A general tax rate of $0.885 per $100. An effective rate of 0.915% — below the New Jersey median. A 2024 average bill of $9,590 on a 4,282-resident borough with the 5th-highest population density in Monmouth County. A summer population that swells to roughly 30,000. And a sending-district school structure that routes approximately 93 percent of Bradley Beach high schoolers to Asbury Park HS and 7 percent to Neptune HS — with the Asbury Park district facing a projected $13 million budget shortfall heading into 2026.
Bradley Beach Borough sits on the Atlantic Ocean between Avon-by-the-Sea to the north and Ocean Grove (a Neptune Township section) to the south, completing the southern Monmouth shore cluster that started with Avon in Post 14 of this series. Incorporated March 13, 1893 and named after James A. Bradley — the same developer who founded neighboring Asbury Park — the borough occupies a 0.63-square-mile footprint with 0.61 square miles of land. The 2020 Census recorded 4,282 residents, with the most recent estimates running between 4,131 and 4,213. Population density of 7,014.4 per square mile places Bradley Beach 5th-highest of all 53 Monmouth County municipalities by density — structurally one of the densest shore boroughs in the county. Mayor Alan Gubitosi (term ends December 31, 2028) leads a Faulkner Act small-municipality government with acting Administrator Matthew Doherty and Municipal Clerk Erica Kostyz, operating from Borough Hall at 701 Main Street.
The tax math is structurally distinctive in three ways. First: Bradley Beach’s 2025 effective tax rate of 0.915% is below the New Jersey statewide median of 1.89% — a function of dense, predominantly modest housing stock that produces a low absolute per-household tax burden. The 2024 average bill of $9,590 is the second-lowest in the immediate southern shore cluster, with only Belmar ($8,944) running lower. Second: the Bradley Beach School District operates one in-borough school (Bradley Beach Elementary School, PreK-8), then sends high schoolers via Board Policy 5120.1 to Asbury Park HS (the overwhelming majority — approximately 93 percent) and Neptune HS (approximately 7 percent under a lottery program), with specialty academy options at Red Bank Regional High School for accepted applicants. Third: this is the same Asbury Park HS that Avon-by-the-Sea also sends to under its 62.5/37.5 lottery — meaning the projected $13 million Asbury Park district budget shortfall reported by The Coaster in December 2024 has direct flow-through implications for both Avon and Bradley Beach taxpayers in the 2026-27 budget cycle.
The 2026-27 Bradley Beach budget cycle faces a structural pressure point not yet visible in the 2025 numbers: the Asbury Park district’s projected $13 million shortfall flows directly through to the Bradley Beach School District levy via the per-pupil tuition Bradley Beach pays for the approximately 93 percent of its high schoolers attending Asbury Park HS. Watch the spring 2026 Bradley Beach Board of Education hearings and the spring 2026 Borough Council meetings for both sides of this dynamic — the school tuition trajectory and any related municipal budget pressure. The 2026 Council adoption cycle is already in flight: Resolution 2026-145, Ordinance 2026-30 amending Special Events regulations, and Ordinance 2026-27 correcting Affordable Housing Overlay Zones are all on the May 19, 2026 Council Business Meeting agenda.
A drone tour of Bradley Beach’s luxury waterfront inventory and NYC commuter context from The Prodigy Team — the dense year-round shore borough, the $3M+ oceanfront and ocean-block segment that sits at the premium end of Bradley Beach’s 5th-densest-in-Monmouth footprint, and the Bradley Beach NJ Transit station that anchors the under-90-minute Manhattan commute behind the borough’s affordable structural tax math.
The Bradley Beach Tax Snapshot
Numbers below from the NJ Treasury 2025 General Tax Rates Table, the Monmouth County 2025 County Equalization Table, the NJ DCA MOD-IV 2024 Average Residential Tax Report, and the NJ Department of Education 2025-26 budget reports for the Bradley Beach School District.
