The Shore Blog

Avalon’s beaches are a great place to be. This is true whether it is a hot summer afternoon, a cool autumn morning or a balmy spring night. Beachcombers, sunbathers, surfers and sandcastle builders alike will surely enjoy their time spent on these white sand beaches. To maximize your enjoyment, here is information you will want to know.

Lifeguarded Beaches

The Avalon Beach Patrol protects beaches between June 8th through August 21st, 2020 on the following streets: 9th, 12th, 18th, 21st, 24th, 26th, 28th, 30th, 32nd, 35th, 38th, 40th, 43rd, 50th, 57th, 61st, 65th, 69th, 73rd, 76th, and 79th Streets.

PLEASE NOTE: A limited number of lifeguards will be posted between May 28 – June 7 and August 22nd – September 5th. They will be posted at des­ig­nated beaches as avail­able per­son­nel permits. Check with the Avalon Beach Patrol before planning to visit to see which beaches are protected.

Beach Tag Info

In Avalon, beach tags are required for all individuals 12 years or older from May 28 through September 6, 2021. They are required every day of the week between the hours of 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. A discounted rate of $25 is available for pre-season purchase of seasonal tags. After June 1, the rate increases to $30 for seasonal tags. Weekly and daily tags will be available for purchase after May 23 at the rate of $13 for weekly and $6 for daily. 

Pre-season purchase: Seasonal beach tags can be purchased at the Avalon Tax Collector’s Office  located at 3100 Dune Drive. Seasonal tags can also be ordered through Viply, a mobile app is available on both Apple and Android devices. They can also be ordered online.  

In-season purchase: Seasonal, weekly and daily beach tags can be purchased at the The Avalon Beach Tag Booth located next to Surfside Park and Avalon Community Hall (open daily from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm). They can also be purchased from any on-duty Avalon Beach Tag Inspector, through the Viply app or online.

Discounts are offered on seasonal tags purchased prior to May 31. Beach tags are free for all veterans of the United States Armed Forces, as well as active duty military members and their immediately families.

Avalon and Stone Harbor have reciprocity between their beaches. That means Avalon beach tags are accepted on Stone Harbor beaches, and vice-versa. Stone Harbor beach tags can be purchased at the Stone Harbor Beach Tag Office. The office is located on 95th Street and the Beach. The hours are from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm daily. Tags can also be purchased from a beach tag inspector on the beach.

Where to Park

Public parking is available in the following areas:

• Borough lots at 28th – 30th Streets & the beach
• 32nd & Dune Drive behind the Municipal Building
• On the corner of 21st Street & 5th Avenue
• Ocean Drive on 20th Street
• Accessible parking spots are located in the parking lot at 28th Street, at 29th and the Boardwalk, on 30th Street adjacent to Community Hall, and there is 1 space at 32nd and the Boardwalk. All parking in Avalon is free of charge.

Restrooms

Public restrooms are available at the following locations:

• Borough Hall (32nd & Dune Drive)
• Public Safety Building (31st & Dune Drive)
• Community Hall (30th & the beach)
• Tennis Buildings (8th & 39th Streets)
• 10th & Dune Drive and 30th Street and the beach (next to the Tot Lot)
• All of these restrooms are handicapped-accessible.

Accessibility

Handicapped ramps to the boardwalk are located at the following locations: 21st, 23rd, 24th, 26th, 27th, 29th, 30th and 32nd Streets. There are ramps at 22nd and the Boardwalk and Beach but those will require companion assistance. Ramps from the boardwalk to the beach can be found at 30th Street and at 8th & Avalon Avenue. At 80th Street there are ramps to an observation platform and to the beach. Handicapped accessible bay front piers are located at 8th Street Pier at the bay side, 20th & 5th Avenue, 23rd , 33rd, 37th and 57th Streets.

For information on accessible parking and restrooms, see those sections above. 

Surf Chairs

Free surf chairs are available at 9th, 30th and 80th Street beaches, as well as the lifeguard station at 32nd and Avalon Avenue. They can be obtained from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm daily, in season. Chairs are free but reservations are recommended. The chairs can also be procured off-season at the Avalon Community Hall located at 30th and Avalon Avenue. Call the Avalon Beach Patrol at to reserve.

Rules and Regs

• For your own safety, swim only at protected beaches during the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Swimming at a non-guarded beach, or at a time when lifeguards are not on duty, is at your own risk.
• Use of rafts and surf­boards are permitted only at designated beaches.
• 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.
• 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
• 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.

Permitted Activities

Surfing – Permitted at 30th Street beach and either side of the 12th Street lifeguard stand, but not near bathers.

Rafts – Rafts and inflatable objects are permitted at the following beaches: 9th, 12th, 18th, 24th, 28th, 35th, 40th, 43rd, 50th, 61st, 69th and 73rd and 78th Streets.

Prohibited Activities

Smoking is prohibited on all beaches under New Jersey state law.

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 10:00 am through 5:00 pm. 

For more information about Avalon, please follow the links below:

Find out why Avalon is “Cooler By A Mile”
History of Avalon
Where to Stay in Avalon
Where to Eat in Avalon
Things to Do in Avalon
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