Beach & Park Rules & Regulations

The Town of Chatham Parks & Recreation Commission have purpose over the established public

beaches and parks in the Town of Chatham.

The following areas and facilities are overseen and under the purview of the Chatham DPW Parks, Grounds, and Cemetery Division, Recreation & Beaches Division, and Parks & Recreation Commission.

PARKS	BEACHES	OTHER
Chase Park	Cockle Cove Beach	Hardings Beach Picnic Area
Kate Gould Park	Forest Beach	Rotary / with state DPW
Nickerson Park	Hardings Beach: east and west of the stage harbor entrance cut	Veterans Field
Sears Park	Jackknife Harbor Beach	CC Little League Field
Veterans Park	Oyster Pond Beach	Chatham Community Center
Volunteer Park	Pleasant Street Beach	South Chatham Playground/Tennis Court/ B-Ball Court
	Ridgevale Beach	Depot Rd. Tennis Courts
	Schoolhouse Pond Beach	Skateboard Park
	South Beach / North Beach Island	Pickleball Courts @ Stepping Stones Road
	Lighthouse Beach
	White Pond

 

1.1         Functions, gatherings or other unscheduled group activities in beach or park areas are prohibited except with written permission in advance from Deputy Director of Community Services - Recreation and Beaches, and/or the Parks and Recreation Commission. Groups are defined as 10 people or more. Such activities shall be limited to recognized organizations, residents, taxpayers or other groups obtaining proper Recreation & Beaches Division authorization. The person named on the permit agrees to assume responsibility for the group, and shall also be responsible for clean-up of the area and for the conduct of all members of the using group. Persons requesting permission for group use must be at least 18 years of age. Automobiles parked at any function shall be controlled by the organization in charge of the event. A police officer will be on duty if deemed necessary by the Chatham Police Department and the user shall pay all costs associated to providing police coverage. A fee, and or security deposit may be required to cover clean-up or any other expenses, as determined by the Deputy Director of Community Services - Recreation and Beaches, and/or the Parks and Recreation Commission.

1.2         Open fires of any kind are forbidden on any beach or in any park area. However, charcoal or gas grills are allowed. Charcoal grills are available for public use in certain areas (Chase Park, Oyster Pond Beach).

1.3         Littering of beach or park areas with rubbish or refuse is prohibited and subject to penalty. The deposit of household trash, rubbish, refuse, or garbage in park or beach litter containers is prohibited.

1.4         The erection of tents and /or parking of trailers or mobile homes in park or beach areas are banned. Camping or sleeping after dusk in parks or beach areas is banned.

1.5         Domesticated animals in park or beach areas must be restrained. Defecation must be picked up and removed.                                                           

1.6         Dogs, cats, horses and other livestock, domestic animals and pets are banned from May 1^st to September 15th of each year in beach areas, with the exception of service animals and police K-9 animals. Domestic animals are banned on the playing fields of the: Little League Field, Veterans Field, Volunteer Park, Playgrounds and Courts. Dogs are allowed at Jackknife Harbor Beach before 9:00am and after 6:00pm from May 1st to September 15^th.

 Penalty - $50.00

1.75       All dogs, cats, horses and other livestock, domesticated animals and pets are prohibited from all areas designated and marked as closed due to endangered shorebird nesting habitat from the date that they are marked and posted until September 15th.

1.7         Alcoholic beverages are banned in park or beach areas at any time except with the written permission of the Select Board. Only private Non-Profit organizations based in Chatham may request a waiver of this regulation.

1.8         Town of Chatham beaches and beach parking areas are officially closed from 10:00pm until one hour before sunrise. Parks are closed from 10:00pm until 6:00am, except at Veterans Field which will close 30 minutes after the conclusion of authorized evening events.

1.9         No commercial vendors will be allowed in parks or at beaches without Park and Recreation Commission approval. Food vendors shall have Park and Recreation Commission authorization in writing and shall have a common victualler and peddler's license and necessary Board of Health, Select Board permits, and will either have a resident parking sticker or pay current fees. No parking spaces are reserved or assigned except to concessionaires and beach personnel in the employ of the Recreation and Beaches Department.

1.10       Public nudity, including public nude bathing, by any person in parks or beaches under the jurisdiction of the Chatham Parks and Recreation Commission is prohibited.  Public place is any area of land under jurisdiction of the Chatham Parks and Recreation Commission, except the enclosed portions of bathhouses, restrooms, or other public structures designed for similar purposes, or private structures permitted within the parks or beach areas. This regulation shall not apply to a person under 5 years of age.

