Question for Jerseyites

[MDSurfer]

So with the mandatory beach tags, do they only apply during guarded hours, or all times of the day?
Is there a discount for locals?
Do surfers have to buy and wear them as well?
What's the rate, and who checks for them?
Is it a ticketable offense to not have one, or do you get arrested?
What do they use the money for, because I've not seen any beach cleaning machines up there?
"Gee Officer, I didn't bring my ID because I'm going in the water!" Are there any excuses that actually work?

[dieR]

the badges are only in affect from 9am-4pm. you can get on the beach free anytime not on those hours. We have badge checkers on each walk in on the beach. They ask you to see your badge and you proceed. and everyone has to buy them..locals..surfers...bennys..its all about the money baby.

[tbing]

So with the mandatory beach tags, do they only apply during guarded hours, or all times of the day?
Is there a discount for locals?
Do surfers have to buy and wear them as well?
What's the rate, and who checks for them?
Is it a ticketable offense to not have one, or do you get arrested?
What do they use the money for, because I've not seen any beach cleaning machines up there?
"Gee Officer, I didn't bring my ID because I'm going in the water!" Are there any excuses that actually work?

Considering I work Beach Patrol at Manasquan, that is my job to make sure you have them.

Yes, they are only needed for guarded hours. No discount for locals. Surfers have to have them. Daily tickets are $6 weekdays and $7 weekends/holidays at Manasquan. Yes it is a ticket-able offense, but we come up to you first and unless you give us a hard time, you won't get one. If you get pissy and start cussing we'll call a cop for you :) Then you'll have to pay, and then probably get kicked off the beach. I recommend just paying to begin with.

Lastly, unlike other states, New Jersey Government does not give the towns a budget for the beach. That means that the lifeguards and beach crew (people who pick up trash) would not get paid, so each town has to make its own budget (selling beach badges and requiring them to get onto the beaches). Different towns run different rates, and some towns do not require them (Towns that can afford the budget without tourist profit)


Edit: GoinRetro: Personally me and the badgecheckers make sure they have badges more than just normal looking tourists.

[Nightrider]

Ok here's everything i know.. They only apply during guarded hours and if you just go to the beach to surf then you don't need to buy them. They cost $25 before the season starts so if you're a local there's the discount. Beach badge checkers check them who wear white shirts and yellow shorts, easy to spot because they are usually teens who are carrying a pouch of badges. If you somehow don't see them coming or don't have one they'll just tell you the rate per day, per week, and the increased rate per season which you can buy on the spot. Who knows what the money goes for, but there are ways to get out of not buying them. Just going in the water excludes you from being checked because they don't chase you. You can pretend to be sleeping if you see them at the last second. Or you can point to a bag you came with and say they're in the bag. Some checkers are airheads and just say ok, but if they ask where, just check the bag and tell the person I must have left it at home, sorry. They'll usually just say ok can you go and get them because another checker is coming soon. That's your que to get your board and go surf.

[SkySurfnSnow]

Considering I work Beach Patrol at Manasquan, that is my job to make sure you have them.

Yes, they are only needed for guarded hours. No discount for locals. Surfers have to have them. Daily tickets are $6 weekdays and $7 weekends/holidays at Manasquan. Yes it is a ticket-able offense, but we come up to you first and unless you give us a hard time, you won't get one. If you get pissy and start cussing we'll call a cop for you :) Then you'll have to pay, and then probably get kicked off the beach. I recommend just paying to begin with.

Lastly, unlike other states, New Jersey Government does not give the towns a budget for the beach. That means that the lifeguards and beach crew (people who pick up trash) would not get paid, so each town has to make its own budget (selling beach badges and requiring them to get onto the beaches). Different towns run different rates, and some towns do not require them (Towns that can afford the budget without tourist profit)


Edit: GoinRetro: Personally me and the badgecheckers make sure they have badges more than just normal looking tourists.


I can't believe locals and tourist alike need to pay to go to a "public" beach. The city, county, or any governmental official should be embarrassed about charging people to go to the beach. I am sure there is more than enough tax revenue or general consumerism to pay the salaries of the "public" employees. If not, then that particular municipality should have an outside auditor take a look at the books and see who is lining their pockets.

