Is illegal to walk on the dunes at Footbridge Beach in Ogunquit? | Fact brief

Ogunquit’s beach ordinance prohibits people from entering restricted areas, including dunes. The rule covers Footbridge Beach, which lies within the ordinance’s definition of Ogunquit Beach. Violations carry a minimum $200 fine.

Voters specifically added dunes to the town’s prohibition on entering restricted areas of the beach in 2018. The same amendment increased the minimum fine from $50 to $200.

Ogunquit’s 2024 comprehensive plan says its dunes buffer the coast from wind, waves and flooding, replenish beach sand, provide wildlife habitat and help protect the Ogunquit River estuary.

Other southern Maine communities have similar rules. Scarborough prohibits being in or on dunes at its town beaches. South Portland prohibits people and pets from entering or crossing city-controlled dunes except at marked crossovers or designated beach access points.

The state of Maine also classifies coastal sand dune systems as protected natural resources.