Long Branch warns dog owners, beach access ends May 1 for summer

Long Branch dog owners have one last shot at a legal beach run before the summer closure kicks in. The city reminded residents on April 12 that dogs can use the public beaches only through April 30, and only in the stretch from Seaview Avenue to Brighton Avenue.

The rules are tight while the beach is open. Dogs must stay on a leash, owners must clean up and properly dispose of waste, and dogs are barred from the boardwalk and promenade at all times. Starting May 1, the beach closes to dogs completely through September 30 as the summer season begins.

That means the clock is already running for people who use the shoreline to burn off energy with high-drive dogs. If you want one more off-season fetch session, sniff walk, or leash training pass on the sand, it has to happen before the end of April. After that, Long Branch’s public beach stops being an option until October 1.

The reminder lines up with a separate notice from Long Branch police, which said animals on the beach face a “zero-tolerance” policy as summer approaches. That kind of warning matters because this is not a loose, gray-area rule. The city has drawn a hard line on where dogs can go, when they can go there, and how they have to behave while they are there.

Long Branch also fits into a wider Jersey Shore pattern where dog access changes town by town instead of following one simple coastal rule. A 2024 Jersey Shore dog-beach guide showed that some communities allow dogs only in the off-season or only in designated sections, while others put tight limits on boardwalk access. In nearby examples, Beach Haven allows dogs on the beach from Sept. 16 through May 14, and Belmar allows licensed, supervised dogs on the beach with a leash from Oct. 1 through April 30.

For visitors who assume the shore is always dog-friendly, this is the part that bites: it is not. In Long Branch, the off-season window is closing, and once May starts, the sand is off-limits for dogs until fall.