This consolidation is unofficial and is for reference only.

For the official version of the regulations, consult the original documents on file with the Office of the Registrar of Regulations , or refer to the Royal Gazette

Part II .

Regulations are amended frequently.

Please check the list of Regulations by Act to see if there are any recent amendments to these regulations filed with our office that are not yet included in this consolidation.

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Beaches Regulations

made under

Section 13 of the

Beaches Act

R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 32

O.I.C. 89-580 (effective May 17, 1989), N.S. Reg. 70/1989

amended to O.I.C. 2026-24 (effective January 26, 2026), N.S. Reg. 18/2026

Table of Contents

Please note: this table of contents is provided for convenience of reference and does not form part of the regulations.

Click here to go to the text of the regulations .

Citation

Definitions

Administration

Management of lands adjacent to a beach

Development of a beach

Restricted activities

Domestic animals

Vehicles

Vessels

Production of permit

Signs/notices

Penalty

Repeal of old regulations

Effective date of new regulations

Citation

1 These regulations may be cited as the “Beaches Regulations”.

Definitions

2 In the Act and these regulations

(a) “Act” means the Beaches Act ;

(b) “beach attendant” means a person appointed pursuant to

Section 3;

(c) “develop” means the construction of a path, trail or road on a beach or the

erection or placement on a beach of a building, structure or other manmade

feature not indigenous to the site;

(d) “Department” means the Department of Lands and Forests;

(e) “Minister” means the Minister of Lands and Forests;

(f) “mean high water mark” means

(

i) the line on the seashore reached by the average of the mean high tides of

the sea between the spring and neap tides in each quarter of a lunar

revolution during the year excluding only extraordinary catastrophes or

overflows, or

(ii) the line on the shore of a lake or river usually reached by the water after

the great flow of the spring has abated and the lake or river is in its

ordinary state, and

(iii) for the purposes of determining the boundaries of a parcel of land at a

place in respect to which there is no record of tides extending at least

over one year, the visible high water mark, that is, the point fixed by

signs on the ground such as the state of vegetation and accumulation of

debris;

(g) “structure” includes a building, camp, trailer, tent, houseboat, raft, wharf, post,

fence or wall.

Administration

3 The Minister may appoint a person, including a casual employee of the Department, as a

beach attendant to perform on one or more beaches such duties as may be assigned from

time to time by the Department.

Management of lands adjacent to a beach

4 The Minister may enter into a management agreement with the owner or occupier of land

adjacent to a beach.

5 [repealed]

Development of a beach

6 No person shall develop a beach without the prior written authorization and approval of

the Minister.

Restricted activities

7 Except as provided in the Act or with a permit from the Minister, no person shall, while

on a beach,

(

a) wilfully remove, deface or injure any natural object, tree, shrub, plant or grass;

(

b) wilfully remove, deface, damage or destroy a signboard, sign or notice placed

on a beach or adjacent to a beach;

(

c) wilfully remove or displace any rock, mineral, fossil, sand, gravel or other

aggregate or object of natural curiosity or interest;

(

d) display a sign or advertisement;

(

e) sell or offer for sale an

article or service or thing or carry on a business;

(

f) alter, damage or destroy any watercourse; or

(

g) leave a fire unattended until it is completely extinguished.

Domestic animals

(1) No person who owns or is in control of a domestic animal shall permit it to be at

large on a beach where a sign or notice is posted by the Department that domestic

animals are to be kept on a leash.

(2) For the purpose of subsection (1), a domestic animal is deemed to be at large

unless the animal is on a leash which does not exceed six feet in length and which

is hand-held or securely tied and restricts the animal from running loose.

(3) Except with a permit from the Minister, which will prescribe appropriate

restrictions relative to time, area and conditions, no person shall ride or walk a

horse on a beach.

(4) No person who owns or is in control of a domestic animal shall fail to clean up any

animal excrement or mess left on a beach by that animal.

Vehicles

(1) Except with a permit from the Minister, it shall be an offence to have or use a

vehicle on a beach.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a vehicle used to launch a vessel on a beach.

Vessels

10 Except with a permit from the Minister, no person shall operate a vessel in excess of five

miles per hour within 200 feet of a beach when another person is known by the operator

of the vessel to be present on the beach.

