TRENTON — New Jersey Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen July 3 released the 3rd annual New Jersey Beach Guide that provides important consumer information about the cost, facilities and amenities offered at public beaches in New Jersey shore towns.
“New Jersey has some of the best beaches in the world but there are significant variations in terms of access fees and amenities available to the public,” Chen said. “This consumer-friendly guide tells you where to go, where to park and how much, if anything, it will cost you to enjoy these beautiful beaches.”
The guide includes information about daily, weekly and seasonal fees, accessibility for individuals with disabilities, parking, rest rooms, lifeguard coverage and beach locations.
Since last year, 10 of the 48 towns along the New Jersey shoreline have increased beach fees; no towns decreased them; and the remaining 38 towns charge the same fees as last year.
All towns have done away with residency discounts. However, selling seasonal badges in the “pre-season” – which usually extends to Memorial Day but can end as early as May 1 – is becoming increasingly popular.
Some other trends in 2008:
* Daily Rates Are Up – Four towns raised their daily badge fees by an average of 21 percent.
* Weekly Rates Are Up – Five towns raised their weekly badge fees by an average of 24 percent.
* Pre-Season Rates Are Up –7 towns (a third of those with pre-season rates) raised their pre-season beach badge fees by an average of 16 percent.
* Seasonal Rates Are Up – 8 towns raised their seasonal beach badge fees by an average of 19 percent.
(Some towns have raised multiple fees so the total adds up to more than 12. The attached chart summarizes beach fee changes.)
The Beach Guide was assembled with information on public beaches obtained from Jersey shore municipal officials and Web sites. The data in the report were then provided to local officials to confirm accuracy.
One of the areas of significant variability is in the rules governing whether visitors may bring food to the beach. Prohibitions can be an inconvenience in towns without a boardwalk or easy access to food stands, restaurants and convenience stores. Barnegat Light, Bay Head, Berkeley Township, Spring Lake, Sea Girt, Mantoloking, Surf City, Ship Bottom and Long Beach Township ban food entirely. Others such as Stone Harbor, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars and Lavallette ban “picnicking” but allow snacks on the beach.
Many beach communities provide few services to visitors. Mantoloking, for instance, doesn’t have lifeguards, restrooms, showers, or changing rooms and does not allow food but charges $12 to access the beach. (Note: Mantoloking is among the beach communities that sells only a seasonal pass and does not make daily beach badges available.)
The 2008 Beach Guide will be updated later in the summer to include information on 40 private beach clubs that the Public Advocate was able to identify. The beaches adjacent to these clubs are typically available only to club members or people who live in a certain development, neighborhood or town. A handful, however, do operate as public beaches, offering unrestricted access.
New Jersey has seven free public beaches, with three of those beaches located on a bay or a river. The free beaches are: Highlands, Keansburg and Middletown (all 3 on Raritan Bay), and Atlantic City, Upper Township, Wildwood City and Wildwood Crest (all 4 on Atlantic Ocean).
Most towns charge between $4 (Cape May and Toms River Township) and $7 (Allenhurst, Belmar, Brigantine, Bradley Beach, Deal, Manasquan, Ocean Grove/Neptune, Pt. Pleasant Beach, Sea Girt and Ship Bottom) for a daily badge. In nine towns, it costs between $8 and $12 to go to the beach for the day. These towns include: Avon by the Sea, Monmouth Beach, Sea Bright, Seaside Park, Spring Lake, Surf City, Longport, Mantoloking, and Margate City. In three of those towns, Longport, Mantoloking and Margate City, only weekly or seasonal badges are available, meaning people have to pay that fee to visit the beach for a day.
