Sunday, February 9, 2025

OKI initiates fines as part of beach safety measures

Tents left unattended are in violation of Oak Island beach rules and come with a fine. (Courtesy photo)

OAK ISLAND — Leave behind beach chairs on the beach? Forget to fill in the hole after burying your brother-in-law in the sand?

Oak Island is beginning to initiate fines for those that break its beach rules. Per the town’s ordinances, all beach equipment — chairs, tents, umbrellas — left behind and holes not filled in the sand are hazards to emergency management and safety, as well as area wildlife, such as sea turtles that nest on the island.

“An unattended tent or canopy can easily be taken by the wind and cause damage to property, or serious injury,” it stated in a release on social media. “Even if a canopy has the fabric removed, the bare frame can still be difficult to see at night and create a tripping hazard for humans and wildlife.”

When holes in the sand are not filled, nighttime emergency response can be impaired by the Oak Island Police Department, the Oak Island Fire Department, Oak Island Water Rescue, or other emergency services.

A civil penalty of $100 will be issued upon first violation, $200 for the second violation; it will escalate to a criminal offense thereafter.

“Each day that someone is in violation will constitute a new and separate offense,” the town noted.

More information regarding beach rules can be found here.


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Shea Carver
Shea Carver
Shea Carver is the editor in chief at Port City Daily. A UNCW alumna, Shea worked in the print media business in Wilmington for 22 years before joining the PCD team in October 2020. She specializes in arts coverage — music, film, literature, theatre — the dining scene, and can often be tapped on where to go, what to do and who to see in Wilmington. When she isn’t hanging with her pup, Shadow Wolf, tending the garden or spinning vinyl, she’s attending concerts and live theater.

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