On March 16, 2026 in a unanimous vote, the New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee advanced a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Shirley K. Turner and Carmen Amato, Jr. that would give priority to New Jersey residents to purchase mobile sport fishing permits, which allow visitors to drive vehicles on certain state beaches.
“Recent changes to the application process for mobile fishing permits have effectively shut out some New Jersey residents from accessing the license they need to experience everything our beautiful parks and beaches have to offer,” said Senator Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), adding “The families who live in our state and fund our recreational areas deserve priority for these permits. By opening the application window to New Jersey residents first, we can ensure the people who help to preserve and maintain our shoreline and green spaces are the first to enjoy them.”
The bill, S303, would require the Department of Environmental Protection to provide a 14-day window during which mobile sport fishing permits may only be purchased by New Jersey residents. The assembly version of the bill, A2858, was introduced and referred to the assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on January 13, 2026, but has not been cleared yet from that committee.
Both bills were introduced in response to recent policy changes at Island Beach State Park, where many visitors drive onto the beach to fish. “The current application process has frustrated many New Jersey residents who were not able to obtain a permit after not being selected based on the lottery system,” legislators explained earlier this year. After passing out of their respective committees, both bills would need to be approved respectively in the state senate and assembly before moving along to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
Other beach buggy legislation in Trenton aimed at addressing the lottery system problems come in the form of senate bill S4317 or the assembly version A4940 that would, if approved, lift the cap on the number of beach buggy permits issued annually at Island Beach State Park.
