Jersey Shore Beach Badges: How Seasonal Badges Work in Monmouth and Ocean County

Most Jersey Shore towns charge a fee to use their beaches in summer, and you show a badge (or a digital pass) to get on the sand. Each town sets its own prices and rules, so you buy a badge for the town you're visiting: a season badge if you'll go often, or a daily or weekly badge if you won't. State law says those fees can't be charged to children under 12, and many towns add free or discounted badges for seniors, veterans and active military.

I'm Dennis Mark Interdonato with The Dennis Mark Group at Keller Williams Realty Ocean Living. If you're moving here from a state where beaches are free, badges are one of the first local customs you'll run into. Here's how they work, and what a handful of towns posted for 2026.

Why do Jersey Shore beaches charge for badges?

New Jersey law lets a shore town charge "reasonable fees" for use of its beach, and most oceanfront towns in Monmouth and Ocean County do. In a few places the beach is run by an association instead of the town. In Bay Head, for example, the borough says it "does not own, operate or maintain the beaches," and the Bay Head Improvement Association sells the badges. In Ocean Grove, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association issues the beach tags.

When do you need a beach badge?

In season, when the lifeguards and badge checkers are on duty. Most towns start on Memorial Day weekend, often weekends only at first, then go every day from mid-June through Labor Day. Lavallette's 2026 bathing season ran June 20 to September 7, for example, and Bradley Beach checked badges on weekends until June 14 and every day from June 15. A few towns have their own twists; Beach Haven doesn't require badges on Wednesdays.

Outside the season, the rules are different. Belmar, for one, says its "beaches and boardwalk are open on a year-round basis." More on that in living at the Jersey Shore year-round.

Who gets in free?

• Children under 12. State law says no beach fee "shall be charged or collected from children under the age of 12 years." Many towns set their free age a little higher.
• Seniors, people with disabilities, active military and veterans. The law lets each town offer free or reduced badges to these groups by ordinance, which is why the discounts vary from town to town.

What did beach badges cost in 2026?

Here are the prices each town posted for the 2026 season. Towns set new prices every year, so check the town's beach page before you buy for 2027.

• Asbury Park (Monmouth): adult season badge $70; daily $7 weekdays, $10 weekends; free for 12 and under, plus active military, dependents and veterans.
• Avon-by-the-Sea (Monmouth): adult season badge $110; one-day wristband $14; free for 11 and under.
• Belmar (Monmouth): season badge $80; daily $12; free for 13 and under, plus veterans.
• Bradley Beach (Monmouth): adult season badge $90; daily $14; free for 12 and under, plus veterans and active military.
• Long Branch (Monmouth): annual pass $70; daily $6 weekdays, $9 weekends; free for 13 and under, 62 and older with ID, and people with disabilities.
• Sea Girt (Monmouth): season badge $115; daily $11.98 including the processing fee; free under 12, plus active military and family.
• Lavallette (Ocean): season badge $65; daily $13; free under 12, plus veterans and active duty.
• Seaside Heights (Ocean): season badge $75 ($55 preseason); daily $13; free for 11 and under, plus active and retired military and dependents.
• Seaside Park (Ocean): season badge $65 to June 14, then $70; daily $13; free for 11 and under, plus active and retired military and dependents.
• Long Beach Township (Ocean): season badge $40 preseason, then $50; daily $10; free for 11 and under; veterans get a free lifetime badge.
• Beach Haven (Ocean): season badge $40 preseason, then $50; daily $10; free for 12 and under; veterans get a free lifetime badge.
• Bay Head (Ocean): season badge $120, half season $65; daily $15; sold by the Bay Head Improvement Association.

Senior badges are discounted in most of these towns, with the qualifying age set by each one. Long Branch's free entry applies to its municipal beaches, not Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park, which is a county park.

Where do you buy beach badges?

• Online. Many towns sell through a portal or app. Bradley Beach and Manasquan use Community Pass, Sea Girt sells only through its badge portal, and Long Beach Township, Harvey Cedars and Beach Haven offer digital passes through the MyBeachMobile app.
• In person. Borough halls and beach offices sell season badges before summer. Belmar sells at Taylor Pavilion, and Seaside Park at its bathhouse.
• At the beach. Daily badges are usually sold at the entrances in season. Some booths take cash or check only, and some are cashless, so check before you go.

Buy early if the town offers a preseason price. In 2026, Seaside Heights' season badge was $55 if you bought by January 3 and $75 after.

Is Island Beach State Park a beach badge?

No. Island Beach State Park, the nearly 10-mile barrier beach in Ocean County, is a state park, so you pay a state park entrance fee instead of a town badge. New Jersey also offers a free lifetime park pass for people 62 or older and a pass for New Jersey residents with a disability. Check the State Park Service for current fees.

How do beach badges fit into choosing a town?

If you'll be on the beach most summer weekends, the town you live in decides which badge you buy and how far you walk to the sand. Some buyers want to walk to the beach; others want a bay or river and drive to the ocean. That's a lifestyle question, and it's one of the first I ask. Start with the town pages linked above, read the free town guides, and see the relocation page for how I help people choose a town from out of state. My Relocation Guide covers the rest of the move.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do children need beach badges in New Jersey?

Not under 12. State law says beach fees can't be charged to children under 12, and some towns set the free age higher.

Can I use one town's beach badge in another town?

No. Each badge is for the town (or association) that sold it.

Do veterans get free beach badges at the Jersey Shore?

In many towns, yes. State law lets towns offer free or reduced badges to veterans and active military, and many of the towns above do. Check each town's rules and bring ID.

When do you need a beach badge in New Jersey?

During each town's summer season, usually from Memorial Day weekend or mid-June through Labor Day, when badge checkers are on duty.

This is general information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Prices and rules are what each town posted for the 2026 season and change every year.

About the author

Dennis Mark Interdonato is a REALTOR® and Master CDRE® who leads The Dennis Mark Group at Keller Williams Realty Ocean Living in Point Pleasant, NJ, helping buyers and sellers throughout New Jersey make their next move, with Monmouth and Ocean County as home base. He grew up in Monmouth County and lives in Ocean County. Read more about Dennis Mark.

Keep reading

• How to research a Jersey Shore town before you visit
• Monmouth County vs Ocean County: where to look
• Own a shore home already? See what it's worth with a free home value.
• Have a question this didn't answer? Send it to Dennis Mark and it may become the next article.