A beach tag is an admission pass that must be purchased at many of the beaches along the New Jersey Shore. The system restricts summer beach access to residents and paying visitors. Visitors and residents in communities with the beach tag system typically pay a fee for a daily, weekly or seasonal pass. Staff patrol the beach looking for people who are not displaying their tag, and visitors without one are asked to purchase a tag or leave. Beaches with a beach-tag program use the proceeds to offset the maintenance and staffing costs associated with running a beach, such as funding lifeguards, restrooms, and trash removal.[1]
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Daily, weekly, and seasonal tags are usually available at beaches,[1] and each municipality sets its own rates and policies. Beaches typically do not charge for children under the age of twelve and may offer discounts to seniors.[1][2] In certain municipalities, discounts are given for seasonal passes purchased before a specific date (e.g. May 15 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey[3]).
Beach tags are controversial because the public trust doctrine generally gives the public the right to access the intertidal zone,[4][5] and guests may feel that a beach with beach tags should offer a superior service to free beaches.[1] Detractors debate whether beach tags are actually to restrict beach use to people who are paying visitors of hotels, beach house rentals and local residents.[2] The beach tag offered by one municipality does not grant access to beaches in other municipalities because each town has its own rules. For example, Long Beach Island is about twenty miles long, but there are more than twelve different beach tags; beach-goers cannot purchase one tag and use it on a different beach.[2] Proponents of beach tags suggest that they improve the cleanliness and safety of the beaches, making them akin to user fees that prevent freeloading.[1][6] In addition, proponents note that the beaches that require beach tags are those located in smaller cities, and beach tags allow small towns to offer a similar product to the larger centers.[1]