1.11       Malicious damage and stealing of Town of Chatham property will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

2. PARKS

2.1         No organized events are allowed in any town park prior to 7:00 AM or after 10 PM.

2.2         The parking of vehicles in Chatham park or beach areas for more than 16 consecutive hours is prohibited except by permission of the Parks and Recreation Commission.

2.3         Sears Park has been established as a memorial. There shall be no loitering or picnicking in this area.

2.4         Sales in park areas of any kind are prohibited. Except with advanced written permission of the Parks and Recreation Commission and Chatham Select Board. No solicitation of any type is permitted at Kate Gould Park.

2.5         No motor vehicles or trailers shall be operated in any park except for police, emergency, or town vehicles.

2.6         All commercial sale activities are prohibited in and/or on the: Little League Field, Veteran's Field and Volunteer Park, except with the advanced written permission of the Parks and Recreation Commission.

2.7         After any authorized use of parks, the grounds shall be left clean and orderly.

3. BEACHES

3.1         The operation of boats, wind surfers, water skis, paddleboards, kayaks and/or similar may not be conducted within 150 feet of designated swim areas, at Cockle Cove Beach, Harding Beach, Oyster Pond Beach, Ridgevale Beach, and Schoolhouse Pond Beach, except for emergency , police, Harbormaster or Park and Recreation department boats.

3.2         Playing ball, use of a frisbee, kite flying or skim boards in swim areas on beaches or in the water is banned if it creates a safety issue for other beach users as determined in the sole discretion of Recreation and Beaches department staff.

 

3.3         Beach buggies, recreational vehicles, off-road vehicles and any other vehicles are forbidden to traverse beaches, dune areas or parks, except police, emergency, or town vehicles.

 

3.4         Climbing or jumping off dunes is banned. Use established paths and walkways as marked.

3.5         No children under 13 years of age may attend any beach unless accompanied by an adult. Any minor child on a beach or park of the Town is the responsibility of the minor child's parents and or guardian or other person/persons who may be in charge of minor children, as in the case of picnics, group gatherings, school or church outings or field trips, or any other group functions.

 Penalty - $100.00

3.6         After the official closing time (10:00 p.m.) only persons actively engaged in fishing activities shall be permitted on beaches.

3.7         No person shall use rafts, rubber tubes, any flotation device, or scuba gear as swimming accessories in a designated swim area, except for rescue and U.S. Coast Guard approved type flotation Life Jackets.

3.8         No person shall operate any motor vehicle in any park or beach area at a rate of speed greater than 15 miles per hour. All state motor vehicle laws are applicable in park and beach areas.

3.9         Parking is only allowed in designated parking spaces. All marked roadways, lanes and emergency vehicle lanes shall be kept open and free of parked vehicles at all times. Any blocking vehicle may be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.

3.10       No vehicle other than wheelchairs shall traverse or stand on any vegetated area or use any handicap ramp.

3.11       Protective measures around nesting piping plover areas and other shore birds are to be preserved and not entered.

3.12       No glass containers allowed at beaches.

3.13       No person shall enter the water in an area designated by the Parks and Recreation Commission as a no swimming zone. If on any day town staff determines that conditions in an area normally open to swimming are unsafe, they may prohibit swimming at that time subject to the same fine for a violation.

 Penalty - $50.00

3.15       All dinghies, prams, kayaks, sailboats and other forms of watercraft used as transportation on the water and stored along Town Beaches shall either display a decal issued by the Harbormaster or the Recreation and Beaches Department, or by other means, that clearly indicates ownership and contact information of the watercraft. All aforementioned watercraft shall not be permitted to be stored on town-owned property after November 30 or before April 15 of each year unless it is in active use by the owner.

3.16       No launching of drones on Public Beaches unless by Federal, State, or Town entities.  Any filming with Drones requires a permit from the Chatham Police Department.

The above rules and regulations may be suspended from time to time by majority vote of the Chatham Parks and Recreation Commission.

The above rules and regulations do not, nor are they intended to, supersede, take the place of, replace, make void or repeal any Town of Chatham By-Law, any County By-Law, any State Law, Federal Law or any fines or legal punishments that are applicable in any instance.

 

       As adopted and voted at the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting of March 3, 2025.

All rules and regulations herein will be reviewed on an annual basis or not to exceed every 2

years.