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Neighbors press Wildwood Crest for stronger enforcement of short-term rental occupancy rules; police cite privacy limits
Summary
Residents urged the Wildwood Crest council to tougher enforce over-occupancy and illegal parking tied to short-term rentals and seasonal worker housing. Police said constitutional privacy protections limit interior inspections but pledged to work with the borough on ordinance and enforcement options before next season.
Wildwood Crest — Neighbors at Monday’s council meeting urged officials to tighten enforcement of over-occupancy and parking rules tied to short-term rentals and employee housing, saying repeated late-night check-ins and packed houses have made parts of neighborhoods difficult to live in.
Claire, who identified herself as a neighbor of a problem rental, told the council she has repeatedly reported illegal parking and late-night activity and said existing ordinances are not being enforced. "I can call the police five times a day," she said, adding that she no longer feels she can sleep because of repeated disturbances. She urged the borough to pursue new policies that would allow officers to ticket illegal parking on sight and to hold property owners accountable for repeat violations.
Police response: Chief Buddy Johnson (referred to in the meeting) and other officers said they respond to illegal parking and self-initiated patrols and have issued tickets where violations occur, but they explained the legal limits on entering private dwellings. The chief said officers cannot lawfully enter a home simply to count occupants because of constitutional privacy protections. He and staff said they would continue to work with the governing body and code enforcement to identify legally permissible enforcement strategies.
Property-owner accountability: A property-management representative said owners can be a key part of enforcement, noting some companies post guest rules and evict parties that violate them; she recommended exploring legal mechanisms to make owners more responsible for tenant behavior.
Council response: The mayor and commissioners acknowledged the problem, said the solicitor has begun preliminary work, and asked relevant departments (fire, housing, code enforcement and police) to develop ordinance language and enforcement procedures for presentation and implementation before next summer’s season.
Other community comments at the same meeting included requests for an updated street-light outage list, questions about emergency electrical work and timing for the Beach Patrol building, and concerns that buoy placement in Sunset Lake was confusing boaters and paddlers. Councilors said they would follow up with Atlantic City Electric on outages, staff would pursue activation/TCO for the Beach Patrol building, and officials will confirm with the State Police Marine Unit who placed the lake buoys and whether they can be relocated nearer the kayak launch.
Next steps: The borough will convene departments and the solicitor to draft recommended ordinance amendments and enforcement procedures. Staff told the council they plan to return recommended language and an enforcement plan with a view to having rules and enforcement in place before the 2025 summer season.
