- Beachbook
- Coastal Review Online
- Dare County
- Duck
- Island Free Press
- Kill Devil Hills
- Kitty Hawk
- Manteo
- Nags Head
- Nighthawk News
- Southern Shores
- Bill's OBX Beach Life
- N.E.S.T Online
- Natural Outer Banks
- Red Headed Beach Girl
- Rosie Hawthorne
- See more local blogs »
On some beaches, a tent left overnight is litter
Southern Shores can remove tent skeletons. (Town photo)
Officials in Duck and Southern Shores say ordinances passed in recent years are beginning to curb what was becoming a common practice.
On Monday, Currituck County also tightened up its ordinance.
Tent skeletons being abandoned on the beach have caused a number of problems, said Southern Shores Town Manager Peter Rascoe. Visitors often would purchase inexpensive canopies and leave them, essentially as litter, once their vacation was over.
They also limited and travel space for lifeguard and emergency vehicles.
“Many people were leaving their tent skeletons up and thought they could keep them there and that would be their spot for the rest of the week,” Rascoe said.
The Southern Shores ordinance, which was enacted two years ago, states that any unattended personal property left on the beach after 5 p.m. will be declared abandoned and removed.
“The key word is unattended,” Rascoe said. “People can stay out all night long if they want to, but after 5 p.m., if it is clearly unattended, it is subject to be removed.”
It was a challenge initially because people weren’t aware of the new restriction, Rascoe said. But now that word as gotten out, compliance has improved.
“This year, it has worked pretty well and we are out there basically everyday checking,” he said.
Southern Shores was the second municipality to enact such an ordinance. The Town of Duck in 2009 adopted a similar law where unattended items must be removed at 7 p.m. Duck’s ordinance also prohibits tents from being tied together and limits tent size to 12 by 12 feet.
Town Manager Christopher Layton said tents were often being tied together, which prevented lifeguards on ATVs from moving up and down the beach efficiently.
“If there was a wall of tents, guards couldn’t get through,” he said.
Layton said compliance has been very good this year.
“We only have a handful or so now that are being left up. Before, out of 400 tents, about 100 were being left up,” he said.
With a wider beach, tents like these left behind at dusk are not considered a problem in Nags Head. (Rob Morris)
Currituck County officials have also moved to tackle the problem in Corolla. The county has an ordinance in place that prohibits leaving personal property on the beach from sunset to sunrise, but does not go as far as Duck and Southern Shores in that it doesn’t provide for removal of the items.
County Attorney Ike McRee said officials continue to receive complaints from citizen groups about the problem. On Monday, the Board of Commissioners approved on second reading more stringent amendments to their ordinance similar to Duck’s.
The towns of Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk do not have ordinance addressing beach cabanas or tents. Nags Head Public Information Officer Roberta Thuman said that with the wider beaches in town from the beach nourishment project, the use of the tents has not been a problem.
See what people are saying:
Join the discussion:
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment.
- MOST READ
- MOST DISCUSSED
- Senate budget bill looks at acquiring Oregon Inlet
- Tourism board told grant denial flouts free speech
- Three arrested after theft of safe from Stumpy Point
- Catch a good meal at Armstrong's
- Kitty Hawk motorcycle crash kills Barco man
- Cruise OK'd for indicted former bombing range boss
- Arts & Entertainment
- Dare Republicans challenge 3.25-cent tax increase
Vicky says:
We have a canopy that we use when we are home in Florida but not when we vacation in Avon as it is usually not necessary when we come in the off season. However I would never ever leave anything on the beach overnight. First it is a safety issue especially with the changeable weather on the Outer Banks. High winds could cause the “skeletons” to “fly.” The biggest issue is they are plain ugly to see on the beach first thing in the morning littered all over the beach. Come on people do the right thing and pick up your stuff. Its not “your” personal beach. Be resepectful.
Ray Midgett says:
Love the steep slope of the beach at waterline in this photo. Perhaps visitors to Nags Head should consider a new sport, sandboarding down into the ocean, like they do on Jockeys Ridge.
Elaine says:
As someone who considers the Outer Banks my favorite spot, I would like to see the entire vicinity adopt a policy of disallowing unattended private property on the beaches after sundown. No matter how wide the beaches, these things are litter and often left for someone else to clean up. They also deter from the beauty of the beaches. I also like limiting tent size. While these are beaches for all, especially families, to use and enjoy, all do not necessarily use consisderation for others without appropriate, enforceable laws.
Luvs OBX says:
More evidence that Corolla is becoming too built up. Now they’re implementing the same laws that Duck and other communities. Really sad, all the years we were there I’d put the Shade Tent up on the first day and unless bad weather or winds were predicted I’d leave it up. It was one of the perks of renting a house on the beach, it’s a pain in the butt to take down and put it up every day. I guess the Jersey feel continues to make its way farther south. Soon Corolla will be like Avalon…..
local says:
I like to go to Jennette’s Pier and walk south in the evening- I am tired of having to dodge the tents and chairs that are left on the beach over night. We need to do something about it.
Margaret says:
I think they should not be allowed any where on the beaches at night time.
junkman says:
Sounds like another solution in search of a problem. Its also interesting that we have some people who want to keep tents of the beach but keep 4 wheel dive gas guzzlers on the beach. Makes no sense to me.
