Toms River, NJ Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 481, Vehicles, Inoperative, applies to every parcel of land in Toms River Township. Under § 481-1A, no person, firm or corporation may store, or permit to be stored, a motor vehicle that is not capable of being used or operated, or that is not currently registered with New Jersey or another state, unless the vehicle is kept in a garage. The chapter exempts anyone holding a valid license to carry on a motor vehicle business, a motor vehicle junkyard, or a state license to sell secondhand motor vehicles. Section 481-1B makes the absence of license plates prima facie evidence that a vehicle is not currently registered.

Two definitions do the heavy lifting. Section 481-2 defines an inoperable vehicle as one that cannot be moved under its own power from place to place upon a public street or highway, so a car that merely won't start where it's parked can still qualify. Section 481-3 defines 'store' or 'stored' as keeping a motor vehicle on land for more than 15 days, so a short-term breakdown in a driveway isn't a violation, but leaving an unregistered or disabled car sitting out past two weeks is. 'Garage' means a building or a wing of a building used to park a car, so a carport, tarp or open pad doesn't satisfy the requirement.

The chapter was adopted December 9, 2008 by Ordinance No. 4168-08, repealing and replacing the Township's original inoperative-vehicle rule, which dated to Ordinance No. 1378 of 1973.