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Tax Sale Atlas

Ocean County, NJ tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Ocean County, NJ tax sale, one of 3,131 counties in 51 states. New Jersey sells tax lien certificates paying up to 18%. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the city and town notices on Sep 28, 2026.

How tax lien sales work in Ocean County, seat of Toms River: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how New Jersey tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
Set by each city or town
County seat collector
732-341-1000 ext. 8342
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Sep 28, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page
Look up a sale detail

Each municipal Tax Collector (33 municipalities in Ocean County); the county does not hold a tax sale. Each municipality holds its own annual sale

Record quality: high. Last verified: 2026-09-28.

N.J.S.A. 54:5-32 - Sale in fee subject to redemption (New Jersey Legislature statutes database) (source accessed 2026-09-28)

Recorded reference information. Verify current sale conditions with the county. Read the full sale details.

Link to this detail

How Ocean County sells delinquent taxes

From lien to deed

New Jersey holds no tax deed auction. A certificate holder who is not redeemed files an action in the Superior Court to foreclose the right of redemption: a private purchaser at any time after two years from the sale, the municipality (or anyone who takes the certificate from it by assignment or transfer) after six months, and any holder at any time if the property meets the statutory definition of abandoned property. Judgment bars redemption and vests title in the holder. Since P.L.2024, c.39 the owner or the owner's heirs may, before final judgment, demand that the foreclosure proceed by a sheriff's sale or a sheriff's Internet auction to preserve equity; that sale is run by the county sheriff and is a foreclosure sale of one parcel, not a tax sale, so a sheriff's sale listing is never the date of a municipality's certificate sale. Separately, a municipality holding its own certificates may foreclose by an in rem action once more than six months have passed since the sale and 21 months of taxes are unpaid.

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
Each municipal Tax Collector (33 municipalities in Ocean County); the county does not hold a tax sale
Frequency
Each municipality holds its own annual sale
Typical timing
Each municipality sets its own sale date.
When it runs
Each municipality sets its own sale date. Check the relevant municipal Tax Collector for its next announcement. One town's notice does not establish a schedule for the rest of Ocean County.
Registration and deposit

For towns on RealAuction, register on that municipality's own newjerseytaxsale.com site, which opens about a month before the sale. Stafford's rules, for example, require a deposit of 10% of intended winnings (premium bids included) with a $1,000 minimum, paid by ACH about a week before the sale, and payment of winning bids by wire by 2:00 PM ET on sale day. Minimums differ by town: Manchester's is $1.00.

Sale format and venue
Ocean County holds no tax sale; each of its 33 municipalities sells its own certificates, and one town's schedule does not apply to its neighbors. Bidding starts at 18 percent interest and is bid down; under N.J.S.A. 54:5-32, once a bid falls below 1 percent, bidders offer a cash premium instead, and the premium earns no interest. The RealAuction town sites (one newjerseytaxsale.com site per town) take rate bids in 1 percent steps, so on those sites the premium stage starts at 0 percent, with premiums in $100 steps. Brick Township sells in person.
Source: N.J.S.A. 54:5-32 - Sale in fee subject to redemption (New Jersey Legislature statutes database)N.J.S.A. 54:5-32· Verified Sep 28, 2026

Ocean County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Ocean County tax sale 2026 searches, use the city and town sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the collector of the city or town holding the sale before you bid.

  1. Confirm the advertised parcel list

    Each city or town sells separately and posts its own list. The municipal notes on this page say where each one appears.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the collector of the city or town holding the sale how and when to register; many close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    Each city or town picks its own platform or in-person venue. Confirm the date and registration window with that town’s collector before you bid.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, treat the collector of the city or town holding the sale as the source for which parcels are actually offered. Do not rely on a third-party list for final parcel status.

Before you bid in Ocean County

  1. Confirm the parcel list before pricing

    There is no county list: each town posts its own. Get the list from the town whose sale you plan to attend and confirm the advertised parcels with its collector before you price a bid.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    For towns on RealAuction, register on that municipality's own newjerseytaxsale.com site, which opens about a month before the sale. Stafford's rules, for example, require a deposit of 10% of intended winnings (premium bids included) with a $1,000 minimum, paid by ACH about a week before the sale, and payment of winning bids by wire by 2:00 PM ET on sale day. Minimums differ by town: Manchester's is $1.00.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the New Jersey due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth.

  4. Set a walk-away number

    Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.

Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases

Certificates on parcels that drew no bid are struck off to the municipality at 18 percent. A municipality's governing body may later sell a certificate it holds by assignment or at a separate public sale, at its discretion. Ask the tax collector of the specific municipality.