Bradley Beach is the affordable entry point to year-round shore living on the southern Monmouth coast. The 0.915 percent effective rate is below the New Jersey median, the absolute bill ($9,590) runs meaningfully below adjacent Avon-by-the-Sea ($11,326) and far below Spring Lake ($15,257) or Sea Girt. The trade-off is the structural reliance on Asbury Park HS as the dominant high school destination — with the Asbury Park district’s projected $13M shortfall creating real near-term budget pressure that flows through to Bradley Beach taxpayers via the sending-district tuition payments. For sophisticated buyers willing to monitor that variable and prioritize year-round shore value over school-district prestige, Bradley Beach is one of the most affordable beachfront entries in the entire Monmouth County market.
“Bradley Beach is one of the most underappreciated value plays on the entire Jersey Shore. The 0.915 percent effective rate combined with dense, modest housing stock produces an average bill that’s structurally lower than every adjacent borough except Belmar. Year-round buyers get genuine shore living without the Spring Lake or Sea Girt premium. The catch is the Asbury Park HS sending-district situation — buyers with high schoolers need to track the district budget closely. For year-round residents without K-12 dependents, Bradley Beach offers some of the best value math anywhere on the Shore.”
How Bradley Beach Compares: The Southern Shore Cluster
Bradley Beach anchors the southern end of the Avon-Bradley Beach-Asbury Park corridor, with the immediately neighboring boroughs (Avon to the north, Neptune Township to the south, and the Asbury Park city border just to the southwest) all sharing the Asbury Park HS sending-district structure. The structural tax comparison:
| Southern Shore (2025) | Bradley Bch | Avon | Belmar | Spring Lake | Sea Girt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 General Rate | $0.885 | $0.923 | $1.570 | $0.457 | $0.499 |
| 2025 Effective Rate | 0.915% | 0.710% | 0.955% | 0.444% | 0.520% |
| 2024 Avg Bill | $9,590 | $11,326 | $8,944 | $15,257 | $15,428 |
| Population 2020 | 4,282 | 1,933 | 5,706 | 2,909 | 1,756 |
| K-8 Structure | Own K-8 | Own K-8 | Own K-8 | Own K-8 | Own K-8 |
| High School | Asbury (93%) / Neptune (7%) | Lottery Manasquan/Asbury | Manasquan HS | Manasquan HS | Manasquan HS |
| Government | Faulkner Act small muni | Walsh Act | Faulkner Act | Borough Council | Borough Council |
Bradley Beach sits at the affordable structural center of the southern Monmouth shore. The 0.915 percent effective rate is slightly higher than Avon’s 0.710% but the absolute bill ($9,590) is significantly lower because Bradley Beach’s median home values are also lower — reflecting denser housing stock with smaller average lot sizes. For the Avon-by-the-Sea direct comparison (which shares the Asbury Park HS sending pathway under a different policy structure), see our Avon-by-the-Sea NJ Property Taxes 2026 deep dive. For broader Belmar market context, see our Belmar three-markets pillar guide. For the Spring Lake structural low-rate parallel, see our Spring Lake NJ Property Taxes 2026 deep dive.
Bradley Beach vs Avon-by-the-Sea: The Sending-District Decision
Bradley Beach and Avon-by-the-Sea are the two most directly comparable boroughs on the southern Monmouth shore — immediately adjacent (Avon on the north, Bradley Beach on the south), both incorporated in the 1890s, both operating their own PreK-8 districts, both routing high schoolers through send-receive agreements. But the school-district destination splits diverge meaningfully:
| Sending-District Comparison | Bradley Beach | Avon-by-the-Sea |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Effective Rate | 0.915% | 0.710% |
| 2024 Avg Bill | $9,590 | $11,326 |
| Population 2020 | 4,282 | 1,933 |
| Density | 7,014/sq mi (5th in county) | 4,542/sq mi (13th) |
| Primary HS Destination | Asbury Park HS (~93%) | Manasquan HS (62.5%) |
| Secondary HS Destination | Neptune HS (~7%) | Asbury Park HS (37.5%) |
| HS Assignment Policy | BOE Policy 5120.1 | BOE Policy 5411 (lottery) |
| Median Age | 46.4 (youngest in cluster) | 55 |
Three structural takeaways. First: Bradley Beach is meaningfully denser and younger than Avon, with the median age of 46.4 indicating a more active mix of working families and year-round professionals versus Avon’s 55-year median reflecting a more established retiree-and-second-home demographic. Second: both boroughs use Asbury Park HS as a primary or major secondary destination, but Bradley Beach is far more concentrated — making the Asbury Park district budget pressure more directly consequential for Bradley Beach taxpayers. Third: the absolute average bill in Bradley Beach ($9,590) runs $1,736 below Avon ($11,326) despite the higher effective rate — reflecting the much lower median home values in Bradley Beach’s dense modest-housing inventory versus Avon’s preserved Victorian and post-Sandy elevated rebuild premium.
