Avalon’s 2024 Beach Tags/Pre-season and In-Season

Please note:  Viply has ended all beach tag arrangements with municipalities as of September, 2023.  Viply will not be an option to acquire an Avalon beach tag in 2024, thank you!

2024 Avalon beach tags carry a pre-season price of $32 until May 31st, 2024.  As of June 1st, 2024, the price for a seasonal tag will be $40.  Avalon and Stone Harbor have a reciprocal agreement with the use of beach tags.  This season, the cost of a daily beach tag will be $8; the cost of a weekly tag, $17.  No refunds are offered for a beach tag purchase under any circumstance.  Beach tags are not required for children under the age of 12.

Seasonal beach tags will be available for purchase on March 1st, 2024.  From March 1st through April 26th, you may purchase beach tags at the Avalon Tax Collector’s Office located inside Avalon Borough Hall, 3100 Dune Drive.  Cash, checks, and credit cards are accepted.  Beach tags may be purchased in person at the Avalon Beach Tag Booth adjacent to Community Hall at 30th Street and the beach on weekends starting March 30th.  From April 27th through the remainder of the summer, the Beach Tag Booth will be open daily.  From March 1st through May 10th only, you may mail a check to the Avalon Tax Collector’s office for your beach tags; you will be mailed a receipt which can be exchanged at the Beach Tag Booth for actual beach tags.  Please send a self-addressed envelope with your check in order for us to return the receipt to you.

You may also order your beach tags by mail, and receive the actual tags.  Avalon has a partnership with the Jersey Cape Diagnostic, Training, and Opportunity Center.  Please visit the link here:  https://jersey-cape-tags.myshopify.com/collections/currentbeachtagsbadges

You can order, and pay for beach tags online, and have them delivered to your home!

The Avalon Borough Council has partnered with the Jersey Cape Diagnostic, Training, and Opportunity Center for another method for the purchase and delivery of seasonal beach tags.  Individuals can now purchase the tags online at www.jerseycapetags.com/avalonbeachtags and have the actual beach tags delivered to their homes.

Each spring, the Center will receive a supply of seasonal beach tags from the Borough for sale.  The tags can be purchased through the website with a credit card.  The customer will be charged a very small convenience fee, and a shipping fee determined by the method of shipping that the customer selects.  Each week, the Center will deliver a report to the Avalon Finance Department for reconciliation purposes.

Free Veterans Beach Tags/Active Military

The Avalon Bor­ough Coun­cil approved an ordi­nance that results in free beach tags being offered to all vet­er­ans of the United States Mil­i­tary.  This ordi­nance went into effect in advance of the 2014 beach season, and continues to be in effect in the Borough.

The new law allows beach com­mu­ni­ties in New Jer­sey to offer reduced price or free beach tags to any indi­vid­ual who has served in any of the Armed Forces of the United States who were dis­charged or released under con­di­tions other than dis­hon­or­able and who either have served at least 90 days in active duty or have been dis­charged or released from active duty by rea­son of a service-incurred injury or disability.

Avalon will make the free beach tags avail­able at the Avalon Beach Tag Booth located next to Avalon Com­mu­nity Hall at 30th Street and the beach.  Vet­er­ans will sim­ply need to show appro­pri­ate doc­u­men­ta­tion to receive complimentary beach access for the beach sea­son in Avalon.  Appro­pri­ate doc­u­men­ta­tion includes:  DD-214, or any of the following:

–Cape May County Vet­er­ans card, issued by the county

-Active/retired/reserved military identification card

–Amer­i­can Legion card

–VFW card

–Viet­nam Vet­er­ans of Amer­ica card

–Dis­abled Vet­er­ans of Amer­ica card

–Marine Corps League card

Avalon continues its practice of offering free beach access to active members of the United States Armed Forces and their immediate family members.  Please note that veterans and active military mentioned above may simply show these forms of identification to a beach tag checker in lieu of obtaining a beach tag.

