{"id":235529,"date":"2026-04-28T21:28:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T01:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/?p=235529"},"modified":"2026-04-29T16:58:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T20:58:33","slug":"bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Bradley Beach Was the First to Introduce Beach Badges: Here\u2019s How It Changed Shore Access"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"custom_featured_image\" style=\"display:none;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-800x533.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-800x533.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-263x175.png 263w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/div><div id=\"custom_category\" style=\"display:none;\">history <\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept of paying to visit a beach might be foreign to those in Delaware, Hawaii, New York, Oregon, and Texas, but in New Jersey, it is not. The Garden State is the birthplace of paying for beach access. Long before debates about public access and coastal funding became widespread, one shore town set a precedent that would shape how millions experience the Jersey Shore today. <\/span><b>Read on to learn about <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/end-of-summer-activities-jersey-shore\/\"><b>Bradley Beach\u2019s<\/b><\/a><b> role in developing beach badges and how it impacts beachgoers today.<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-235557\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-800x533.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-800x533.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1-263x175.png 263w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>About Bradley Beach<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bradley Beach was developed by James A. Bradley, its namesake. In 1871, James acquired 54 acres of land, and the area was informally known as Ocean Park. In 1893, residents appealed to the state legislature and incorporated their community as Bradley Beach. James also developed nearby Asbury Park.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Read More:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/rent-bikes-towels-beach-jersey-shore-nj\/\">Jersey Shore Vacation Essentials: Where to Rent Bikes, Baby Gear, Beach Need, Etc.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starting in the 1920s, Bradley Beach became a popular destination for Chinese families from Manhattan\u2019s Chinatown. In 1941, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bradleybeachnj.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Chinatown-by-the-Sea-Proclamation.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lee Ng Shee<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> purchased a home for $2,000 and became the first Chinese homeowner in Bradley Beach. After Lee, more visitors from Chinatown became owners in the area, and her legacy is still present today. Lee\u2019s grandson, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/entertainment\/2025\/05\/it-was-chinatown-by-the-sea-inside-a-jersey-shore-towns-unknown-history.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Mok<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is a permanent resident on the same street as his grandmother, spending his time year-round down the shore.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>History and Access Today<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1929, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/jersey-shore-beach-badges-info\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bradley Beach<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> became the first place in the United States to charge people for beach access. The community began <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.makenjbeachesfree.org\/blog\/the-history-of-beach-badges-in-new-jersey#:~:text=04%20Mar,re%20probably%20hated%20for%20that.%22\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">minting tin badges <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and engraving the year on each one. The badges were issued free to residents and guests of the hotels. Other people, wanting to use the public beaches, were charged a fee for a bathhouse. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Different beaches had different badges, and in 1955, New Jersey enacted a law called the Municipal Beach Act, known as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dep.nj.gov\/publicaccess\/#:~:text=Fees%20for%20Access,of%20beach%20fees%20for%20reasonableness.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beach Fee Statute<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This permitted communities to enact \u2018reasonable fees\u2019 for beach access.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1972, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/new-jersey\/supreme-court\/1972\/61-n-j-296-0.html\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Borough of Neptune City v. Borough of Avon-by-the-Sea<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that while shoreline municipalities could charge reasonable, cost-based fees for beach maintenance, they could not discriminate between residents and <a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/jersey-shore-bennies-etiquette\/\">non-residents<\/a> regarding access or pricing. Avon-by-the-Sea required non-residents to pay $2.25 a day (roughly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.calculator.net\/inflation-calculator.html?cstartingamount1=2.25&amp;cinmonth1=13&amp;cinyear1=1972&amp;coutmonth1=3&amp;coutyear1=2026&amp;calctype=1&amp;x=Calculate#uscpi\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$17.77<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in March 2026) to access the beach, while residents could do so for just $1.25 a day (roughly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.calculator.net\/inflation-calculator.html?cstartingamount1=1.25&amp;cinmonth1=13&amp;cinyear1=1972&amp;coutmonth1=3&amp;coutyear1=2026&amp;calctype=1&amp;x=Calculate#uscpi\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$9.87<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in March 2026). This ruling ensured equal access to the beach and strengthened the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1972\/07\/25\/archives\/beach-limitation-voided-in-jersey-higher-fee-on-nonresidents-at.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">public trust doctrine<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-229194\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/gazebo-logo-800x800.