DEWEY BEACH, Del. - Dewey Beach joins many towns and cities on the coast to discuss banning tents on the beach.Â
The recommendation from the Charter and Code Committee meeting on Oct. 9, was for tents to not be allowed at all on Dewey Beaches. Only canopies allowed on the beach, no side walls; only a top covering blocking the sun.
Delaware Beaches on tents and canopies:
Rehoboth Beach - Only allows 4-foot-by-4-foot tents, the city also has people going up and down the beaches to monitor the size of tents to remove them from the beach.
Fenwick Island -Â Tents can be open on no less than three sides and have a maximum size of 10-foot-by-10 foot. Grounding lines, ropes or similar anchoring devices should be placed within the tent.Â
Lewes Beach - Four post canopies are banned.
Bethany Beach - No tents, canopies, tarps or cabanas are allowed. Standard upright umbrellas and baby tents (no larger than 3-feet high,4-feet wide and 5-feet long and without grounding wires or ropes that extend beyond the perimeter of the device) are allowed.
CoastTV spoke with Dewey Beach locals about the proposed tent ban, and reactions were mixed. Alisa Dacosta said the ban places responsibility on individuals rather than the town. "I feel like as long as you're being responsible and courteous of other people," Dacosta said. "You should just be a responsible adult."
Holly Labrasca who has been in Dewey for years, suggested a solution to the issue. "I think they should maybe hire somebody, like lifeguards, to go around. If people want to bring them, they could professionally set them up," Labrasca said.