This just my opinion and this is what I would say if you came up to me at my local beach, of which I paid taxes to live in that area, and demanded to see a beach badge. The cops would definately have to come and I would have to file a civil suit against the city to get the restriction lifted.


RIDICULOUS!!!!
________
Honda RC161 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_RC161)

[tbing]

I can't believe locals and tourist alike need to pay to go to a "public" beach. The city, county, or any governmental official should be embarrassed about charging people to go to the beach. I am sure there is more than enough tax revenue or general consumerism to pay the salaries of the "public" employees. If not, then that particular municipality should have an outside auditor take a look at the books and see who is lining their pockets.

This just my opinion and this is what I would say if you came up to me at my local beach, of which I paid taxes to live in that area, and demanded to see a beach badge. The cops would definately have to come and I would have to file a civil suit against the city to get the restriction lifted.


RIDICULOUS!!!!

Yay! Seriously, Manasquan is about a square mile. The ONLY thing in that town is the beach and houses. The only type of profit comes from tourism in the summer. How the hell would they be able to pay salaries for 50 people for the entire summer. Oh wait, yeah, they could just not have lifeguards, and not clean garbage off the beach, then it would probably look like NYC cause thats the trash that comes there. The 50 people do not include the badge checkers and other people who work there because they have to make sure they make money. 50 is just the lifeguards and crew.

If you wanna complain, take it to NJ Government and ***** all you want at them.

[snowbird]

Our lovely City does NOT require surfers with boards to pay for a tag. If you're carrying a board (or a kayak or a kon tiki boat), you get on the beach for free dollars.

[aka pumpmaster]

'Swim at you own risk" signs are much cheaper than guards.

[smack da lip whaaapaaa]

'Swim at you own risk" signs are much cheaper than guards.


hell yeah, where I surf the badge guys don't give a **** if your going on the beach simply to get to the water. Providing access to the water is my right and if some kook working beach patrol told me to pay, I'd tell him to go **** himself. Another reason why summer sucks in NJ, hope this winter is as good as last

[tbing]

hell yeah, where I surf the badge guys don't give a **** if your going on the beach simply to get to the water. Providing access to the water is my right and if some kook working beach patrol told me to pay, I'd tell him to go **** himself. Another reason why summer sucks in NJ, hope this winter is as good as last

Then move somewhere else cause you're pretty annoying yourself. The locals are bigger ****s than the tourists are.

[jjcliff]

surfers/people in the water NEED badges? do they seriously check them or do people get asked as they walk onto the beach?

[aczaplicki]

In Long Branch, surfers dont need them.

[tbing]

surfers/people in the water NEED badges? do they seriously check them or do people get asked as they walk onto the beach?

Asked as they walk on.


Depending what girl you go to, you'll either have to pay or not.

[CurtFlirt732]

dont listen to mister beach patroll

just get to the beach before the badge checkers get there ussually around 9-10am
surf your session then leave soon as the sea breeze kicks in and craps out the surf no ones gonna search you out of the water for a badge.

[smack da lip whaaapaaa]

Then move somewhere else cause you're pretty annoying yourself. The locals are bigger ****s than the tourists are.

yeah let me just get up and move because I think its ridiculous to pay to get onto the beach 3 months out of the year, ****ing brilliant tbing.

[Aguaholic]

In Long Branch, surfers dont need them.

true...as well as many other beaches....surfers and fisherman get on free. Some beaches charge and some do not......You just gotta know where to go. I never ever pay to get on the beach. EVER!!!!

[smack da lip whaaapaaa]

true...as well as many other beaches....surfers and fisherman get on free. Some beaches charge and some do not......You just gotta know where to go. I never ever pay to get on the beach. EVER!!!!

same here, its totally ridiculous

[tsurfn]

i used to badge check up in lavallette....didnt surf at the time(started the summer after), but let surfers go on with no badges. now i wish some of those badge checkers would lighten up...dont they know were not using there beach and theres a rare chance we will need the service of a life guard, so what do they want us to pay for??..... also i heard somewhere that if you have a surfboard its considered a flotation device and they cant charge you.....not here but its prob true somewhere??

