Planning a Jersey Shore trip? Your guide to curfews, bag bans, beach tags and more
From beach tags to curfews, here’s what you need to know before you head to the South Jersey beaches this summer.
Beachgoers enjoy the sand and surf in North Wildwood N.J. on July 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
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Beach hours
Beaches are not open 24 hours.
Most beaches are open from 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., except in Ocean City and Seaside Heights, where they are closed to the public from 8 p.m. – 5 a.m.
Do you have your beach tags?
Most towns are selling monthly, weekly, three-day or daily beach tags. The tags bring in revenue for the towns to reinvest in beach upkeep. Over the years, beach tag inspectors have become strict about enforcement.
Daily beach tags in Brigantine, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, and Cape May are $10.
In Avalon and Stone Harbor, daily beach tags are $8.
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Listen 1:12Curfews
You can’t just let your teen loose at night.
More than 20 beach towns now have teen curfews during the summer.
Cape May, Wildwood, Stone Harbor have curfews for anyone under 18 years of age between midnight and 6 a.m. In Wildwood, parents can be fined up to $1,000 if their child is out past the curfew.
North Wildwood and Sea Isle City have teen curfews between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. In both places, parents can be fined up to $1,500 if their child is out past the curfew.
In Ocean City, there is a curfew for anyone under 18 not accompanied by a parent or guardian between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Parents can be fined up to $1,500.
In Seaside Heights, a curfew for anyone under 18 without a parent or guardian is in effect between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Parents can be fined up to $1,000 for breaking the curfew.
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Backpack bans
Check the size of your backpack.
Ocean City, Sea Isle City and now Wildwood all have a nighttime ban on bags of a certain size on the boardwalk. Sea Isle City does not permit bags bigger than 8″x6″x8″ from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the beach, boardwalk and surrounding area, and Ocean City prohibits bags bigger than 8″x6″x8″ from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the beach, boardwalk and surrounding area.
Wildwood passed its ban on June 12, prohibiting backpacks on the beach or boardwalk from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Baby bags, medical bags and small purses are exempt from the ban.
Saturdays just got more interesting.
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