Anyone age 12 or older heading onto the sand in Ocean City needs a beach badge once the season opens June 1, and this year the city is holding the price at $30 for anyone who buys before June 1 — after that the seasonal tag jumps to $35, according to the city's beach tags page.
The badge system has shaped how families here budget for summer for decades, and the mechanics rarely change from year to year: buy early, buy in person or online, and know the cutoff date. Ocean City sells its badges the same way it always has — online through the city's own store, at City Hall on Asbury Avenue, and at a handful of welcome centers and civic buildings scattered from the north end of town to 46th Street.
Who actually needs a badge?
Anyone age 12 or older must show a valid tag to be on the beach once the season begins June 1, 2026, and runs through September 7, 2026, per the city's beach tags page. Children under 12 get on free, and the requirement applies to residents and day-trippers alike — there is no separate visitor rate.
How much do badges cost in 2026?
Ocean City is selling seasonal badges at $30 through May 31, after which the price rises to $35 for the rest of the year, the city said in a news post announcing the sale. Once the season opens, the city also sells weekly badges for $20 and daily badges for $10, according to the beach tags page — those shorter-term options aren't available for purchase until June 1.
Where can someone buy one?
Seasonal badges can be bought online through the city's beach tag store, or in person at six locations spread from the north end of town to 46th Street, according to the beach tags page. Only seasonal badges are sold online; weekly and daily tags are counter purchases once the season opens.
| Location | Hours |
|---|---|
| City Hall, 861 Asbury Ave. | 9 a.m.–6 p.m. daily |
| Route 52 Welcome Center | 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. weekdays; 9 a.m.–2 p.m. weekends |
| Henry Knight Building | 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. weekdays |
| Aquatic & Fitness Center | 5 a.m.–9 p.m. weekdays; 7 a.m.–5 p.m. weekends |
| 46th Street Welcome Center | 9 a.m.–4 p.m. daily |
| Music Pier | 9 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, Memorial Day through Labor Day |
City Hall on Asbury Avenue keeps the longest and most consistent hours of the group, open daily through the season. The Aquatic and Fitness Center opens earliest, at 5 a.m. on weekdays, which matters for anyone trying to buy a badge before a workday at the beach. The Music Pier location, on the boardwalk, only operates once summer hours begin, per the beach tags page.
Is there a discount deadline this year?
Yes. The city's own announcement is direct about it: "Seasonal beach tags for summer 2026 remain on sale at a discounted price of $30 through May 31," the city said in its news post. Buyers who wait until June 1 or later pay the full $35 seasonal rate instead. The beach tags page lists no further price increase built into the seasonal tag once summer begins — $35 holds through Labor Day.
Do military members and veterans get a free badge?
Active-duty service members, their spouses, children up to age 23, and veterans qualify for a free seasonal badge with valid military identification, according to the city's beach tags page. That exemption sits alongside the under-12 exemption as the two ways to legally get on the beach without paying — everyone else needs a badge, whether they're staying for a season, a week, or a single afternoon.
What should someone weighing a weekly trip against a season pass know?
The math is straightforward under the city's posted prices. A single week at the shore costs $20 per person for a weekly badge, while the discounted seasonal badge runs $30 through May 31 — meaning any family planning more than a week and a half at the beach this summer comes out ahead buying seasonal before the May 31 cutoff, based on the beach tags page's pricing. Wait until June 1, and the seasonal badge costs $35, narrowing but not closing that gap. Daily badges, at $10 each, are the most expensive option per day and are meant for one-off visitors rather than repeat beachgoers, per the same page. None of the shorter-term options — weekly or daily — go on sale until the season itself opens June 1, so early shoppers only have the seasonal badge to choose from if they want to lock in a price before summer starts.
How does Ocean City compare to other Shore towns?
Ocean City's $35 full-price seasonal badge lands on the lower end of what Jersey Shore towns charge this year. The Philadelphia Inquirer's 2026 roundup of Shore beach badge prices notes that Sea Isle City charges $30 for its own early-bird season, while towns including Manasquan and Spring Lake charge $90 or more for a seasonal pass. The Inquirer's guide also cautions that "prices can vary significantly by beach" and advises checking each town's own site directly, since early-bird windows and senior or child discounts differ from one municipality to the next.
For Ocean City specifically, the city's own pages remain the most current source on pricing, hours, and where badges are sold — a distinction that matters up and down the Jersey Shore, where each town sets its own badge rules, its own discount window, and its own list of exemptions, and where the Inquirer's guide found no two towns pricing a seasonal badge exactly alike this year.
For a related business news perspective, read How New Jersey Business Owners Register a New Company, Step by Step.
For more context, read The Scroll That Closed a Thousand-Year Gap.
For more context, read why every aesthetic is "core" now.
For more context, read Deputy Secretary Richard Verma Travels to New York City.