[MDSurfer]

$6 per day on weekdays and $7 on weekends? Ouch! But then I guess the Sopranos do claim Jersey as their own.

I guess I shouldn't complain about having to pay $1.50 per hour to park in the inlet parking lot, which of course I don't do anyway. Here in OCM there is no beach fee, but they have added on 3% to motel rooms and restaurant dinners, so it's only the vacationers who use those that pay for the beach cleaning machines, guards, and a variety of city services, and the city isn't a piker on the beach cleaners, buses or boardwalk trams either. For $2.00 you can ride the bus as often as you want as far as you want for 24 hours, 6am, to 6am.

We complain about parking pay stations, but they only have them on the first 15 blocks of the boardwalk that roughly covers the first mile of the 2.2 mile boardwalk. If they gouge anyone, it most likely the people who want to put a memorial plaque on a boardwalk bench. It will cost you $1450, but it's a REALLY nice bench. What price ego?

I trust they will never resort to beach user fees, but then I suspect the 9 mile long length of the town helps, that and all the real estate that keeps changing hands. If the city did try to start charging for beach use it would likely drive visitors away and require that they hire an army of tag checkers to cover the 145 beach blocks in town.

The city keeps asking the county for more money for fire and paramedic services, but they haven't paid up yet. The state of Maryland, the county and the US Govt. help with the beach pumping when required, but for the most part the state doesn't support our guards, beach cleaning or other things, but they do send in some tandem buses for the summer months from Baltimore Transit. And did I mention our fire department is all volunteer? The city wants to go with paid firemen, but the volunteers are pretty dug in for the time being.

What made me think of asking the initial question was when I walked out onto the beach in Cape May to take a couple of photos. Only after I left the beach did I realize that I hadn't bought a beach tag. I guess the tag police didn't feel like walking across the beach to catch me. TBing, you're welcome to come south anytime; what's with all the posturing up there anyway?

[Subluna]

I've surfed OCNJ for the last 18 years and have never been required and/or asked about a beach tag while surfing at the designated surfing beaches during guarded hours.

Considering it is a tourist economy and the tags are mostly for the people who come to the beach and treat it like their public trash can, I have no problem paying a few $$ to have it cleaned and dragged every morning.

You can get a tag for the entire season for $20, $15 if you buy it before the season.

It is easy to take the view of "paying to access a public beach" but I would look at it more as a service fee to keep the beaches clean. I'm sure if we had enough volunteers willing to clean the beaches we could eliminate the fee.

I'm not an apologist - just a rationalist. I've surfed these breaks enough to know that the majority of people have no respect for the beach and leave a lot behind.

Now - a bigger issue for me is "no dogs" on the beach regardless of time OR leash during the summer season. You can't even pay money to do it. Since my dog pre-dates the rule I consider her grandfathered in....

Locals...

[alpacasrule]

i live in LBI and run past the beach checker every time i surf or skim. if im just going to the beach to chill then i say my mom is coming with the badges. it works every time. Seriously, badge checkers dont care. The only reason that you may run into a stubborn one is because the checker who sells the most tickets gets a $500 bonus. whoopdy freakin doo. but i only had one situation where the checker gave me a hard time (we were yelling at each other for several minutes) but I just ran past her into the ocean. She actually made the lifeguard paddle out and tell us to go in. Luckily i know the lifeguard so he let me go. the law is pointless and rediculous for locals

[aka pumpmaster]

how smart is this. a town hires a staff of 50 plus people for the summer to collect money for that town. am i the only one who sees the problem with that whole plan??

[nittanysurfer]

I get what Tbing is talking about. We go to a south jersey beach, one of which you don't need tags and even though the town has life guards and a beach clean up crew, we often end up picking up trash as well. Of course if more people didn't leave their trash behind, then you'd only really have to worry about paying life guards. I never heard that in OCM you have to pay a 3% hotel/motel tax to pay for beach and community fees. That seems to be a good solution, though some small NJ towns don't even have hotels or board walks...just houses, beaches and tag people.