HAPPY BARRACUDA says:
The Outer Banks inshore shipwrecks and other underwater areas (both ocean & sound) are covered with DISPOSABLE ASIAN-MADE TRASH.
The MADE-IN-CHINA beach stores should be held accountable for the TOXIC PLASTIC trash they distribute for profit on the Outer Banks. Not much of a chance on that.
But this is the least of our waters problems. Think about self-produced TOXINS you cannot see in our waters.
What do you imagine all this rain run-off is doing at this moment?
Best just not to think about it. We’ll focus on beach tents and umbrellas………….
question? says:
These ugly “tent spiders” ruin many photos and blow away while unattended. If you go to the beach in the evening they are lined up all along the beach! I’m shocked no one has been injured by them blowing away. I’m glad to see the towns take action and make people remove them. If you are that lazy that you cannot take your stuff to and fro from the beach everyday then don’t bring it.
Alexy says:
Just go thru and throw it all in the trash for about a week and people will get the message.
Windswept Sandie says:
I, too, would like to see all of our jurisdictions adopt such policies. I simply don’t find the practice of staking out a beach spot for an entire week reasonable. I visit the beach at sunrise most mornings and, during the summer, the skeletons of tents, chairs and other assorted clutter really detract from the pleasure of a walk on the beach. They are hazards in high winds and probably interfere with nesting turtles, etc. It’s a relatively small problem with an easy answer.
2corolla says:
I agree with Alexy!!! Throw them all In a dumpster…
2corolla says:
People are rude and lazy at the expense of other peoples enjoyment…
Chuck Sowers says:
The beaches in Kitty Hawk are trashier than ever this year. It looks like Woodstock some mornings. There have been 4 sailboats parked on the beach near the Lillian Street Beach Access all summer long. Kitty Hawk really needs to impose the same sort of rules that Duck and Southern Shores has.
Seriously says:
Since they are abandoned, can anyone pick them up? I see a recycling opportunity here.
KDH Rezident Evil says:
Laws of salvage! Tie a rope to it, and it is yours. The next day you can turn around and rent it to the people who abandoned it.
KHer says:
I am surprised the State of Nags Head hasn’t jumped on this, the possibility of another regulation.
Hasn’t Anna gotten a phone call or email from a “citizen” about this?
Mark says:
I will be opening a new business in the area..I will be selling pre-owned tents and chairs. Some with just the frames.
KDH Resident says:
Happy to hear that some towns are calling this what it is: Trash. The beach belongs to everyone. No one has the right to stake a claim and leave their structure out 24/7. It is unsightly, a potential hazard, potential pollution, and gets in the way of other peoples enjoyment of the beach.
Some beach spots in Kitty Hawk are so narrow that these shade structures occupy most of the dry shore.
Please don’t occupy our beach with your stuff.
OBXMom says:
The nourished beach of NH/SNH may be wide enough to allow these structures to be in place and other visitors/residents to place their chairs or tents amongst them but they are a terrible eye sore. They ruin the sunrise and ocean view.
When you stand on any of the piers and looks north or south, they just litter the beach. The Towns of KH, KDH and NH truly need to do something about them being left up.
They are a hazard when walking the beach at night as are the giant holes but that’s for another story. How fair is it to stake out “your” spot and then not show up some days of the week? The entire beach is public property.
Alice Ann says:
I like the idea of treating items on the beach as salvage and trash…give everyone a bit of local color. It’s a beach…not your private backyard.
barbara b says:
Thank you! One of the problems with leaving them up for the vacation week is it usually is not put up high enough and gets washed out to sea. Second problem is – like you stated – our lifeguards have to get through, safely. Third, some -not all- leave them as trash. I Do Not look forward to the day the new bridge is put in!
Sand Man says:
The renters are paying huge rental fees and pay the taxes that fund the local government. How many short-sighted rules and regulations will it take until they take their wallets and canopies elsewhere? Stop passing silly rules! Leave people alone! I expect niggling harassment in Southern Shores, don’t be like them.
Joe Morabito says:
I think there needs to be more enforcement of several laws already on the books. The bottle tops, cigarette butts, trash, broken chairs, the list goes on and on. It is time for are elected officials to ensure laws are followed. The beaches belong to all of us. Joe Manteo
beachedbum says:
@LuvOBX the problem is that vacationers leave the cabanas after they leave town and this is the only way to ensure that the beach is clean for your next visit.
OBX Res says:
The title to the article is wrong–a tent left up overnight is litter on every beach. Next thing they’ll be doing is selling port-a-potties that can be set up over the “giant holes in the sand” and leave them so that the locals can act like cats in a litter box scratching at the sand to cover their mess…
Steve says:
Cant wait to see the enforcement on this one. I wonder if it will come anything close to the “enforcement” of surf fishing license required. If that’s the case you can count on the ” spiders” to still be on the beach between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Ps,, wonder how much money the county has set aside for this to take place. Just what we need, sheriff’s deputies crusing the beach at nigh removing ( ever try to fold one of those up?) “spiders”. I’m sure it will be a YouTube hit!!!
ekim says:
They leave the tents over night to keep their spot for the next DAY,Then they either leave them on the beach or the side of the road, Because thats what they think of this little ISLAND WE WILL TRASH IT, BECAUSE WE PAID BIG $$$$$ FOR IT!!