“Buyers comparing Bradley Beach and Avon-by-the-Sea are really comparing two different lifestyle propositions on the same coastline. Bradley Beach is the active year-round community with dense Main Street energy and a younger demographic. Avon is the preserved Victorian retirement-and-second-home market. Both work, but they work for completely different buyers. The school-district math intersects in the Asbury Park HS pathway — and that’s where the 2026 budget pressure becomes a real factor for families with high schoolers regardless of which borough you pick.”
How Your Bradley Beach Tax Bill Is Built
A Bradley Beach property tax bill combines five independently authorized levies summing to the $0.885 general rate certified for 2025:
Bradley Beach Borough Municipal Levy. Funds Borough government — the Borough Council under the Faulkner Act small-municipality framework, Mayor Alan Gubitosi, acting Administrator Matthew Doherty, Municipal Clerk Erica Kostyz, the Borough Hall at 701 Main Street, public works, recreation including the historic boardwalk and beach operations, the police department, and the borough’s extensive summer beach-badge revenue infrastructure (Bradley Beach was the first municipality in the United States to charge for beach access in 1929 with its original tin-badge system).
Bradley Beach School District K-8 Levy + High School Tuition. Bradley Beach Elementary School operates as the borough’s single in-borough school serving PreK-8. The District then pays tuition to Asbury Park HS for approximately 93 percent of high schoolers and Neptune HS for approximately 7 percent under Board of Education Policy 5120.1, with specialty academy options at Red Bank Regional High School for accepted applicants. The combined K-8 operating budget plus the dual-destination high school tuition payments comprise the school portion of the Bradley Beach tax bill.
Monmouth County Levy + Library + Open Space. County-level apportionment based on Bradley Beach’s equalized property value share of the total Monmouth County base.
County Library + Open Space dedicated levies. Standard statutory components.
The structural risk: Bradley Beach is far more concentrated in its Asbury Park HS exposure than Avon-by-the-Sea. With approximately 93 percent of Bradley Beach high schoolers attending Asbury Park HS versus only 37.5 percent of Avon students, the Asbury Park district’s projected $13 million budget shortfall reported by The Coaster in December 2024 has substantially larger flow-through implications for Bradley Beach taxpayers. Per-pupil tuition adjustments at Asbury Park flow through to the Bradley Beach School District levy at roughly 2.5 times the rate they would flow through to Avon. This is the most important 2026 budget-watch variable in the entire southern Monmouth shore cluster.
The James A. Bradley Story and the Boardwalk Heritage
Bradley Beach’s identity is anchored in the 19th-century shore-development story that also created Asbury Park. James A. Bradley — a Manhattan brush manufacturer turned Methodist temperance entrepreneur — purchased the original Ocean Park land in 1871 with William B. Bradner. After incorporating Asbury Park, Bradley led the petition that established Bradley Beach as a separate borough on March 13, 1893. The naming convention reflects the singular developer-founder relationship: Bradley Beach is one of the few NJ municipalities named after a still-living person at incorporation.
