Your best beach behavior

At the beach, there are rules - and then there's common sense.

But not following the former can get you fined.

Citations, fines and town ordinances governing beach activities are not one-size-fits-all, but codes of conduct and proper beach etiquette differ very little from beach to beach. If you don't know the rules, it is best to check with your rental agent or at town halls or police stations in the beach areas you are visiting. But here's a guide to some of the regulations along our coast.

The hole story

Many beach towns impose fines for unattended holes dug on the beach, but even those without fines have stepped up efforts to curtail the size and depth of holes.

"We don't have an ordinance against digging holes, but we have experienced a lot of problems on the beach and are trying to educate people and keep it under control ... If we get a report of a deep hole we send public works out to fill it in," said Bill Hargett, Emerald Isle's police chief.

Atlantic Beach Lt. Brian Prior said beach patrols ask diggers to fill holes in.

"And we explain to them how people and wildlife can be hurt by them," he said.

Several beach towns have ordinances regulating beach holes.

Surf City has a no-holes-allowed beach policy, and its ordinance allows police to issue a citation and $50 fine to violators.

Topsail Beach prohibits holes greater than 12-inches deep unless a responsible person attends the hole at all times. All holes must be filled in and leveled prior to leaving the beach. Those age 16 or older who abandon a hole are subject to a $25 fine per violation.

North Topsail Beach issues citations if a hole greater than 12-inches deep is left unattended. All holes must be filled in before leaving the beach and no later than 30 minutes prior to sunset.

Keep off the dunes

Sand dunes act as a natural barrier against storms and waves.

All Onslow and Carteret County beaches have up to $500 fines for walking on or over dunes.

Keep dogs leashed

Dogs must be kept on a leash and be under the control of the owner at all times in North Topsail Beach, Surf City, Topsail Beach, Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle.

"Dogs running at large have been a real problem," Hargett said.

Onslow Beach has one designated area for dogs, but they still must be kept on a leash.

"The dog beach is south of the staff (non commissioned officers) beach towards the pier," said Sam O'Leary, Onslow Beach manager. "There are certain breeds not authorized on the base, and we adhere to those rules."

In Atlantic Beach, leashed dogs are permitted on the Circle and beach areas from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. from Easter through Labor Day.

All beaches require dog owners to clean up feces immediately and remove it from the beach to a proper receptacle.

No open flames

No fires are permitted on any of the area beaches, and most prohibit grills. Onslow Beach and Atlantic Beach do permit small charcoal and gas grills.

Temporary structures

Camping and overnight parking is restricted on all area beaches.

Wedding tents are not permitted at Emerald Isle.

Though none of the towns have a specifice ordinance against leaving canopies, beach chairs, volleyball nets and umbrellas on the beach overnight, each does ask they be removed from the beach nightly.

"It is not actually an ordinance yet, but the past couple years in certain areas they have become a problem ... and are a hazard at night," said Lt. Sam Gervase, the interim police chief at Topsail Beach. "We are trying to get everybody to pick up all that stuff so it doesn't interfere with emergency vehicles, turtles nesting ... We hope people comply voluntarily instead of us having to pass an ordinance."

Turtle nests

Sea turtles, an endangered and threatened species, nest on all area beaches.

Those same beaches impose steep fines for tampering with turtle nests on the beach. Nests are well-marked and cordoned off with orange tape and signs by volunteers who walk the beach early mornings to identify their locations.

Beverages

At Onslow Beach, North Topsail Beach, Atlantic Beach and Surf City it is a civil penalty to transport food or beverages in glass to the beach, but even those towns without ordinances against it dissuade people from bringing glass.

All beaches prohibit liquor on the beaches, only beer and nonfortified wine - and leave the glass at home.

"If it has to be purchased in an ABC store, it cannot be consumed on the beach, that's the easiest way to explain it," said Hargett.

Surfing

All beaches requires surfers and body boarders to have the boards attached to their ankle or wrist on no more that 4 feet of rope.

Each has restrictions against surfing near piers.

Surf City and North Topsail Beach prohibit surfing within 300 feet of a pier.

Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle prohibit surfing within 200 feet of piers, and Atlantic Beach also prohibits surfing within any swimming area enclosed by ropes.

Topsail Beach does not allow surfing within 500 feet of a pier or in front of oceanfront hotels and within 100 feet of sideline of motel property.

Trash

All beaches have littering fines and do not permit trash to be left on the beach, buried in the sand or disposed of in the ocean.

Swimming restrictions

Onslow Beach does not allow swimming from dusk to dawn, said O'Leary. None of the other beach towns have similar restrictions.

 Driving on the beach

Driving on the beach is prohibited between mid-March and October at all the public beaches. During months it is permitted, driving is limited to four-wheel drive vehicles with a town permit, obtained at local town halls.

Onslow Beach allows driving on certain sections of the beach at certain times of the year, said Sam O'Leary. He said it is also dependent on military training schedules, so it is best to check with the beach.

Contact Suzanne Ulbrich at 910-219-8454 or sulbrich@freedomenc.com. Visit www.jdnews.com to comment.