By Sunayana Prabhu
It’s beach time! But in addition to dodging traffic and angling for a parking spot, visitors looking for a little sand and surf also have to pay up. Beach fees are set by municipal, county, state or federal authorities; this year, showing up without a credit card – or without cash – at some beaches could mean your day of relaxation turns into a headache.
From going cashless to cash only or check, some of the most popular area beach towns in the Two River area have set preferences for the season.
Sea Bright
The Borough of Sea Bright has two paid public beaches, the municipal beach and Anchorage Beach. The beaches offer lifeguards, rescue personnel, parking, restroom facilities and seasonal locker rentals. A season beach badge costs $100 while a daily beach badge is priced at $8. Anyone under age 12 and active military personnel and their families are always welcomed onto the beach at no charge and the price for a seasonal badge for disabled persons and seniors over 65 years of age is discounted to $35.
Sea Bright offers online payment by credit card but does not allow credit card payments in person – only cash or checks can be used to purchase badges at the beach pavilion in person.
Online a convenience fee is added to credit card transactions equal to 2.95% of the transaction cost; $1.95 charge for eCheck.
Sea Bright also offers seven free public beach accessways on Ocean Avenue that are clearly identified by signage. Purchasing a Sea Bright beach badge also gives public access to the areas in front of private beach clubs. The public-use area in front of private beach clubs is considered an unsupervised municipal beach. Use of these areas is governed by the rules that apply to unsupervised municipal beaches as set forth in Chapter 66 of the code of Sea Bright.
Sandy Hook
Effective June 24, 2023, fee collection booths at Sandy Hook will only accept credit card payments for beach parking fees. The National Park Service (NPS) announced May 26 in a press statement that the Gateway National Recreation Area will transition to a cashless fee system. The diverse park includes Sandy Hook beaches, wildlife preservation, military history and more.
Fees are collected from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The beach parking fee is $20 per vehicle. Season passes are $100.
Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004, 80% of the beach parking fee is collected and retained to enhance the visitor experience. According to the NPS website, the other 20% is used to benefit parks around the nation that do not collect fees. In the past five years this money has been used to rehabilitate the Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Fort Hancock Post Museum. Future projects include increasing visitor access to the historic Mortar Battery, replacing street lighting, and removing hazardous trees and replacing them with new plantings.
According to the statement, moving to a cashless system “allows parks to be better stewards of visitor dollars by reducing the amount of time park staff spend managing cash, increasing the amount of fee revenue available to support critical projects and visitor services, improving accountability and reducing risk.”
Monmouth Beach
While a smaller beach compared to Sandy Hook, Monmouth Beach is less restrictive in terms of payment methods and public access. “We just don’t have one method of payment,” Joyce Escalante, Monmouth Beach borough clerk, said. The borough wants the system to be convenient for visitors.
Monmouth Beach personnel accept payment online by credit card or e-check with applicable convenience fees or in person at the borough office by check or cash. A daily badge costs $12 and a seasonal badge is priced at $100. Anyone under 12 years of age has free access to the beach. While restricting payment methods might be easier for the borough, Escalante said, “It might be a little bit inconvenient for the public. Not everybody runs around with a credit card.”
The article originally appeared in the June 8 – 14, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
