Berkeley Oceanfront Daily Beach Fees To Rise By 60 Percent This Summer

Berkeley Township, NJ - Visitors to Berkeley Township's oceanfront beaches will be shelling out more money in the summer of 2017, according to an ordinance adopted by the Township Council last night.

The daily beach fee for visitors 12 and up will rise from $5 a day to $8 a day.

Township Administrator John Camera said beach fees have risen in both neighboring Seaside Heights and Seaside Park. Daily badges in Seaside Heights will go to $10 and also to $10 in Seaside Park, he said.

"We are still going to be lower than the next town over," Camera said.

Resident Maureen Hall was the only person to speak during the public hearing. She was concerned about the impact on families with children, who could end up paying a lot of money for a day at the beach.

"My concern is for young families," she said.

Berkeley could also lose "volume" if more people go to Island Beach State Park next door because of the price hike, Hall said.

But children under 12 are admitted free. Seniors can purchase a "lifetime" badge for only $10, Camera said.

Image: Patricia A. Miller