Protected Beaches

For your pro­tec­tion, bathing and swim­ming are per­mit­ted only at pro­tected beaches where life­guards are on duty 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM  through Labor Day weekend.  The Avalon Beach Patrol and the Borough of Avalon reserves the right to reduce the number of guarded beaches at any point during the summer due to staffing issues.  These are common from the middle of August through Labor Day weekend.   Use of rafts and surf­boards are per­mit­ted only at des­ig­nated beaches.  Enter the ocean only in the presence of a lifeguard.

Beach mats are placed for the summer of 2022 at the following locations for ease of accessibility:  8, 29, 30, 40, 44, 48, 57, 62, 67, 73, 74, 78, 80.  Please be aware that all seashore communities are experiencing labor shortages during Summer, 2022 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Beach mats require daily maintenance.  And, remember Avalon has a free beach chair program for individuals with physical limitations.

Dis­claimer:
Warn­ing! If you swim before 10:00 AM or after 5:00 PM or when life­guards are not on duty or if you swim at a beach which is not a des­ig­nated beach, you do so at YOUR OWN RISK and the Bor­ough of Avalon assumes no lia­bil­ity or responsibility.  Enter the ocean ONLY in the presence of a lifeguard!

GUARDED BEACHES

9,12,15,18,21,24,26,28, 30 (surfing only at 30th Street),32,35,38,40,43,50,57,61,65,69,73,76,79

Note:  A member of the Beach Patrol may be present at 57th Street and the bay for training purposes and as a courtesy to kayakers and paddleboarders.  Swimming is not permitted.

UNGUARDED BEACHES

8,10,11, 13,14,16,17,22,34,36,37,39,49,58,59,60,62,63,64,66,67,68,70,71,72,74,75,77,80

BEACHES WITH NO BEACH PATH ACCESS

31,41-43,45-47,49,51-56

RAFT BEACHES (use of rafts and inflated objects)

9, 12, 18, 24, 28, 35, 40, 43, 50, 61, 69, 73, 79

SURFING BEACHES

30th Street, between 16-17th Streets, 20th Street, and either side of the 12th Street life­guard stand, and 63rd Street,  but not near bathers.  Please note:  Due to low activity by surfers on the 63rd Street beach, the Avalon Beach Patrol is allowing stand up paddleboards at that location as well during 2018.

OTHER SURF ACTIVITIES

Kayaks, Stand up Pad­dle­boards (includ­ing inflat­able and non-inflatable) and Body­boards and/or Belly­boards with skegs are pro­hib­ited on any beaches in the Bor­ough dur­ing the hours of 10:00am through 5:00pm

BE AWARE OF SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE BEACH PATROL

Be aware that the Avalon Beach Patrol will clear swimmers from the water, or completely from the beach, when a safety hazard is present.  The most common reasons include lightning in the area, or strong rip currents in the ocean.  The Avalon Beach Patrol is equipped with technology that alerts them to threats of lightning or storms.  Always obey all instructions provided by the Avalon Beach Patrol.

AVALON BEACH PATROL SEA SAFETY SERIES-WHAT IS A RIP CURRENT?

One of the common reasons why lifeguards may keep you close to shore is the presence of rip currents in the ocean.  Sometimes, but not always, rip currents are present along the immediate shoreline due to storm activity in the Atlantic Ocean.  The Avalon Beach Patrol has produced a Sea Safety Series to keep your family safe.  Here is a presentation on rip currents:  ABP Sea Safety Series

The Avalon Beach Patrol considers your safety their number one priority.  The Beach Patrol will guard advertised guarded beaches this summer daily between the hours of 10:00am-5:00pm.  Rip currents in the ocean count for 80 percent of all ocean rescues in the United States; rip currents are also very difficult to spot with the naked eye.  Even the strongest, most experienced swimmers can be swept away from shore by a rip current.  Please, do not enter the ocean unless you are in the presence of a trained Avalon lifeguard.  Doing so otherwise is not advisable, and at your own risk as no lifeguards are on stands between the hours of 5:00pm-10:00am.  There have been some tragic losses of life on southern New Jersey beaches as swimmers entered the ocean with no lifeguard on duty.