Production of permit

11 Every person issued a permit under the Act or [these] regulations shall produce the same

for inspection when requested to do so by the Minister, a peace officer or beach attendant.

Signs/notices

(1) The Minister may cause to be marked or erected a sign, notice, map or other device

to permit, restrict or prohibit an activity on a beach.

(2) It shall be an offence for a person to fail to comply with a sign, notice, map or

other device erected pursuant to subsection (1).

Penalty

13 A person convicted of any violation of the[se] regulations shall incur a penalty of not less

than fifty dollars nor more than two thousand dollars.

Repeal of old regulations

14 Regulations made by Order in Council 76-622 dated the 25th of May, 1976, are rescinded

as and from the 17th day of May, 1989.

Effective date of new regulations

15 These regulations shall come into force on and after the 17th day of May, 1989.

Legislative History

Reference Tables

Beaches Regulations

N.S. Reg.

70/1989

Beaches Act

Note: The

information in these tables does not form part of the regulations and is

compiled by the Office of the Registrar of Regulations for reference only.

Source Law

The current consolidation of the Beaches Regulations made under the Beaches Act includes all of the following regulations:

N.S.

Regulation

In force

date*

How in force

Royal Gazette

Part II Issue

70/1989

May 17, 1989

date specified

Jun 1,

47/2004

Apr 1,

date

specified

Apr 6,

81/2007

Apr 1,

date

specified

Mar

30, 2007

136/2008

Apr 1,

date

specified

Apr

18, 2008

78/2009

Apr 1,

date

specified

Apr

14, 2009

51/2011

Apr 1,

date

specified

Apr

15, 2011

77/2013

Apr 1,

date

specified

Apr

12, 2013

75/2015

Apr 1,

date

specified

Apr 8,

18/2026

Jan

26, 2026

date

specified

Feb 6,

The following regulations are not yet in force and are

not included in the current consolidation:

N.S.

Regulation

In force

date*

How in force

Royal Gazette

Part II Issue

*See subsection 3(6) of the Regulations Act for

rules about in force dates of regulations.

Amendments by Provision

ad. = added

am. = amended

fc. = fee change

ra. = reassigned

rep. = repealed

rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

5 ........................................................

rep. 18/2026

5(2)(i) ..........................................

fc. 47/2004, 81/2007; ra.

as 5(2)(a) 136/2008

5(2)(ii) .........................................

fc. 47/2004, 81/2007; ra.

as 5(2)(b) 136/2008

5(2)(a) ..........................................

ra. from 5(2)(i) 136/2008 ;

fc. 136/2008, 78/2009, 51/2011, 77/2013, 75/2015

5(2)(b) .........................................

ra. from 5(2)(ii) 136/2008 ;

fc. 136/2008, 78/2009, 51/2011; rs. 77/2013, 75/2015

Note that changes to headings are not

included in the above table.

Editorial Notes and Corrections:

Note

Effective

date

The references in clauses 2(

d) and (

e) to the

Department and Minister of Lands and Forests should be read as references to

the Department and Minister of Natural Resources in accordance with O.I.C. 1991-971

under the Public Service Act ,

R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 376.

Sep 16, 1991

The references in clauses 2(

d) and (

e) to the

Department and Minister of Lands and Forests should be read as references to

the Department and Minister of Lands and Forestry in accordance with O.I.C.

2018-188 under the Public Service Act ,

R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 376.

Jul 5, 2018

The references in clauses 2(

d) and (

e) to the

Department and Minister of Lands and Forests should be read as references to

the Department and Minister of Natural

Resources and Renewables in accordance with O.I.C. 2021-210 under the Public Service Act , R.S.N.S. 1989, c.

Aug 31, 2021

The references in clauses 2(

d) and (

e) to the

Department and Minister of Lands and Forests should be read as references to

the Department and Minister of Natural

Resources in accordance with O.I.C. 2024-425 under the Public Service Act , R.S.N.S. 1989, c.

Dec 12, 2024

Repealed and Superseded:

N.S.

Regulation

Title

In force

date

Repealed

date

45/1976

Beaches

Preservation and Protection Act Regulations

May

25, 1976

May

17, 1989

Note: Only

regulations that are specifically repealed and replaced appear in this

table. It may not reflect the entire

history of regulations on this subject matter.