[MDSurfer]

. I never heard that in OCM you have to pay a 3% hotel/motel tax to pay for beach and community fees. That seems to be a good solution, though some small NJ towns don't even have hotels or board walks...just houses, beaches and tag people.

Actually the 3% add on was put in place to help defray the cost of financing the Convention Center in cooperation with the State of Maryland. When the State sales tax was 5% (now 6%) I worked at a motel that automatically added 3% on to the room tax making it 8%. Restaurants do the same. The nice part of that add on sales tax is that if you rent a room for longer than 100 days (about the length of summer) you don't have to pay the add on 3%, so locals are spared as long as they don't move around a lot.

I thought casino gambling in New Jersey was supposed to cure all your financial woes. At 7% sales tax, you're only .25% behind the California rate, and they always need money. I've always wondered why I see so many cars with Jersey plates down here, and now I know why.

[ritecoastsurfer3]

most places are 9-5 so for the best waves you don't need a badge anyway, i've never paid for one in my life so i don't care but from bayhead to lavalette for 6 miles each oceanfront houses are paying like 20,000 in property taxes a year! if these towns are charging an additional fee where is all the money going?? and everyone here that is really really obsessed with the "i am local" rhetoric brick township has discounted badges for local residents so wear them with pride. . .and the badge checker girls are really hot so i haven't the heart to run past them without a badge. . .only 3.5 weeks to go

[tbing]

I thought casino gambling in New Jersey was supposed to cure all your financial woes. At 7% sales tax, you're only .25% behind the California rate, and they always need money. I've always wondered why I see so many cars with Jersey plates down here, and now I know why.

Casinos have nothing to do with NJ. They are privately owned so basically any profit they turn for the beach is going to Atlantic City.

[xnoonelikesyoux]

Yay! Seriously, Manasquan is about a square mile. The ONLY thing in that town is the beach and houses. The only type of profit comes from tourism in the summer. How the hell would they be able to pay salaries for 50 people for the entire summer. Oh wait, yeah, they could just not have lifeguards, and not clean garbage off the beach, then it would probably look like NYC cause thats the trash that comes there. The 50 people do not include the badge checkers and other people who work there because they have to make sure they make money. 50 is just the lifeguards and crew.

If you wanna complain, take it to NJ Government and ***** all you want at them.

Yoooo ook I finally had to sign in due to the nonsense I've been reading. . . 50 salaries??? Shut up dude. . . You are sooo naive and don't have a clue what you're talking about. . . You obviously don't pay taxes nor own a home because otherwise you would know that Manasquan is a part of Monmouth County. . . So if you did your homework you would know the tax dollars come form the county to pay the lifeguards not the individual town. . . Hence why New Jersey has the ONLY strip of beach (from Sandy Hook down to Cape May) that you have to PAY to get on the beach in the ENTIRE U.S.!!! and yes we have the MOST corrupt system in Jersey and I'm tired of the finds paying to park when I'm a local and pay taxes alll year long. . . F*** Jersey. . . I love the people I know but the winter suits and the government can eat a D***. . . I'm heading south for warmer water and free beach accesss WITH lifeguards. . . Because other states know whats up. . . Wait till you can't afford to live here when you move out of mommies house ***got!

[newboldphilly]

Actually the 3% add on was put in place to help defray the cost of financing the Convention Center in cooperation with the State of Maryland. When the State sales tax was 5% (now 6%) I worked at a motel that automatically added 3% on to the room tax making it 8%. Restaurants do the same. The nice part of that add on sales tax is that if you rent a room for longer than 100 days (about the length of summer) you don't have to pay the add on 3%, so locals are spared as long as they don't move around a lot.

I thought casino gambling in New Jersey was supposed to cure all your financial woes. At 7% sales tax, you're only .25% behind the California rate, and they always need money. I've always wondered why I see so many cars with Jersey plates down here, and now I know why.

Yeah, well, NJ doesn't have tax on clothes, no annual tax on motor vehicles, and the cheapest gas taxes in the country. It also has some of the best schools, the only statewide transit system, lowest crime, best public services and highest household income in the country. You get what you pay for.