New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what New Jersey calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

Local offices

County seat collector (sells that town’s parcels only)

Township of Toms River Tax Collector (county seat; runs only Toms River's sale)

732-341-1000 ext. 8342

33 Washington Street, Toms River, NJ 08753 (mailing: P.O. Box 607, Toms River, NJ 08754)

Official website

County notes

  • Manchester Township's official notice announced an online tax sale for October 6, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. That date has passed. The linked municipal advertisement is a reference for that event, not a newly announced sale or a countywide list. Check Manchester's Tax Collector for its next notice.
  • Seaside Park's 2026 notice announced its sale for October 5. That date has passed. The October 6 date elsewhere in the notice is the interest-and-cost calculation cutoff, not a second sale. Check the borough Tax Collector for its next announcement.
  • Lakewood Township holds its online sale on October 28, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET at lakewood.newjerseytaxsale.com, with deposits ($1,000 minimum) due by 4:00 PM ET on October 21, 2026; winning bids are paid by wire by 2:00 PM ET on sale day.
  • Brick Township sells in person. Its 2026 sale was held April 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM in a public meeting room at the Municipal Building, 401 Chambers Bridge Road, and its list is posted on the township's online tax sale list page. Tax Collector: 732-262-1021.
  • Toms River Township, the county seat, links its tax sale site on the RealAuction platform (tomsriver.newjerseytaxsale.com) from the Tax Collector's page; call 732-341-1000 ext. 8342 for the next date.
  • Stafford Township held its 2026 online sale on February 13, 2026 at stafford.newjerseytaxsale.com, where past results remain posted.
  • Barnegat Township held its 2026 online sale on June 15, 2026 at barnegat.newjerseytaxsale.com. The 2026 Tax Sale List is posted on the Tax Collector's page. Phone: 609-698-0080 ext. 140 or 142.
  • Lacey Township held its 2026 online sale on January 13, 2026 at lacey.newjerseytaxsale.com.
  • Ocean Gate (June 17, 2026) and Tuckerton (May 6, 2026) also held 2026 online sales on their own newjerseytaxsale.com sites.
  • Bay Head and Lakehurst held online sales on December 2, 2025, Beach Haven on December 3, 2025 and Seaside Heights on December 29, 2025, each on its own newjerseytaxsale.com site.
  • Jackson, Beachwood, South Toms River, Island Heights, Long Beach Township and Plumsted also have RealAuction tax sale sites; contact each town's tax collector for its next date.
  • Berkeley Township includes delinquent taxes in an annual tax sale. Contact the Tax Collector at 732-244-7400 ext. 1240 for the date and list.
  • For the other Ocean County municipalities, sale notices and the list appear in the local newspaper and at the municipal Tax Collector's office.

New Jersey rules

Max interest rate
18% per year, bid down at auction
Minimum return
One-time penalty at redemption by certificate amount (2% over $200, 4% over $5,000, 6% over $10,000), added to the interest
Redemption
The right to redeem lasts until it is cut off by a foreclosure judgment, not for a fixed term. What varies by parcel is how soon the holder may start that action: two years after the sale for a private purchaser, six months for the municipality or its assignee, and any time for abandoned property. Once a foreclosure complaint is filed and notice of it is filed with the tax collector, redemption is made in that court action and carries the court-fixed attorney's fees and costs. All other redemptions must go through the municipal tax collector's office; a lienholder who knowingly takes a redemption outside that office forfeits the certificate.
Surplus proceeds
Surplus arises only from a sheriff's sale or Internet auction demanded by the owner under N.J.S.A. 54:5-87(b). The sheriff deducts the cost of the sale and deposits the surplus with the Clerk of the Superior Court, and the owner or heirs claim it by motion under N.J.S.2A:50-37 and the Rules of Court; that is the exclusive route. If the owner does not demand a sale, the holder may foreclose without one and the owner has no claim against the holder for any equity. In an abandoned-property foreclosure the court may bar claims to surplus equity and no sheriff's sale is required.
Governing statute
N.J.S.A. Title 54, Chapter 5

A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.

See the full New Jersey rules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does Ocean County, New Jersey sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Tax lien certificates. In New Jersey investors buy the lien, not the property; the Municipal tax collector runs the sale.

When is the Ocean County tax certificate sale?

Each municipality sets its own sale date. Check the relevant municipal Tax Collector for its next announcement. One town's notice does not establish a schedule for the rest of Ocean County. Always confirm the exact date with the Municipal tax collector before the sale.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. New Jersey's redemption rule: 2 years from the sale before a private certificate holder can file to foreclose; the owner can redeem until the court's final judgment. Call the tax collector of the city or town where the property is as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Verified Sep 28, 2026 against official county and state sources.

Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the office that runs the sale before you bid.

More New Jersey counties

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Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

New Jersey tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Township of Toms River Tax Collector