Before you head to the beach this summer, you may want to check badge prices. At least a dozen Jersey Shore towns are raising their beach badge fees for the 2026 season, according to reporting by NJ.com.
Most increases are reasonable. A few dollars for seasonal badges, a dollar or two for daily passes. But one town stands out.
Mantoloking raised its seasonal badge price by a shocking $25, jumping from $120 to $145 for the season. It’s the largest single increase on the list and now the third-most expensive beach badge in the state.
Only Deal ($200) and Loch Arbour ($150) charge more.
The Full List of 2026 Beach Badge Increases
The following towns raised their seasonal badge prices:
- Mantoloking +$25 ($145)
- Avon-by-the-Sea +$10 ($110)
- Bay Head +$10 ($120)
- 7 Presidents / Long Branch +$5 ($80)
- Ocean Grove +$5 ($105)
- Surf City +$5 ($55)
- Monmouth Beach +$5 ($110)
- Longport +$5 ($40)
- Avalon +$2 ($42)
- Stone Harbor +$2 ($42)
Two towns raised only their daily badge prices:
- Bradley Beach +$1 ($14 daily)
- Sea Bright +$2 ($10 daily)
The Bigger Picture
Statewide, beach badge prices have remained relatively flat for years. Under New Jersey law, towns are permitted to charge beach access fees, but the revenue generated must go back toward beach-related expenses.
A bill that would have required towns to publicly disclose how those funds are spent died in committee last year, but has been reintroduced in the current legislative session. It has yet to come up for a vote.
Memorial Day Weekend is just around the corner. If your beach is on this list, now’s the time to decide whether a seasonal badge makes more sense than paying daily.