Isle of Palms PD cracking down on alcohol and dog rules

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD)- There’s so much to enjoy at the beaches here in the Lowcountry, but you could pay a little more than you planned to if you don’t follow certain rules.

It’s all fun and games on the beach, until you get a ticket.

“Our goal is to be safe,” IOP’s Police Department Lt. Robert Forsythe said.

A ticket could range from $128 dollars to over $1,000 if you have alcohol.

“There’s no glass or alcohol allowed on the beach at all,” Lt. Forsythe said.

The same price tag is on a ticket for not following rules pertaining to dogs.

“Right now, it’s April 1st through September 14th, 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., that’s dogs off leash hours. Then you must also pick up excrement, that’s an additional fine or citation as well,” Lt. Forsythe said.

With tourist season in full swing, visitors like Justin Kuhn say they shouldn’t be punished for not knowing the rules.

Kuhn said, “We did not know about any alcohol rules coming into this vacation.”

He says vacations are expensive to begin with, and being ticketed for a rule he didn’t know he was breaking puts a damper on his trip.

“It costs a lot of money to come down here and spend their money in the Carolinas and to not know about the alcohol rule and get a ticket,” Kuhn said.

Other visitors, like Joseph Mosnan who brought his pup along, say it’s up to the tourists to make themselves aware of the rules before visiting.

“It’s pretty clear that there’s certain hours they have to be on the leash and certain hours they can’t.” Mosnan said.

IOP police say they expect residents and visitors alike to read the signs and be informed, but say depending on the situation, they also give a lot grace.

“We give way more warnings than we do citations, especially at the beginning of the season, getting people acclimated to it, but it’s very important,” Lt. Forsythe said.

Click here to see the full list of IOP’s beach rules.