Maryland doesn't get anything like the hordes that descend on New Jersey beaches. You guys have 9 miles of ocean beaches. There's not that much more in VA that's actually accessible. It takes 4 hours to get to the Outer Banks from Raleigh. Compare that to NJ with 120 miles of coastline and ALL of it except for Sandy Hook and Island Beach State Park is heavily urbanized. It also has 25 million people living within 100 miles of it. OC, MD has about 1 million people living within 100 miles.

When your beaches turn in to the biggest city in the country every summer you can't just put up some dirt parking lots and a few signs and call it a day.

I used to go out almost every morning in Long Branch before work and I always had to hang my bag on the fence to keep it from getting run over by the beach rake. Those things are expensive to buy and to operate. Lifeguards are expensive. Someone has to pay. In places with a lot of hotels like Atlantic City or Wildwood, you don't pay to get on the beach. The rest of the shore doesn't have hotels so they have to raise the money somehow. Better with user fees than with more taxes. If you live in a beach town in NJ you just go to your borough hall in the spring and buy your season pass for $20 and be done with it. The bennies can pay $6 a day if they want to or they can buy a season pass for $25.

[Aguaholic]

I'm heading south for warmer water and free beach accesss


Amen....So am i man...in a few years i'm taking off to FL for good. Let the Island hopping begin!

[Prey4Surf]

I'm answering for Belmar, NJ


So with the mandatory beach tags, do they only apply during guarded hours, or all times of the day?


They are for about 9-10a, until 3:30 - 4p is the times they usually check. If I go after work I get there at about 4:15p, no need for a badge.


Is there a discount for locals?
Yes if you get a season badge, no if you get a daily. I have 2 season badges. Cost about $60, i think they are about $100 for non-locals. I'm pretty sure most locals pay more than $60, but my gma has lived in Belmar for 60 years, she gets me the badges (I give her the money for them).


Do surfers have to buy and wear them as well?
If you are carrying a surf board or a bodyboard with legit gear, if you get there later in the day, or on bigger days, I've walked right past without showing my badge.


What's the rate, and who checks for them?
Not sure, I think its like $7 or $8 though


Is it a ticketable offense to not have one, or do you get arrested?

If you show up before the checkers get there, you don't need them. Ticketable? No, Arrestable, well if you run past a checker I'm sure they can charge you with trespassing or whatever. But you are obviously going out of your way to get on the beach free even though its not "free" time. Its basically stealing.


What do they use the money for, because I've not seen any beach cleaning machines up there?
Guards, checkers, police enforcement, clean up, dredging, excess goes back to the town.


"Gee Officer, I didn't bring my ID because I'm going in the water!" Are there any excuses that actually work?
What would you need your ID for?

[aka pumpmaster]

"I used to go out almost every morning in Long Branch before work and I always had to hang my bag on the fence to keep it from getting run over by the beach rake. Those things are expensive to buy and to operate. Lifeguards are expensive. Someone has to pay."

Why? They don't even NEED guards. all the legislature needs to is pass a hold harmless law for beach towns so they can't be sued for drownings.

btw..NJ does not have the lowest crime rate..per the census bureau it's 26th

http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank21.html

[SocietyInKhaos]

For anyone who may or may not know. For any beach in NJ from Sandy Hook to Cape May they cannot charge you for having a fishing rod.

So for anyone who has to pay or is not sure grab your board and a rod and go ride. If someone tries to make you pay tell them to go scratch, can't legally charge you.:D

[tbing]

For anyone who may or may not know. For any beach in NJ from Sandy Hook to Cape May they cannot charge you for having a fishing rod.

So for anyone who has to pay or is not sure grab your board and a rod and go ride. If someone tries to make you pay tell them to go scratch, can't legally charge you.:D

Yeah they can't charge you but they don't have to let you on the beach. Like you can't surf in the middle of the day on any beach, you can't surfcast in the middle of the day either.


