Belmar bans elaborate tents to help overcrowding

BELMAR, New Jersey -- A New Jersey shore town is banning elaborate tents from the beach as a way to help alleviate crowding.

Belmar's council voted Tuesday night to stop so-called "beach spreading," taking effect in the summer season of 2018.

Large tents and canopies will be banned from Memorial Day until Labor Day.

Mayor Matt Doherty says the increasing number of tents had gotten out of hand.

He says he's not in favor of more government regulation, but people weren't using common sense.

He tells the Asbury Park Press he has received complaints from the Department of Public Works, police, life guards and patrons about tents that make crowding worse.

The resolution wouldn't affect tents for small children or beach umbrellas. Other towns such as Seaside Heights and Long Beach Island have enacted similar restrictions.