NJ DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette Orders Ocean Grove To Open Its Beaches On Sundays

OCEAN GROVE, NJ — Ocean Grove must open its beaches to the public starting at 9 a.m. on summer Sundays, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) mandated in this final order it released Dec. 26.

The ruling ends a legal battle that's been simmering for years between the state of New Jersey and Ocean Grove, which was founded as a seaside retreat for Methodist religious groups and still has a strong Christian presence today.

Nearly all of the land in Ocean Grove is owned by the Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist Christian 501(c)3 non-profit. Every Sunday in the summer, the Camp Meeting Association closes public access to Ocean Grove's beaches, saying the town wants a quiet atmosphere so residents can go to church. From 9 a.m. to noon on summer Sundays, the Camp Meeting Association puts a chain and padlock on the beach's main entrance. This is only on Sundays in the summer months, when the town is at a full population; the beaches are open daily the rest of the year.

For years, the DEP and multiple New Jersey Attorneys General have argued that is violating New Jersey's Public Access Law, which says all beaches in the state must be accessible to the public, within reason.

In July, New Jersey administrative law judge Tricia Caliguire sided with Ocean Grove, and said they are allowed to keep the beaches closed.

But NJ DEP commissioner Shawn LaTourette was allowed to overrule her, and he did in his Dec. 26 decision. New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin had already filed an objection to Caliguire's decision in July, calling on LaTourette to overrule it.

"For centuries, the public trust doctrine has ensured the right of New Jerseyans to freely access (beaches)," LaTourette wrote on page two of his final order. "State law requires public access to privately-owned beaches. Furthermore, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association has for decades accepted and enjoyed the benefit of substantial state investment in the nourishment of its privately-owned beach, which publicly funded projects are explicitly conditioned on the provision of public access. In view of these rights and obligations, Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association's summer Sunday morning beach closures are an unjustifiable violation of the public’s right to access."

Michael Badger, past president of the Camp Meeting Association, previously told Patch he thinks the town is a victim of religious persecution from the state of New Jersey.

"Keeping the beaches closed leads to a quieter, less crowded and more relaxed Sunday morning in Ocean Grove: You do not have the crowds that you have on a Saturday morning. You don't have the jingle from the ice cream trucks running up and down the beach. You can get a parking space so you can walk to breakfast or yes, walk to church," he told Patch in this 2023 article.

He also argues there are many other Jersey Shore towns that close or partially block off their beaches from time to time — and are not threatened by the state.

"After Long Branch had that problem with the pop-up parties, they closed their beaches at night," Badger said. "And Asbury Park, which just had the Sea.Hear.Now festival, put barricades up at either end of their beaches to prevent people from getting onto the beach. Those barricades were in place all weekend."

In recent summers, both Ocean City and Seaside Heights have closed their beaches at 8 p.m. to discourage teens from gathering there. Neither town was issued a violation notice from the state.

The Attorney General previously said beaches can be closed when there is a safety risk to the public, or environmental concerns.

This past summer: Judge Rules Ocean Grove Can Keep Beaches Closed On Sunday Mornings (July 2025)