The borough’s historical distinctions accumulate from there. In 1929 Bradley Beach became the first municipality in the United States to charge for beach access, issuing original tin badges that established the model now used by virtually every NJ shore borough. In the mid-20th century the borough developed a substantial Chinese-American community, with families migrating from Manhattan Chinatown to establish year-round residences and summer cottages. The Borough has retained its “New Jersey’s Family Resort” motto across multiple administrations, preserving the family-vacation character even as adjacent Asbury Park reinvented itself as a music and nightlife destination.
James A. Bradley and William B. Bradner purchase the original Ocean Park land that becomes both Asbury Park and Bradley Beach. The same developer-founder anchors two adjacent boroughs.
Bradley Beach officially incorporates as a separate borough following NJ Legislature approval. The borough adopts the motto “New Jersey’s Family Resort” that endures into the 2026 era.
Bradley Beach becomes the first municipality in the United States to charge for beach access. The original tin-badge system establishes the precedent now used by virtually every NJ shore borough.
Significant Chinese-American migration from Manhattan Chinatown establishes a substantial year-round community within the borough. The demographic diversity becomes structural to Bradley Beach’s identity.
Hurricane Sandy makes landfall. Bradley Beach experiences boardwalk damage and Ocean Avenue flooding but fares better than neighboring Avon-by-the-Sea, which absorbs more substantial dune-block flooding. The recovery cycle reshapes elevation requirements for new construction.
Main Street, the Boardwalk, and the Density Inventory
Bradley Beach’s structural distinction is its density. At 7,014 residents per square mile, Bradley Beach ranks 5th-densest of all 53 Monmouth County municipalities — behind only Asbury Park, Long Branch, Keansburg, and Keyport. This density is the foundation of the borough’s economic structure. Year-round walkable Main Street commercial corridor (Pagano’s Uva Restaurant, D’Arcy’s Tavern, The Breakers on the Ocean, Bradley Brew Project, Bradley Beach Bowl). Elevated boardwalk on Ocean Avenue with the rebuilt post-Sandy infrastructure. Tight residential blocks of modest mid-century single-family homes interspersed with renovated Victorians and select new construction.
For tax-base purposes, the density creates a structural feature: relatively low per-household median values combined with high overall ratable count produces a stable tax base that doesn’t require premium valuations to support municipal operations. The 0.915 percent effective rate works mathematically because the borough’s 4,282 residents (and the substantially larger summer population) distribute the municipal cost base across a dense, walkable footprint with significant commercial activity on Main Street and along the boardwalk. For broader Monmouth shore market dynamics, see our three new rules rewriting the New Jersey Shore real estate playbook. For broader new construction context, see our 2026 Monmouth County new construction inventory.
Appeal Deadlines and Tax Court Options
Bradley Beach uses Monmouth County’s alternative appeal calendar under the ADP. For why Monmouth runs differently from the rest of New Jersey, see our complete explainer on the ADP framework, the January 15 deadline, and the seven non-ADP towns. Two deadlines apply:
January 15 — for properties assessed under $1 million in true value. Appeals are filed with the Monmouth County Board of Taxation. Given Bradley Beach’s dense modest-housing inventory, the vast majority of properties fall into this category.
April 1 — for properties assessed over $1 million in true value. These owners have the option to file directly with the New Jersey Tax Court rather than the county board. Bradley Beach has a smaller $1M+ inventory cohort than the more affluent shore boroughs, concentrated primarily in oceanfront condominiums and select Main Street commercial properties.
For Bradley Beach, the appeal economics favor owners with detailed block-level comparable sales evidence. The dense residential block pattern means comparable sales within a 2-3 block radius are typically available for any given property. For county-board mechanics, see the full NJ appeal playbook.
The Mansion Tax and Closing-Table Math
For Bradley Beach sellers above $1 million — a smaller cohort than the more affluent shore boroughs but still meaningful for oceanfront condominiums and select Main Street commercial properties — the New Jersey Realty Transfer Fee changes adopted under the FY2026 Appropriations Act on July 10, 2025 are now in effect. The legacy 1 percent Mansion Tax was replaced with a graduated rate applied to the entire sale price.
