May 08, 2024
Provided Image/The Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority
North Wildwood has adopted a nightly curfew for minors and a banned large umbrellas and tents on its beaches. Above, the North Wildwood beach with the Surfside Pier in the background, pictured in 2019.
North Wildwood has adopted a nightly curfew in hopes of discouraging unruly teen behavior and banned the use of large umbrellas to give beachgoers more space.
The ordinances were passed Tuesday by the shore town's city council. The curfew prevents people younger than 18 from being in public places without their parents between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. during the summer.
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Under new restrictions on beach fixtures, umbrellas cannot be taller than 7 feet, 6 inches or have a diameter longer than 8 feet. Baby tents are permitted, but larger tents, cabanas, pavilions and canopies are forbidden.
Here are the specifics of the new laws:
The curfew for minors takes effect each night at 10 p.m. from May 15 through Sept. 16. It begins an hour later, at 11 p.m. from Sept. 16 through May 14.
Unaccompanied minors are permitted to be in public places during the curfew hours under the following circumstances:
• They are engaged in – or traveling from – business and activities authorized by New Jersey law
• They are on a parent-directed errand without any detours or stops
• They are attending a recreational activity supervised by adults
• There is an emergency
Minors in violation of curfew will receive at least two warnings before police will take them to the station to discuss the violation alongside their parents. During these so-called "stationhouse adjustments," minors will develop a resolution that may involve community service or restitution.
Parents, guardians and caretakers that knowingly allow minors to break curfew will be subjected to fines starting at $250.
The curfew is intended to ensure safety in public areas, reduce juvenile crime and strengthen parental responsibility. According to the ordinance, the curfew aims to promote the safety and well being of young people "whose inexperience renders them particularly vulnerable to becoming participants in unlawful activities, particularly unlawful drug activities, and to being victimized by older perpetrators of crime."
The curfew is necessary due to "the threat of ongoing congregation of youth and others that could turn violent mandates the adoption of this prohibition," the ordinance states.
North Wildwood is the latest shore town to adopt a curfew. Last year, neighboring Wildwood moved up its curfew to midnight, banned alcohol on the beach and boardwalk, and designated underage drinking as a "breach of peace" violation. Ocean City enacted an 11 p.m. curfew for minors and a backpack ban on the boardwalk after 8 p.m. And Sea Isle City now has a 10 p.m. curfew for minors and has restricted the use of backpacks on the promenade.
Beachgoers can bring umbrellas with circular shades that are no larger than 8 feet in diameter and a single pole that is not taller than 7 feet, 6 inches. Baby tents, meant to shade infants and small children from the sun, must be no larger than 3 feet in height, width and length. All other tents, tarps, umbrellas and canopies are prohibited, unless specially approved by city council.
Permitted umbrellas and tents must be securely anchored but may not have tethers, stakes or weights extending beyond their perimeters. They also cannot obscure a lifeguard's view of the ocean. The items must be removed from the beach by 9 p.m. Otherwise, they will be discarded the following morning.
The umbrella ban is intended to "provide as much space as possible for visitors," according to the ordinance. North Wildwood's beaches have been "severely eroded" in recent years, and there is barely any beach left at high tide in numerous areas.
The ban could be amended or dropped at the discretion of the mayor and city council depending on the condition of North Wildwood's beaches, according to the ordinance.
North Wildwood is set to begin an emergency beach replenishment project after reaching an agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on a temporary plan to address severe erosion along the city's coastline.
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