Manchester Township Public Residents Directory
The Manchester Township residents directory helps you find public records in this Ocean County community. Manchester Township is located in central New Jersey and includes several age-restricted communities along with family neighborhoods. Municipal Clerk Teri Giercyk manages the clerk's office at 1 Colonial Drive. Through this residents directory, Manchester Township residents can learn how to access vital records, council minutes, police records, and other municipal documents. The township uses the Next Request online portal for OPRA submissions, making it easy to request records from anywhere.
Manchester Township Quick Facts
Manchester Township Residents Directory and Clerk's Office
The Manchester Township Clerk's office is the central point of contact for public records. Municipal Clerk and Registrar Teri Giercyk holds the RMC, CMC, and CMR certifications. Deputy Clerk and Deputy Registrar Maria Golda, along with Assistant Clerks Emilie Bell and Shannon DiFrancia, round out the staff. The office is at 1 Colonial Drive, Manchester, NJ 08759.
You can reach the clerk at 732-657-8121, extension 3200. The fax number is 732-657-2071, and email requests go to clerk@manchestertwp.com. Hours are 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday, except holidays. The clerk handles a wide range of duties including custody of the municipal seal, preparation of council agendas, election administration, voter registration, and licensing.
Records maintained by the Manchester Township Clerk include council minutes and agendas, ordinances and resolutions, election records, vital statistics, and various licenses. Dog and cat licenses, alarm licenses, bingo and raffle licenses, and liquor licenses are all processed through this office. These documents form a core part of the Manchester residents directory.
The township also maintains a No Knock Registry through the clerk's office. This allows Manchester Township residents to register to stop door-to-door solicitation. Stickers are free if you pick them up. There is a one-dollar fee if you need them mailed to your home.
OPRA Requests in the Manchester Residents Directory
Manchester Township has updated its OPRA process and now uses Next Request, an online portal for submitting and tracking public records requests. You can visit manchestertownshipnj.nextrequest.com to create an account, submit requests, upload documents, and download records. The township provides help guides for using the system.
While the online portal is the preferred method, Manchester Township also accepts OPRA requests in person, by email at clerk@manchestertwp.com, and by mail. All requests are uploaded to the Next Request Portal for processing regardless of how they arrive. The custodian must respond within seven business days as required by N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.
Fees for copies in Manchester Township are five cents per letter-size page and seven cents per legal-size page. Other materials such as CDs or DVDs are charged at actual cost. Delivery and postage fees are additional. The custodian may require a deposit when documents will cost more than five dollars to reproduce. Special service charges may apply for complex requests. The amount will be communicated to you for approval before work begins.
The OPRA request form requires you to certify under penalty of N.J.S.A. 2C:28-3 whether you have been convicted of any indictable offense and whether the records will be used for commercial purposes. You must be as specific as possible in describing the records you want. If a request is denied, you can challenge it through the Government Records Council or Superior Court.
Note: A failure by the custodian to respond within seven business days counts as a denial of your request under OPRA.
Manchester Police Records Directory
The Manchester Township Police Department has its own guidance for obtaining records under OPRA. To get police records, you must complete the Manchester Township Government Records Request Form and submit it to the Municipal Clerk's office. Even police records requests go through the clerk as the central point of contact.
Police records that are generally available include incident reports, accident reports, arrest records showing public information, and dispatch logs. Some records are exempt from disclosure. Employee personnel files, police investigation records, and information protected by privacy laws cannot be released. The Municipal Attorney may review requests when a legal determination is needed about whether a record is public.
Send police records requests to Township of Manchester, C/O Municipal Clerk, 1 Colonial Drive, Manchester, NJ 08759. You can also fax them to 732-657-2071. The standard seven-day response time applies to police records just as it does to other OPRA requests in the Manchester residents directory.
Manchester Township Community Records
Manchester Township maintains a variety of community records beyond the standard municipal documents. The Environmental Commission keeps records of natural resource management and conservation planning. The township published a detailed Natural Resource Inventory in 2020 that covers the environmental features of the community.
The Planning Board maintains land use documents including site plans, subdivision applications, and zoning decisions. These records are part of the Manchester residents directory and can be requested through the OPRA process. The township's large land area of over 82 square miles means there is a substantial volume of planning records.
For state-level records, the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton holds historical documents for all municipalities. The New Jersey Department of Health maintains vital records at the state level. Manchester Township residents can access both of these resources for records that the local office does not hold.
Note: Environmental Commission records and Planning Board documents may require additional processing time due to their size and complexity.
Ocean County Residents Directory
Manchester Township is part of Ocean County, one of the largest counties in New Jersey. The county clerk's office in Toms River handles land records, passport services, and business registrations for all Ocean County municipalities. For records beyond the Manchester Township residents directory, visit the county page.