The United States Lifesaving Association has provided this very helpful information about the dangers of rip currents:  https://www.usla.org/page/RIPCURRENTS

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES ON THE BEACH

Smoking is prohibited on public beaches due to new New Jersey state law.  Picnicking on the beach is permitted; please place refuse in trash and recycling containers.  Prohibited activities also include fires/open flames, alcoholic beverages, bottles, glass, sharp objects, loud noise, indecent language/actions.  No sleeping on the beach or boardwalk from sunset to sunrise.  Use beach paths; trespassing on dunes and in the areas posted for endangered beach-nesting birds is strictly prohibited. By municipal ordinance, the beach is closed to the public daily between the hours of 9:00pm-4:00am.

DIGGING HOLES ON THE BEACH

Please be mindful that unattended holes left on the beach strand can cause injury to others, especially as night falls. Please be sure you fill in any holes before you leave them unattended.  Never climb into a hole that has been dug on the beach as the sand may become unstable and cause an unintended entrapment.

BEACH VEHICLE PERMIT INFORMATION

Permits are effective September 15th until March 31st. The fee is $40. We accept cash or checks made payable to Borough of Avalon. Vehicles must be 4 wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The permit must be affixed to any corner of the rear window. Items Needed– Tow rope, jack with a board, inflated spare tire, shovel, fire extinguisher, supplied first aid kit and a flashlight. Beach Paths– 9th Street (if this path is available), 20th, 32nd, 38th, 60th and 79th Street.  Call (609) 967-4220.

Beach Vehicle Application

Beach Vehicle Ordinance

truck-on-beach

Avalon Surf Chair Program

The Borough of Avalon is deeply appreciative of the efforts of the Avalon Civic Club for developing Avalon’s popular surf chair program for all beach goers who are physically challenged. These surf chairs are beach chairs specifically designed for individuals with special needs and are available year round for no charge on a first come, first serve basis.

The Avalon Civic Club purchased the first surf chair in 1993 so all beach goers could enjoy the Avalon beach and is currently responsible for the Surf Chair Program. The surf chairs are available from 10am-5pm at the Avalon Beach Patrol Storage Units (9th, 30th, and 80th Streets) and at the Lifeguard Station (32nd & Avalon Ave.)  In addition, the chairs are available offseason at Avalon Community Hall at 30th Street & Avalon Ave. (609-967-3066).

The following regulations apply when utilizing an Avalon Surf Chair:

  • Surf chairs are to be used only on the sand at the beach. If used on other surfaces, the wheels will break.
  • The weight limit for surf chairs is 250 pounds.
  • Surf chairs must not be taken into water that is deeper than six inches as they will become unstable.
  • The responsible party must pay all repair costs for damages to the surf chair that occur while in the responsible party’s possession.
  • A suitable vehicle must be used to transport the surf chairs as they cannot be folded. The chairs are not to be tied to the roof of a motor vehicle.
  • Surf chairs are not to be transported off Seven Mile Island (Avalon/Stone Harbor).
  • Surf chairs should be cleaned after each use.
  • Surf chairs must be returned to the storage area from which it came by 5pm daily.
  • An attendant must be present when the surf chair is made available to sign out and again when it is returned to its storage unit.

For any questions regarding surf chairs, please call (609) 967-7587.

The Civic Club gratefully accepts donations for the Surf Chair Program. Any donations may be sent to:
Avalon Civic Club
PO Box 155
Avalon, NJ 08202

DOGS On the Beach

Dogs are not permitted on the Avalon beach, boardwalk, or dunes anytime between March 1st and September 30th. In other areas of the Borough, dogs must be kept on a leash (when not confined) and their droppings must be retrieved immediately by the person in charge of the dogs.

Volleyball and Frisbees

The playing of volleyball and Frisbee is permitted on the beach between 38th Street and 76th Street with the exact locations to be designated by and under the control of the Beach Patrol Captain; and, also at 31st Street behind Community Hall