The full breakdown of the 2025–2026 Realty Transfer Fee structure walks through the new graduated tiers and the pricing-cliff effects near each threshold boundary. For the complete closing-process walkthrough, see the 2026 NJ real estate closing process timeline.
Bradley Beach has no active residential PILOT or tax abatement structures. The Borough Council has periodically introduced Affordable Housing Overlay Zone ordinances (most recently Ordinance 2026-27 correcting prior 2026-9 on the May 19, 2026 agenda), which may create future redevelopment frameworks. For contrast on how active PILOTs reshape effective rates elsewhere in Monmouth, see how Long Branch Pier Village condos operate under PILOT.
Tax Relief Programs Available to Bradley Beach Homeowners
$250 Veteran Deduction + $250 Senior Citizen / Disabled Persons Deduction available under state income guidelines.
100% Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption. Full exemption on the primary residence for honorably discharged veterans with 100% service-connected permanent disability.
At the state level: ANCHOR, Senior Freeze, and Stay NJ apply to qualifying Bradley Beach homeowners. Stay NJ reimburses 50 percent of property taxes for eligible homeowners age 65+, capped at $13,000 with a 2024 cap of $6,500. All three programs are now administered through a single combined PAS-1 application. Given Bradley Beach’s younger median age of 46.4 relative to other shore boroughs, the senior-eligibility population is proportionally smaller than in Avon-by-the-Sea or Spring Lake but still substantial. For broader context on long-term carrying cost across NJ municipalities, see our analysis of NJ towns with the lowest property taxes.
The 2026 Budget Watch
Bradley Beach School District 2026-27 budget. The dominant 2026 variable. Watch the spring 2026 Bradley Beach Board of Education hearings for Asbury Park HS tuition adjustments that flow through from the projected $13M Asbury Park district shortfall. The Neptune HS tuition path also matters but affects fewer students.
Asbury Park HS budget pressure. Per The Coaster’s December 2024 reporting, the NJ Department of Education year-end review projected a nearly $13 million budget shortfall for the Asbury Park district. With approximately 93 percent of Bradley Beach high schoolers attending Asbury Park HS, this directly affects the Bradley Beach School District tuition payment trajectory.
Borough Council 2026 municipal budget. Mayor Gubitosi and the Borough Council are adopting the 2026 budget through the spring 2026 meeting cycle. Watch the May 19, 2026 Council Business Meeting (Resolution 2026-145 Probationary Police Officer Appointment, Ordinance 2026-30 Special Events regulations, Ordinance 2026-27 correcting Affordable Housing Overlay Zones, Resolution 2026-147 Summer Seasonal Beach Lifeguards). The summer beach badge / locker rental revenue is structurally important to the municipal budget.
Annual ADP reassessment cycle. Bradley Beach participates in Monmouth County’s annual reassessment program. November 2025 postcards reflected current market values as of October 1, 2025.
For broader context on Monmouth County new construction in 2026, see our 2026 Monmouth County new construction inventory. For the Avon-by-the-Sea sister-borough comparison sharing the Asbury Park HS pathway, see our Avon-by-the-Sea NJ Property Taxes 2026 deep dive. For the Allenhurst structural school-district withdrawal contrast (a borough that left Asbury Park HS in 2017), see our Allenhurst NJ Property Taxes 2026 deep dive. For the Loch Arbour structural sending-district withdrawal contrast (another 2017 exit from Ocean Township SD), see our Loch Arbour NJ Property Taxes 2026 deep dive. For the NJ Transit rail proximity premium that lifts Bradley Beach valuations near the Bradley Beach NJT station, see our NJ Transit rail premium analysis.
“The Asbury Park HS budget situation is the most important 2026 variable for Bradley Beach owners with school-age dependents — and it’s a real one. The $13M projected shortfall doesn’t hit Bradley Beach taxpayers directly through the Asbury Park municipal levy, but it absolutely hits them through the per-pupil tuition the Bradley Beach School District has to pay. Watch the spring 2026 BOE meetings, not just the Council meetings. The school side is where the math gets decided.”
