosecutor is Steven Zabarsky, Esq.

Preparing for Your South Toms River Court Date

• Watch the opening remarks first. The borough asks for it, and it explains your rights in English or Spanish.
• Call during office hours. The number is 732-349-1141, and staff are not there all day, so check the hours above.
• Email if easier. The court administrator, Lesley Kirchgessner, can be reached at southtomsriver.mc@njcourts.gov, and the fax is 732-240-3304.
• Veterans. The court provides a Veterans Assistance Program document for those who served.

When a South Toms River Charge Leaves Municipal Court

Indictable complaints, which rose sharply here last year, do not stay in South Toms River. Once filed, they go to the county prosecutor, whose office weighs whether to pursue an indictment, and those cases are heard at Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River. A case the prosecutor downgrades to a disorderly persons offense is remanded to the borough’s monthly Zoom session. Ask early whether diversion is available; Pretrial Intervention and conditional dismissal each give eligible defendants a path to dismissal.

Nearby Courts

South Toms River is bordered by Toms River, Berkeley Township and Beachwood. Each has its own municipal court, and where an officer wrote the ticket decides where it is heard, which matters on roads like Route 9 that cross borough lines.

Official court page: South Toms River Borough – Municipal Court

South Toms River Municipal Court FAQs

Talk to a South Toms River Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

One session a month leaves little room for a second chance at preparation. You can arrange a free, confidential look at your South Toms River case. Our phones are answered 24/7, and we can conduct the conversation in Spanish. A phone or video consultation is often the simplest start, though meeting face to face can be arranged too.