Skip to main content

Crackdown on Beach Overcrowding

Wed, 04/22/2020 - 15:08
A sign at Indian Wells Beach indicates a fine for those without a resident parking permit.
Christine Sampson

East Hampton Town will begin enforcing summer beach parking regulations on Friday, April 24, weeks earlier than the
regulations usually take effect, in order to forestall overcrowding at beaches and in parks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The town has also suspended the sale of nonresident parking permits, beach driving permits, and launch ramp permits, effective immediately. Permits issued already will be in effect until their expiration, but will not be extended afterward.

Resident-only and permit-only restrictions are to be strictly enforced, according to a statement issued from Town Hall on
Wednesday.

The move follows the increased use of town beaches and outdoor recreation areas during the pandemic. The town announced on Saturday that both New York State police and State Park police will be monitoring state parks in Montauk, enforcing social
distancing and closing parks that reach “social distancing capacity.”

East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo told the town board on Tuesday that the police have received numerous complaints related to social distancing, particularly in Montauk. Additional police and marine officers are already deployed there on weekends, he said, targeting beaches in particular.

Villages

Tariffs Are Sobering News for Liquor Stores

It’s not clear when, or if, President Trump’s European alcohol tariff will ever go live. Nonetheless, the threat is looming over South Fork wine and liquor retailers, who have been forced to react to the uncertainty. 

Mar 27, 2025

East Hampton Star Shines at Better Newspaper Contest

Durell Godfrey, The East Hampton Star’s longtime staff photographer and a fixture at community events from Montauk to Southampton, has once again been named one of New York State’s top photographers. At the New York Press Association’s annual conference last week in Saratoga Springs, The Star’s newsletter also repeated in winning first place in the Best Newsletter category, capping a successful awards season for the paper. 

Mar 27, 2025

A Short Parade That’s Become a Big Success

For the first Am O'Gansett Parade in 2009, the organizers jokingly promised Clydesdales, Macy's balloons, and floats. With good humor and an enthusiastic response from the community, the very short parade has been an annual event ever since.

Mar 20, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.