Overview
- The City Council voted unanimously at a special meeting that took effect Thursday, Aug. 13, to adopt an emergency ordinance imposing curfews for unaccompanied minors and bag limits on the promenade and beaches.
- Under the rules, anyone under 18 may not be on beaches after 8:00 p.m. without an adult and faces a 10:30 p.m. curfew for all public places unless accompanied by an adult.
- The ordinance also bans bags larger than eight inches on the promenade and beaches between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. for all ages while exempting medical devices and supplies.
- City officials reported anecdotal success the first night of enforcement but have not released specific police procedures, penalties, or monitoring plans for the new rules.
- The move follows a summer trend of large unsanctioned teen gatherings at other Jersey Shore towns and could reshape overnight tourism and raise legal and civil‑liberty questions if enforcement details are not clarified.