Beach fees went up — but shore residents are already paying for that beach

Back in February I wrote about a bill moving through the New Jersey Legislature that caught my attention. Senate Bill S1533 — a measure that would give shore towns the option to waive or reduce beach badge fees for teenagers between 12 and 17, and expand free beach access to all honorably discharged veterans regardless of how long they served.

I was for it then. I am still for it now.

Memorial Day Weekend is three weeks away. The bill has not passed yet.

And in the meantime, beach badge prices just went up in a dozen Shore towns.

SEE ALSO: Teens may no longer need beach tags at some Jersey Shore towns

What the bill would actually do

This is worth clarifying because there has been some confusion since February. S1533 would not require towns to change their beach fees. It would give local governments the choice to eliminate badge fees for teens and veterans — or offer both groups reduced fees. Each town would decide through its own local ordinance. One town could offer free access to teens and veterans while the town right next door still charges full price.

That is actually the right approach. Shore towns depend on badge revenue to fund lifeguards, beach maintenance, erosion control and safety services. A mandate would be a problem. An option is a reasonable step forward.

The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee approved the bill unanimously in February. The companion Assembly bill was introduced in March and referred to committee. It still needs full votes in both chambers and the governor's signature before it becomes law. With Memorial Day three weeks out that is not happening this summer. But the conversation is alive and that matters.

What the badges actually cost in 2026

While Trenton debates, the Shore towns have set their prices for the season. Season passes range from $10 in Ventnor and Margate if purchased before May 31st — jumping to $20 after June 1st — all the way up to $150 at Loch Arbour. Point Pleasant Beach's Jenkinson's runs $130 to $145 for a season pass. Manasquan charges $90 for adults. Mantoloking is $145. Sea Bright is $100 for the season. Ocean City remains one of the more accessible options at $35 for a seasonal badge.

Daily badges at most towns run around $10. Add parking on top of that and a family day at the Shore adds up faster than it should.

The good news for veterans is that many towns already offer free or reduced access with proper ID even without the new law. Avalon, Stone Harbor, Sea Isle City and several other South Jersey towns already provide free beach tags for active duty military and veterans. The new bill would expand and standardize that across more towns — and remove the existing restriction that limits free access only to veterans who served at least 90 days of active duty or were discharged due to a service-connected disability. Under the new bill any honorably discharged veteran would qualify regardless of length of service. That is a meaningful and overdue change.

The opinion nobody is saying out loud

Here is where I part ways with the standard beach fee conversation.

I understand why beach fees exist. I do not necessarily feel good about them — who does — but I understand the math. Lifeguards, maintenance, erosion control, safety infrastructure. These things cost money and the badge revenue helps cover them.

But here is what genuinely bothers me. The people who own property in Shore towns — the residents and homeowners who pay some of the highest property taxes in the state to live there year-round — are paying twice. They fund the beach through their taxes every single month of the year. And then in the summer they walk down to the beach and pay again for the badge.

A homeowner in Ocean City or Lavallette or Sea Isle City is subsidizing that beach every time their property tax bill comes in the mail. The lifeguards, the maintenance, the infrastructure — their taxes contribute to all of it. And then they line up at the badge window alongside the visitor from Pennsylvania who drove in for a Saturday.

That is not right.

The badge fees make sense for out-of-town visitors. They are using the beach without contributing to the local tax base that maintains it. Charging them a fair fee is completely reasonable. But charging the resident who is already paying that tax base every quarter — that is asking the same person to pay for the same thing twice.

Shore towns should waive beach fees entirely for full-time residents and property owners who can demonstrate local tax payment. Give them a resident badge. Make it simple. And keep the fees in place for visitors — who by any fair measure are getting a bargain anyway.

SEE ALSO: What's new on NJ's boardwalks for summer '26. 

The free beach option is always there

For families feeling the squeeze this summer there is always the free beach route. Atlantic City, Strathmere and the Wildwoods charge nothing for beach access. No badge, no fee, no barrier. These are genuinely great beaches — not consolation prizes.

Strathmere is my personal go-to for exactly this reason. A mile and a half of uncrowded beach, free parking, and the Deauville Inn right there on the bay for a sunset. It does not get better than that and it does not cost a thing.

Where the bill stands

S1533 is moving but Memorial Day 2026 will come and go before it becomes law. If you are a teenager or a veteran planning a summer at the Shore, the free access this bill promises is not here yet.

But the momentum is real. The vote in committee was unanimous. Both chambers have versions of the bill in play and the affordability angle is squarely in the conversation in Trenton right now.

The Shore should be for everyone. It always has been. Start with the people who already paid for it — the residents and property owners who get a tax bill every quarter and a badge fee every summer.

That math does not add up. And someone in Trenton should say so.