Yoooo ook I finally had to sign in due to the nonsense I've been reading. . . 50 salaries??? Shut up dude. . . You are sooo naive and don't have a clue what you're talking about. . . You obviously don't pay taxes nor own a home because otherwise you would know that Manasquan is a part of Monmouth County. . . So if you did your homework you would know the tax dollars come form the county to pay the lifeguards not the individual town. . . Hence why New Jersey has the ONLY strip of beach (from Sandy Hook down to Cape May) that you have to PAY to get on the beach in the ENTIRE U.S.!!! and yes we have the MOST corrupt system in Jersey and I'm tired of the finds paying to park when I'm a local and pay taxes alll year long. . . F*** Jersey. . . I love the people I know but the winter suits and the government can eat a D***. . . I'm heading south for warmer water and free beach accesss WITH lifeguards. . . Because other states know whats up. . . Wait till you can't afford to live here when you move out of mommies house ***got!

Bahaha you really crack me up. You really think the county pays the lifeguards? I'm not sure if you missed it, but I do WORK for Manasquan beach, and Monmouth County does not pay the guards. You should learn YOUR facts before you try to correct someone elses.

[newboldphilly]

Why? They don't even NEED guards. all the legislature needs to is pass a hold harmless law for beach towns so they can't be sued for drownings.

btw..NJ does not have the lowest crime rate..per the census bureau it's 26th

http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank21.html

I was prefacing all those points with "some of" at the beginning of the sentence. Brick Twp. is the 3rd safest town in the country. Toms River is #9. The top 100 are full of towns in NJ. Most of the violent crime in the state happens in 10 cities (out of 566).

http://www.househunt.com/safe-cities/

Sure, you can pass a hold harmless clause and get rid of the lifeguards. But you still need money to clean the beach, pick up the trash, pay for police and ambulance service, etc.

The general public would never go along with getting rid of lifeguards. Even if you could get rid of them you'd wind up with drownings that first year that would be pushing 100, mostly bennies, but still. You'd wind up with more fights on the beach because people would be trying to fish, surf, and swim in the same places. People would get scare and eventually tourism would take a hit . . . drownings would drop off a little bit but still stay high enough to keep people away.

No lifeguards is fine when you're in hicksville . . . in the outerbanks, in parts of SC, Georgia, even some parts of the west coast of Florida. but go to any city with a beach (which is what the Jersey Shore is), Va. Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Myrtle Beach, any city in Florida, LA, San Diego even friggin' Chicago . . . and you'll find one lifeguard stand after another.

[Subluna]

I agree - everyone who does not like it should skip surfing NJ. It's a messed up system. Just pass on by. OCNJ is by far the worst, and 56th St is just insane. Save yourself the headache.

[Aguaholic]

the individual town pays the lifeguards not the county in NJ

[tbing]

the individual town pays the lifeguards not the county in NJ

Atleast one person agrees with me. And I know I'm not wrong.

[Salty J]

Tbing it's ok, its part time work, you don't need to be such a hard-on.

Look people If you haven't figured out how to avoid paying summer tags then you are an idiot and deserve to pay twice! I have been surfing for 20 years and have never payed for a tag while coming to or leaving the beach.

[tbing]

Tbing it's ok, its part time work, you don't need to be such a hard-on.

Trust me, if you saw me actually at work, you would know I couldn't care a bit. When people "sneak" on the beach, they call me cause thats my job. I usually walk on and say "why did you do that? just tell them you work here" then walk back to the badge checker and say they had badges.

It just bothers me that some p.o.s. disrespects me.

[Salty J]

It just bothers me that some p.o.s. disrespects me.


Well its the internet and you need to get over that because it makes you look like a douche when you argue silly points and get pissed over faceless and toothless banter. Plus your status as a 19 year old know it all is inflammatory as a rule.

[smack da lip whaaapaaa]

Well its the internet and you need to get over that because it makes you look like a douche when you argue silly points and get pissed over faceless and toothless banter. Plus your status as a 19 year old know it all is inflammatory as a rule.

yeah really, stop arguing so much dude! when I was 19 I was out having fun not sitting on the computer all day arguing the same thing over and over and over again.

[windswellsucks]

if you dont shape up your attitudes, he wont guard your life next time your in squan