Town guide · Ocean County
Living in Mantoloking, NJ
Mantoloking is one of the smallest towns at the Jersey Shore, a narrow strip of barrier island between the ocean and Barnegat Bay. Its year round population is a few hundred, and it was among the hardest hit towns in Superstorm Sandy. Today a steel wall lies buried under its dunes.
- County
- Ocean
- Population
- About 330 (2020 census)
- Size
- About 0.6 square miles, including water
- Setting
- A narrow stretch of barrier island between the ocean and Barnegat Bay
- Main roads
- Route 35; County Route 528 over the Mantoloking Bridge to Brick
Neighborhoods
Ocean on one side, bay on the other
Mantoloking sits on the Barnegat Peninsula and borders Bay Head to the north, Brick Township to the south, and Point Pleasant across the bay. Route 35 runs its length as a two lane road, and the Mantoloking Bridge crosses the bay to the mainland at Herbert Street.
- The oceanfront homes along the beach, behind dunes built over the buried steel wall.
- The bayfront homes facing Barnegat Bay on the west side of Route 35.
- Around the Mantoloking Bridge streets near Herbert Street, where the bridge meets Route 35 and where Sandy cut a new inlet in 2012.
Homes
What you will find
- Oceanfront homes large homes on the beach side of Route 35.
- Bayfront homes homes on Barnegat Bay with water views to the west.
- Historic summer cottages some older shingled cottages, a few designed by the architect Stanford White.
- Rebuilt homes many homes rebuilt or raised after Superstorm Sandy.
Worth knowing: In Mantoloking, Sandy is still the reference point. The storm surge damaged about 90 percent of the borough's properties in 2012, cut a new inlet near Herbert Street, and more than 50 homes had to be demolished. A steel wall went in along the oceanfront in 2014, buried under sand as the core of the dunes, and an Army Corps of Engineers beach and dune project followed in 2017. Ask for the flood zone, the elevation certificate and the flood history on any home here. One more local rule: Mantoloking is a dry town, and alcohol sales are not permitted.
Property taxes
What taxes look like in Mantoloking
- 0.531%2025 effective tax rate, as a share of market value
- $26,0102025 average residential tax bill
A home worth $4,900,000 on today's market would pay roughly $26,019 a year at Mantoloking's 2025 effective rate. Your actual bill depends on your assessment, so we pull the real tax record for any home you are considering.
Source: New Jersey Division of Taxation, 2025 general and effective tax rates. Rates are set each year.
Getting around
Roads and commuting
Route 35 runs north and south through Mantoloking as a two lane road, north into Bay Head and Point Pleasant Beach and south through Brick's beach section toward Lavallette. At Herbert Street, County Route 528 crosses Barnegat Bay on the Mantoloking Bridge into Brick Township and continues west toward the Garden State Parkway and Lakewood. NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line ends at the Bay Head station, about a mile and a half north of the borough line, with trains toward Newark and New York Penn Station. Daily shopping is on the mainland in Brick and in Point Pleasant and Point Pleasant Beach.
Places worth knowing
Parks, landmarks and open space
- Mantoloking municipal beaches borough owned ocean beaches open to the public with a seasonal badge. Lifeguard coverage varies by beach, so check the current season's rules.
- The buried steel wall and dunes a steel wall installed in 2014 along the oceanfront of Mantoloking and part of Brick, covered with sand to anchor the dunes.
- Barnegat Bay the borough's western shore faces the bay, with views back toward Brick and Point Pleasant.
- Mantoloking Bridge the bridge on County Route 528 that links the borough to Brick Township on the mainland.
Common questions
Questions people ask us about Mantoloking
What are property taxes in Mantoloking, NJ?
Mantoloking Borough's 2025 effective tax rate is 0.531 percent of market value, and the average residential tax bill is $26,010, according to the New Jersey Division of Taxation. Actual bills depend on each home's assessment.
Are Mantoloking beaches open to the public?
Yes. The borough's municipal beaches are open to the public with a beach badge. Federal and state beach replenishment funding also required the borough to provide public access points and parking. Badge rules, fees and lifeguard coverage change, so check the current season.
What happened to Mantoloking in Superstorm Sandy?
Sandy's storm surge damaged about 90 percent of the borough's properties in October 2012 and cut a new inlet between the ocean and Barnegat Bay near the Mantoloking Bridge. More than 50 homes had to be demolished, and Route 35 through town did not fully reopen until February 2013.
Is Mantoloking a dry town?
Yes. Alcohol sales are prohibited by law in Mantoloking, which makes it one of New Jersey's dry towns.
Is Mantoloking part of Brick or Bay Head?
No. Mantoloking has been its own borough since 1911, when it separated from Brick Township. It borders Bay Head and Brick, and each town has its own government and property tax rate.
Buying or selling in Mantoloking?
Rebuilt, raised or original, it matters here
Our office is a short drive away in Point Pleasant. For a Mantoloking home, we start with how it came through Sandy, whether it was raised or rebuilt, and what its flood zone says, and then we talk price.
Call or text either of us directly.