Beach fees and other "only in NJ" nonsense

[DCnPhilly]

How does NJ get away with charging for beach access? I was under the impression that land below the tide line was federally regulated by the Coast Guard. The same with private beaches. I understand private beach access, but the tide line is always public. I've never been on a beach, public or private, that didn't allow for an uninterrupted stroll along the water.

The whole concept seems mindbogglingly absurd. After traversing two hours of potholes to spend $4000 for a house next to some loud New Yorkers you have to spend $8 more a day to share the sand with them...and then you can't even buy booze. What country is this? Some of the most wildly popular beaches in the country are in Florida and they do just fine without fees. And somehow taxes are lower there. Doesn't NJ tax and fine its residents and tourists enough to deal with the popularity of its beaches? It certainly feels like it.

Sorry. I had to rant.

[Burholme06]

How does NJ get away with charging for beach access? I was under the impression that land below the tide line was federally regulated by the Coast Guard. The same with private beaches. I understand private beach access, but the tide line is always public. I've never been on a beach, public or private, that didn't allow for an uninterrupted stroll along the water.

The whole concept seems mindbogglingly absurd. After traversing two hours of potholes to spend $4000 for a house next to some loud New Yorkers you have to spend $8 more a day to share the sand with them...and then you can't even buy booze. What country is this? Some of the most wildly popular beaches in the country are in Florida and they do just fine without fees. And somehow taxes are lower there. Doesn't NJ tax and fine its residents and tourists enough to deal with the popularity of its beaches? It certainly feels like it.

Sorry. I had to rant.

You should have gone to Wildwood. Free beaches and fewer North Jersey/New York people.

[DCnPhilly]

That wasn't my experience. I go to a beach far, far away and am very content with its absence of yellow license plates, lifeguards, and its uninhibited camping, fishing, and swimming.

I just read an article about the fees in New Jersey and was kind of blown away. It just seems unreal. No other state does it. There has to be some sort of legal precedent against it.

[Eastcoast]

That wasn't my experience. I go to a beach far, far away and am very content with its absence of yellow license plates, lifeguards, and its uninhibited camping, fishing, and swimming.

I just read an article about the fees in New Jersey and was kind of blown away. It just seems unreal. No other state does it. There has to be some sort of legal precedent against it.

So you are going online to research things to complain about?

Towns in CT have parking fees that amount to the same thing, I'm certain that there are others.

[LUCas]

That wasn't my experience. I go to a beach far, far away and am very content with its absence of yellow license plates, lifeguards, and its uninhibited camping, fishing, and swimming.

I just read an article about the fees in New Jersey and was kind of blown away. It just seems unreal. No other state does it. There has to be some sort of legal precedent against it.

Nope, in the US, Tideland rights were granted to each state to hold in trust for the public. There is no legal guaranteed free access to those tidelands or restrictions on what states can do with that land; including the sale of those lands to private ownership "for the benefit of the state" (eg. filling public coffers). In contract, Mexico's constitution guarantees free and unrestricted access to all shorelines. That's why there are no private beaches in Mexico.

[DCnPhilly]

Nope, in the US, Tideland rights were granted to each state to hold in trust for the public. There is no legal guaranteed free access to those tidelands or restrictions on what states can do with that land; including the sale of those lands to private ownership "for the benefit of the state" (eg. filling public coffers). In contract, Mexico's constitution guarantees free and unrestricted access to all shorelines. That's why there are no private beaches in Mexico.

Gotcha. Thanks. That's mainly what I was wondering. I still think it's ridiculous that NJ does this, particularly considering how high their taxes are, but I wasn't arbitrarily complaining. It's not as if I've never been there.

[Pitboss]

How does NJ get away with charging for beach access? Some of the most wildly popular beaches in the country are in Florida and they do just fine without fees.

Yeah even Brigantine charges $8- a day per person although they provide beach-side showers and clean beaches/
port potties so it's worth that amount. http://www.brigantinebeachnj.com/beachinfo.asp
On Hawaii when I was last there fees were nonexistent away from tourist beaches and camping, fires, and partying
all night were ignored as long as you didn't disturb local residents.

[Politburo]

Riparian lands in NJ are all public, generally. Some rights have been leased/sold but tideline access still must be allowed except in obvious cases like near marinas, industry, etc. Towns may charge a fee to cover upkeep and facilities. It's kind of odd, imo.. people generally don't get worked up about fees for state and federal parks, but I don't see how it's really any different.

Where fees are charged, you technically do not need a badge to simply walk along the beach, but you can't sit down or go in the water (if lifeguards are provided) without one. Though they are rare outside of NJ, beach fees are not unique to NJ. RI has them, some beaches in Alabama, CT and Mass. have them as well.

...and then you can't even buy booze. What country is this?

It's the US, where the 21st Amendment gives states the power to regulate alcohol. NJ, in turn, gives municipalities the power to regulate alcohol. As of 2008, 38 of the 566 municipalities in NJ had banned alcohol (not all are down the shore). Sounds like you're just going to the wrong towns.

Some of the most wildly popular beaches in the country are in Florida and they do just fine without fees. And somehow taxes are lower there.

Tourist taxes in FL are fairly high, and a lot of tourists go to FL. It's that simple, really. As already noted, some of the most wildly popular beaches in NJ do not have fees.