as some have pointed out the existence of beach fees in NJ is to defer the cost of maintenance and safety with the tourists. many nj beach towns have populations in the hundreds but are visited by tens of thousands of out-of-towners who need saving and cleaning up after. most towns have a resident, and non-resident rate.
it seems alien, i suppose, to many people, but as a jersey shore native it makes perfect sense to me. that said, it is pretty well excepted that some of the beach towns have certainly used fees as a means of exclusion. sometimes racially motivated, others motivated by class distinction. it continues in some localities despite varying levels of protest.
little known, however, is the fact that the beaches "are" public property (with a few small exceptions) and the towns can not actually charge you to use the beach. what they legally charge you for is "access" to the beach. the fee is to actually walk through those controlled access points. if you enter a beach from an adjacent beach, or from the ocean, you have every right to be there. you are essentially paying for the convenience of proximity to adjacent services (rest rooms, lockers, food stands, etc.) via the controlled access point.
spot badge checks on the beach are carried out, but they really have no right to do so. though i wouldn't recommend arguing , as shore town seasonal police generally have a better familiarity with the use of their nightsticks then they do with public beach access laws.
you can find it all here:
http://www.state.nj.us/publicadvocate/news/2007/ap proved/070628_beachguide.html
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as some have pointed out the existence of beach fees in NJ is to defer the cost of maintenance and safety with the tourists. many nj beach towns have populations in the hundreds but are visited by tens of thousands of out-of-towners who need saving and cleaning up after. most towns have a resident, and non-resident rate. it seems alien, i suppose, to many people, but as a jersey shore native it makes perfect sense to me. that said, it is pretty well excepted that some of the beach towns have certainly used fees as a means of exclusion. sometimes racially motivated, others motivated by class distinction. it continues in some localities despite varying levels of protest. little known, however, is the fact that the beaches "are" public property (with a few small exceptions) and the towns can not actually charge you to use the beach. what they legally charge you for is "access" to the beach. the fee is to actually walk through those controlled access points. if you enter a beach from an adjacent beach, or from the ocean, you have every right to be there. you are essentially paying for the convenience of proximity to adjacent services (rest rooms, lockers, food stands, etc.) via the controlled access point. spot badge checks on the beach are carried out, but they really have no right to do so. though i wouldn't recommend arguing , as shore town seasonal police generally have a better familiarity with the use of their nightsticks then they do with public beach access laws. you can find it all here: http://www.state.nj.us/publicadvocate/news/2007/ap proved/070628_beachguide.html