Ocean City Has Officially Banned Smoking on the Beach
If you’re caught smoking this summer, you could have to pay a $100 fine for a first offense — and up to $1,000 for a second.
Photo by lienkie/iStock.
Smoking on the Ocean City beach will soon be a thing of the past.
On Thursday night, the town’s City Council members passed an ordinance banning smoking on the beach. The measure will go into effect in 20 days, when summer is in full swing.
Violating the law could result in a fine of between $100 and $250 for the first offense. After that, a second or subsequent offense could cost you between $500 and $1,000.
Smoking was already banned on the Ocean City boardwalk and at outdoor parks, playgrounds and public facilities. Under the new ordinance, you won’t be able to smoke anywhere on the beach, nor on any paths leading to the beach.
Council members listed a number of health concerns as their reasoning (like second-hand smoke), as well as worries over litter, according to OCNJ Daily.
SMOKING BAN: Tonight in #OceanCity, a second reading/public hearing will be held to BAN smoking on the beach. If it passes, the ban would become law after 20 days. pic.twitter.com/4gBYXQ2WqN
— Brandon Longo (@brandonlongo) June 14, 2018
More than a dozen Jersey Shore towns have enacted beach smoking bans. Earlier this month, the state legislature approved a bill that would ban smoking at all public beaches and parks. That measure is awaiting approval from Gov. Phil Murphy. If it were to pass, you could get a $250 fine for the first offense, a $500 fine for the second, and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.