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/gazebo-logo-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/gazebo-logo-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/gazebo-logo-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/gazebo-logo-585x585.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/gazebo-logo.png 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, nearly everyone pays to get on the beach in Bradley Beach and needs a badge between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bradleybeachnj.gov\/beach-department\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2026 Season<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> includes $90 badges for adults 16 and over and $35 badges for those 13, 14, 15, and over 65 years of age. Children 12 and under are free. Beach badges purchased in person at ticket kiosks on the boardwalk are cash or check only. Lifeguards are on duty on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and weekends and holidays from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Parking on the east side of Ocean Avenue and the east end of Bradley Boulevard is all paid parking. The parking spaces are numbered, and payment is accepted at the Pay Station Kiosks located on Ocean Avenue and Sylvan Lake. Parking is free in the residential neighborhoods of Bradley Beach.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike many other states, New Jersey municipalities rely on these fees to fund beach maintenance, lifeguards, cleaning, and erosion control. In contrast, other states with <a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/free-new-jersey-beaches\/\">free beaches<\/a> typically cover these costs through broader state or local taxes. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After Labor Day and until Memorial Day, access to the beach is free, but there are no lifeguards present. While Bradley Beach and much of the Jersey shoreline cost money to access, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hobokengirl.com\/free-new-jersey-beaches-no-beach-badge\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">there are some free beaches<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like Atlantic City, Keansburg, North Wildwood, Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>See More:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/newjersey\/independent-bookstores-new-jersey\/\">The Best Independent Bookstores to Explore in NJ This Independent Bookstore Day, 4\/25<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not everyone loves paying for beach access, and there are many critics throughout the state. In January 2026, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.njleg.state.nj.us\/bill-search\/2026\/S1533\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bill S1533<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was introduced into the Senate. It would permit municipalities to charge reduced or no beach fees for children ages 12 to 17 and to revise the law concerning beach fees for veterans. On February 24th, it passed unanimously through the Senate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Follow @thejerseyshoregirl_ on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thejerseyshoregirl_\/?hl=en\"><span class=\"s1\">&nbsp;Instagram<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;for the latest Jersey Shore updates,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twilight-lion-90332.myflodesk.com\/jrf4qhj7qk\"><span class=\"s1\">sign up for our weekly newsletter here<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;that shares everything you missed each week, and check out our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/events\/\"><span class=\"s1\">events calendar<\/span><\/a>, which has over 40+ events weekly to peruse.<\/p>\n<div class=\"categories\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/thejerseyshoregirl.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stories<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>history The concept of paying to visit a beach might be foreign to those in Delaware, Hawaii, New York, Oregon, and Texas,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":383,"featured_media":235557,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9653,9787,9640,9593],"tags":[9680,9662,9702,9755],"class_list":["post-235529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bradley-beach","category-creative","category-jersey-shore-towns","category-local-girl-rss-feed","tag-beach-life","tag-history","tag-lifestyle","tag-tlg"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Bradley Beach Was the First to Introduce Beach Badges: Here\u2019s How It Changed Shore Access - The Jersey Shore Girl<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Beach badges are a Jersey Shore staple, and it all started in Bradley Beach. 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Here\u2019s the history behind paid beach access in New Jersey.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Jersey Shore Girl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-29T01:28:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-29T20:58:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/jerseyshore\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Olivia Fisher\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Olivia Fisher\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Olivia Fisher\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c16c131340375dbd9f484a9f474508c1\"},\"headline\":\"Bradley Beach Was the First to Introduce Beach Badges: Here\u2019s How It Changed Shore Access\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-29T01:28:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-29T20:58:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":744,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Beach Life\",\"History\",\"Lifestyle\",\"The Local Girl\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Bradley Beach\",\"Creative\",\"Shore Towns\",\"The Local Girl\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\\\/\",\"name\":\"Bradley Beach Was the First to Introduce Beach Badges: Here\u2019s How It Changed Shore Access - The Jersey Shore Girl\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/bradley-beach-nj-beach-badges-history\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/beach-badge-bradley-1-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-29T01:28:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-29T20:58:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/jerseyshore\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c16c131340375dbd9f484a9f474508c1\"},\"description\":\"Beach badges are a Jersey Shore staple, and it all started in Bradley Beach. 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