East End beach parking passes selling fast

Democracy manifests itself in East End beach parking permits.

Neither social status nor political connections matter. Great wealth counts for nothing. Threats, tears and tantrums have no effect when the coveted summer season nonresident passes sell out.

"We sell 2,900, and we do not sell 2,901," East Hampton Village Administrator Larry Cantwell said. "People aren't able to get a permit once we sell them out. Not a judge, not a senator. I once had a woman cry at my desk, but when we sell out, they're gone."

With the season's start still more than two months away, summer renters and other visitors are turning their attention to getting access to the Hamptons' iconic beaches or the quieter stretches along the Peconic Bay and rocky North Shore.

"A lot of people think the rentals come with a beach pass," said Ann Rasmussen, an associate broker at Devlin McNiff in East Hampton Village. They don't.

Beach passes are limited to a specific vehicle. They can't be shared, transferred or sold.

Most beach permits allow people to park. Walking onto the beach from a public access point is free. In most cases, a municipal ID is required with a parking pass.

Rasmussen has learned to purchase passes for her clients - the village will hold a paid permit until the renter arrives. If passes sell out, Rasmussen suggests daily permits to beaches in other towns.

East Hampton Village, which includes 4 miles of beaches on the Atlantic Ocean with about 500 parking spaces, started selling this year's permits in February on a first-come, first-served basis. As of last week, half of them were gone.

At $325 each, the permits add nearly $1 million to the village's annual $18-million budget. In addition to the nonresident permits, the village distributes about 3,000 free permits to residents.

Competition for nonresident beach passes is primarily an East End phenomenon. Small parking areas and limited road access, plus large seasonal or weekend populations from other areas, have led to controls.

"We want to make sure there's enough parking for our residents," East Hampton Village's Cantwell said.

Town and park beaches in Western Suffolk County and Nassau County also use a permit process, but numbers aren't limited. Nonresidents can purchase passes for some town beaches but cannot access others.

Jones Beach State Park often records more visitors on a busy day in July than the town and village beaches in Riverhead, Southold, Shelter Island, Southampton and East Hampton see all year.

Southampton issued 1,200 nonresident beach permits in 2010, at a price of $225 each. Riverhead, which has four beaches on Peconic Bay and the rocky North Shore, last year issued 737 nonresident daily passes and 35 season passes for $200 each.

Westhampton Beach offers a variety of permits. Residents, village business owners, village employees, public safety personnel and year-round renters receive free permits. Nonresident passes are available for $650, but only for seasonal renters in the village, Remsenburg, Speonk and Quiogue, and only if they have a letter from the owner of the home they're renting.

The village plans to overhaul its beach access policy next year, according to Mayor Conrad Teller. Changes may include greatly reducing the number of passes available.

The goal, officials said, is to preserve the intimate beach experience for residents and nonresidents alike.

"The beach is the reason for being here," said Westhampton Beach Deputy Mayor Toni-Jo Birk.

Getting a beach permit

Beach access and parking permit policies vary from town to town across Long Island:

• Babylon: Starts selling beach passes in May. Resident passes sell for $35 and senior passes for $20. Nonresidents do not have access to town beaches.

• Brookhaven: Starts selling annual beach passes on May 14. Issues as many passes as necessary, averaging 30,000 per year. Passes are free for residents and $20 for nonresidents.

• East Hampton: Starts selling beach passes in February. Charges $375 for out-of-town beach parking permits, which are valid at all town beaches except Indian Wells. Resident stickers are free.

• Hempstead: Starts selling beach passes May 23. A booklet of 15 passes costs $77 and is available only for town residents. Without passes, residents pay $7.50 per car for beach access. Senior residents and veterans receive a 50 percent discount. Nonresidents pay $22 per car for access to town beaches.

• Huntington: Starts selling passes when beaches open on Memorial Day weekend, offering as many as needed. Prices increased for 2011 with resident season passes selling for $35, resident daily passes for $20 and nonresident daily passes for $30. Senior or disabled residents receive free passes as do emergency responders.

• Islip: Sells town recreation cards, which serve as beach passes for residents, throughout the year. A three-year card sells for $25. Senior residents receive free cards. The town also offers family discounts. Nonresident passes are available for Ronkonkoma Beach. The $50 passes are valid for three years.

• North Hempstead: Starts selling passes for North Hempstead Beach Park and Manorhaven Beach Park in May. Resident fees for both are $250 for family, $125 for individual, $95 for teens (ages 13 to 17).

• Oyster Bay: Starts selling beach passes on May 14. The town charges $50 for a resident beach sticker. Active and retired military personnel, firefighters and auxiliary police and coast guard members, as well as senior residents, receive discounts. Nonresidents do not have access to town beaches.

• Riverhead: Starts selling beach passes in May. Residents pay $15 for a pass. Senior residents pay $5. Nonresidents can purchase daily passes for $35 or season passes for $200.

• Shelter Island: Issues free beach parking permits to residents. Nonresidents with proof they are renting a house or staying in a Shelter Island lodging property can purchase beach parking permits for $35 per week, $75 per month or $200 per season.

• Smithtown: Offers free two-year resident beach passes. Nonresidents do not have access to town beaches.

• Southampton: Starts selling beach parking passes in May. Vehicle permits for town residents sell for $30. Senior residents pay $20. Nonresident permits sell for $225. Sag Main beach and some other areas offer limited parking for $20 per day.

• Southold: Town residents pay $6 for a beach parking permit; nonresident parking costs $25 a day or $150 for the season.

Compiled by Aisha al-Muslim, Stacey Altherr, Denise M. Bonilla, Emily C. Dooley, Mitchell Freedman, Jennifer Maloney, Deborah Morris, Paul LaRocco, Patrick Whittle

Source: Individual towns