Bradley Beach is the affordable structural anchor of the southern Monmouth shore. The 0.915 percent effective rate is below the New Jersey median, the absolute average bill of $9,590 runs well below most adjacent boroughs, and the 5th-highest population density in Monmouth County produces a stable year-round economic base distinct from the seasonal-dominated boroughs to the south. The structural 2026 variable is the projected $13 million Asbury Park district shortfall flowing through to Bradley Beach school taxpayers via the approximately 93 percent of high schoolers attending Asbury Park HS. For buyers prioritizing affordable year-round shore living with active Main Street commercial energy, Bradley Beach delivers value math that few competing coastal boroughs in New Jersey match.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 2025 property tax rate in Bradley Beach, NJ?
The 2025 general tax rate in Bradley Beach is $0.885 per $100 of assessed value, certified by the Monmouth County Board of Taxation and published in the NJ Treasury 2025 General Tax Rates Table. The 2025 effective tax rate is 0.915%, below the New Jersey statewide median of 1.89%.
What is the average property tax bill in Bradley Beach?
The 2024 average residential property tax bill in Bradley Beach was $9,590 per the NJ DCA MOD-IV Average Residential Tax Report — below the Monmouth County average of $10,930 and below the New Jersey state average of $10,095. Bradley Beach has one of the lowest absolute average bills among shore boroughs in the southern Monmouth corridor.
Where do Bradley Beach kids go to school?
PreK-8 students attend Bradley Beach Elementary School, the borough’s sole in-borough school. For grades 9-12, the Bradley Beach School District maintains send-receive relationships with both the Asbury Park Public Schools and Neptune Township Schools under Board of Education Policy 5120.1: approximately 93 percent of Bradley Beach high schoolers attend Asbury Park HS, with approximately 7 percent attending Neptune HS under a lottery program. Specialty academy options are available at Red Bank Regional High School for accepted applicants.
How does Bradley Beach compare to Avon-by-the-Sea?
Bradley Beach runs a higher effective rate (0.915%) than Avon (0.710%), but the absolute 2024 average bill is lower ($9,590 vs $11,326) because Bradley Beach median home values are lower. Bradley Beach is more than twice as populous (4,282 vs 1,933), denser (7,014/sq mi vs 4,542/sq mi), and younger (median age 46.4 vs 55). Both share Asbury Park HS as a sending destination, but Bradley Beach is far more concentrated (~93% vs Avon’s 37.5%).
What is the Asbury Park HS budget situation?
Per The Coaster’s December 2024 reporting, the NJ Department of Education year-end review projected a nearly $13 million budget shortfall for the Asbury Park school district. Because approximately 93 percent of Bradley Beach high schoolers attend Asbury Park HS, the per-pupil tuition payments Bradley Beach makes to Asbury Park flow through to the Bradley Beach School District levy. Watch the spring 2026 budget cycle for the tuition trajectory.
When is the Bradley Beach tax appeal deadline?
January 15 of the tax year for properties assessed under $1 million in true value, filed with the Monmouth County Board of Taxation. April 1 of the tax year for properties assessed over $1 million in true value, filed directly with the New Jersey Tax Court. Quarterly tax payments are due February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1.
Does Bradley Beach have any PILOT properties or tax abatements?
No active residential PILOT structures currently. The Borough Council has periodically introduced Affordable Housing Overlay Zone ordinances (most recently Ordinance 2026-27 correcting prior 2026-9 on the May 19, 2026 agenda), which may create future redevelopment frameworks. Every residential property in the borough currently pays the standard general tax rate against its full assessed value.
Find Out Where Your 2026 Bradley Beach Assessment Should Actually Land
With the Asbury Park HS budget pressure flowing into Bradley Beach’s 2026 tuition calculations and the dense residential block pattern providing rich comparable-sales data, every Bradley Beach homeowner should verify their November 2025 postcard reflects accurate current market value. We’ll pull the block-level comps, model the appeal economics including the 2026 budget-pressure variable, and tell you whether the case is worth bringing before the spring 2026 windows close.
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