North Wildwood's fenced dog park at 24th Avenue and the beach has been closed since September 30. City Hall says it will decide in 2027 when to reopen it. The boardwalk is being rebuilt next to it, and the park won't come back until that work is done. Meanwhile, the island's three towns are switching to their winter dog rules. Wildwood and Wildwood Crest relax theirs every fall. North Wildwood doesn't. It is the most dog-friendly town on Five Mile Beach in July, and for the next few months it is the most restrictive.
That's the problem this winter if you walk a dog north of Wildwood. Your town's rules haven't changed. The other two towns' rules have, and your fenced option is gone.
What Closed at 24th Avenue, and for How Long
The closure is part of the second phase of North Wildwood's multiyear boardwalk reconstruction. Two sections, 23rd to 24½ Avenues and 16th to 17½ Avenues, are being fully demolished and rebuilt. That includes new utilities, piles, decking and railings. Both sections have been closed since about October 5, and the city expects to finish both by late March 2027. The dog park closed a week earlier because of the safety risks from work right next to it. The city says the reopening date "will be determined in 2027 following the completion of this phase."
Here's what's missing until then. The Wildwoods tourism listing describes the park as a fenced area on the east side of the beach at 24th Avenue. Hours were 8 a.m. until dusk, with a limit of two dogs per person, and you got the permit at the City Clerk's Office at 901 Atlantic Avenue. The tourism beach page lists that permit at $10. It was the one place in town where a dog could be off leash. There's no replacement within the city this winter.
Three Towns, Two Seasons
The beaches in all three towns line up along the same stretch of sand, but each town writes its own dog rules. Seen side by side, the seasonal flip is easy to spot.
| Town | Summer rule | This winter |
|---|---|---|
| North Wildwood | Leashed dogs on the beach 6 to 9 a.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m., plus the fenced park at 24th Avenue | Same beach hours; dog park closed until 2027 |
| Wildwood | From May 15 to October 2, dogs allowed only on the designated Dog Beach | Leashed dogs no longer limited to the Dog Beach |
| Wildwood Crest | No domestic animals on the beach May through September | That ban isn't in effect; beach closed to the public 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. |
In North Wildwood, a dog on the beach at 8 a.m. on a January Tuesday faces the same rules it would in August. In Wildwood and the Crest, the seasonal restrictions ended on October 2 and October 1, respectively.
North Wildwood's Clock Runs All Year
The beach rule is Municipal Ordinance 138-3(O), and the North Wildwood Police Department posts the full text. Nothing in it changes by season:
- Dogs may be on the beach from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 5:30 to 10 p.m.
- The leash can be no longer than eight feet.
- No dogs on the dunes, in environmentally sensitive areas, or anywhere the city has posted signs restricting them.
- Owners who don't pick up after a dog face fines of at least $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second and $1,000 for each one after that.
The boardwalk is off limits too. Ordinance 150-3 bars dogs, cats and other domestic animals from the North Wildwood Boardwalk at any time, with an exception for ADA service animals. The tourism beach page adds that dogs aren't allowed on the Inlet portion of the North Wildwood beach.
Tourism material describes the hours differently. The Wildwoods beach information page says dogs can be on the North Wildwood beach from 2nd to 26th Avenue any time lifeguards aren't on duty, and gives lifeguard hours as 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The ordinance sets narrower times. It ends the morning window at 9 a.m., not 9:30, and the evening window at 10 p.m. If you count on the tourism wording for a 9:15 walk or one after 10, you're outside the times written in the code.
The Sea Wall Is the Walk That Still Works
The tourism bureau's dog-owner guide names the Sea Wall in North Wildwood as one of the island's dog-friendly attractions, along with Sunset Lake and the Wildwoods Bike Path. The city's ordinance for the Hereford Inlet Seawall, Section 138-34, prohibits bikes, skateboards, scooters, motorized devices, alcohol, climbing on railings or benches, sleeping on the wall, and peddling goods. The list doesn't mention dogs. It's also the one stretch in town where wheels are banned year-round, which matters on a winter morning with a dog on a leash.
The Sea Wall doesn't help with timing, though. Midday, between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., dogs aren't allowed on any North Wildwood beach, and the boardwalk is closed to them all day. For a walk on sand during those hours, you have to head south.
Heading South Into Wildwood
Wildwood's dog rules are in Section 4-1.14 of the city's beach and resort code. Dogs must be leashed and under control at all times, and they're never allowed on the Wildwood Boardwalk except as service dogs. The key line for this time of year limits dogs to the designated Dog Beach only "from May 15 to October 2 of each year." Once that period ends, the code no longer confines leashed dogs to that one spot on the sand.
The Dog Beach itself is easy to find, but its location is described two ways. The code defines it as the bathing area at Poplar Avenue, running about 250 feet north and south, with access only at the Poplar Avenue beach entrance. The tourism bureau's June 2026 roundup calls it the Glenwood Avenue dog beach. It's marked by the 25-foot red Fire Hydrant Sculpture at the entrance, and next to it is a fenced beach dog park split into large-breed and small-breed sections. That same article gives the dog beach season as May through October, from 6 a.m. until dusk. The hydrant is the landmark to look for, whichever street name you use.
So the Wildwood beach is the nearest place this winter where a North Wildwood dog can be on the sand outside the 6-to-9 and 5:30-to-10 windows, as long as it stays leashed and off the boardwalk.
The Crest Opens Up, With One Sign to Know About
Wildwood Crest's rule is Section 8-6P of its beach and dunes chapter, last amended April 30, 2025. It bars anyone who keeps a domestic animal from allowing it on Crest beaches "during the months of May, June, July, August and September." Horses are banned year-round. Separately, Section 8-6O closes Crest beaches to the public from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., except for borough staff, police and others with authorization.
The borough's printable beach sign reads "No dogs" and doesn't mention the season. The ordinance text limits the ban to May through September. If you see the sign at a Crest beach entrance in November and aren't sure which applies, the borough clerk can tell you what's currently enforced.
These rules carry fines and can change by ordinance, so treat this as general information, not legal advice. If you have questions about a specific situation, call the city or borough clerk.
Where the Walk Ends This Winter
Some patios on the island welcome dogs past Labor Day. The tourism bureau's dog-owner guide says MudHen Brewing Company welcomes leashed dogs, "big or small, short or tall," in its outdoor dining area. The brewery is at 127 W. Rio Grande Avenue in Wildwood and has offered dog bones made from its spent brewing grain. Its homepage lists events into December 2026. Copper Dog at 4400 Atlantic Avenue invites well-behaved dogs onto its outdoor bar and patio and puts out water. Its current posted hours are Thursday from 3 p.m. to close and Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to close.
Tonight, Thursday, October 22, MudHen hosts Pawstoberfest from 5 to 9 p.m. It's a ticketed fundraiser for the Wildwood Police Department K9 Unit. A ticket includes a buffet and a three-hour open bar of select MudHen beers and house wine from 5 to 8 p.m., then a cash bar until 9. There will be live entertainment, raffles and an appearance by the K9 Unit, plus a special dog menu and the brewery's Oktoberfest Märzen for purchase. Leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome in the designated outdoor Biergarten areas only, not inside the Station House.
The city expects to finish the boardwalk at 23rd to 24½ Avenues by late March 2027, and it will set the dog park's reopening date after that work is complete.
Wondering how dog rules like these, or the 2027 reopening at 24th Avenue, apply to a block you're thinking about? Colleen Sowers lives in the Crest, has worked on this island since 2000, and is happy to talk through which town's rules fit your routine. Let's Connect.
