Something New On NJ Beaches And Boardwalks This Year: No Smoking

There's something new on New Jersey beaches and boardwalks this year. And it may be why you're breathing a little easier while sitting on the sand or waiting for your kid to get out of the arcade this Memorial Day weekend.

The bill that Gov. Phil Murphy signed that essentially bans smoking at all beaches and parks and on boardwalks has taken effect this year.

Here's the hitch: You can still smoke in the parking lot, and municipalities can designate up to 15 percent of a beach for permitted smoking, according to the legislation.

The law charges violators a $250 fine for the first offense, $500 for the second offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense, according to the legislation.

"This is tremendous day," Murphy said last year as he signed the legislation, declaring it an effort to "get the butts off the beach."

"We're not just taking action on a critical health issue in our state, but also a critical environmental issue. Murphy said, noting a sweep last year found 29,000 cigarette butts along New Jersey beaches.

A few New Jersey towns had already banned smoking on their beaches, and former Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill to ban smoking at state beaches and parks.

Here are towns that had already banned smoking on the beach:

• Avon By the Sea
• Barnegat Light
• Beach Haven
• Belmar
• Cape May Point
• Harvey Cedars
• Lavallette
• Long Beach Township
• Long Branch
• Longport
• Point Pleasant
• Sea Girt
• Seaside Park
• Ship Bottom
• Spring Lake
• Surf City

The legislation was sponsored by Senate President Steve Sweeney and Sens. Vin Gopal and Senator Bob Smith. The bill will prohibit smoking on all public beaches by extending the existing provisions of the “New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act” to public beaches throughout the state.

The legislation was amended to extend the smoking ban to state, county and municipal parks, making it identical to the Assembly version.

“This is an issue that impacts the environmental quality of the Jersey Shore, the health of beachgoers exposed to second-hand smoke, the quality of life for residents and visitors, and ultimately, the economic well-being of Shore communities,” said Sweeney. “We don’t want our beaches littered with cigarette butts, the air polluted with smoke or the ocean wildlife exposed to threat of discarded cigarettes.”

“The Jersey Shore has always been one of New Jersey’s most treasured natural assets,” said Gopal. “We have the best beaches and the most desirable beachfront communities in the country – and we want to keep it that way. They have environmental and economic value that should not be lost or damaged by the ill effects of smoking on the beach. This legislation ensures that our beaches will be free of cigarette butts and our lungs free of smoke.”

Cigarette filters are among the top types of litter collected from beaches, according to environmental advocates, who collected an estimated 25,000 cigarette filters from New Jersey beaches in “beach sweeps” last year alone.

In 2005, under the original “New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act,” the Legislature found and declared tobacco smoke to constitute a substantial health hazard to the nonsmoking majority and found it in the public interest to prohibit smoking in most enclosed indoor places of public access and workplaces. This bill amends the 2005 law to extend the ban to state, county, municipal beaches and state parks.

Nationwide, more than 300 coastal communities have banned smoking on their beaches, according to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation.

The Senate vote was 32-1. The legislation was passed by the Assembly by a 66-1-2 vote. Only Sen. Michael J Doherty, R-Warren, and Assemblyman Parker Space, R-Sussex, voted against the legislation.

Here is the signing ceremony: