Ocean City, NJ

Ocean City's public rules visibly switch into summer mode. In 2026, beach tags were required for everyone age 12 or older from June 1 through September 7, with daily tags at $10, weekly tags at $20, and in-season seasonal tags at $35. Boardwalk cycling narrowed to 5 a.m. through noon from June 19 through September 7. Municipal parking meters and lot fees operate for six months beginning in May, while city parking is free from November through April. These recurring changes are part of managing a barrier-island city whose permanent population was 11,229 in 2020 and an estimated 11,101 in July 2025. The 2020-through-2024 profile put residents age 65 or older at 34 percent. Owner occupancy was 73 percent, median owner-occupied value was $840,500, monthly mortgage-holder costs were $3,242, and median gross rent was $1,683; median household income was $101,782.

Year-round services extend well beyond the beach and boardwalk. One Community Center houses the public library, a 25-meter pool and fitness center, arts center, historical museum, senior center, and café. Its schedules include book groups, lectures, exercise, arts instruction, daily senior activities, meals, and transportation for older residents. At the island's southern end, Corson's Inlet State Park protects undeveloped dunes, overwash, estuary, and shorebird habitat. It is open from sunrise to sunset without an entrance fee for hiking, fishing, crabbing, boating, and wildlife viewing, but it is not a swimming beach; dogs are barred from April 1 through September 15, and summer boat-launch fees apply. The seasonal rules, indoor civic complex, and protected inlet describe three different versions of daily access within the same narrow city.