DOVER, Del. - The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is proposing a sweeping update to regulations governing Delaware State Parks, including new reservation requirements for surf fishing vehicles, restrictions on magnet fishing, and updated rules for electric bicycles and marijuana.
The proposed changes are intended to bring the regulations in line with current Delaware law while formalizing programs and initiatives that have been added or changed since the rules were last comprehensively reviewed.
Among the most significant proposed changes is a new reservation requirement for surf fishing vehicles during peak summer periods.
Under the proposal, drivers would need both a valid surf fishing permit and a reservation to access designated drive-on beaches during peak times, generally Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Reservations would be required from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., and vehicles already on the beach without a reservation would have to leave before 8 a.m. on days when reservations are required. The Division of Parks and Recreation would also have the authority to adjust the dates and times reservations are needed.
The proposal would also prohibit magnet fishing in nearly all Delaware State Parks. DNREC defines magnet fishing as “searching in outdoor waters for ferromagnetic objects available to pull with a strong magnet which is traditionally attached to a long rope of sorts for retrieval.”
The activity would only be permitted from the piers at Cape Henlopen State Park and Holts Landing State Park. The regulations would also allow enforcement officers to treat possession of magnet fishing equipment as evidence of a violation.
DNREC is also proposing new regulations governing electric bicycles, or e-bikes. The changes would formally define Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes. Class 2 and lower e-bikes would be allowed in parks and on designated bike paths, while electric bicycles would remain prohibited on most trails unless specifically authorized.
The proposal also updates park regulations to reflect Delaware's marijuana laws. It adds definitions for marijuana and marijuana products, prohibits providing marijuana to anyone under 21, prohibits possession above Delaware's legal possession limit, and maintains protections provided under the state's medical marijuana law.
Other proposed changes include:
-Prohibiting political signs, banners and posters on lands administered by Delaware State Parks.
-Expanding conduct rules to prohibit displaying or wearing obscene material.
-Modernizing hunting registration by replacing hunter registration cards with an online permit system.
-Updating definitions throughout the regulations to reflect current Delaware law and new park programs.
Many of the remaining revisions consist of technical updates, revised definitions and language changes intended to align the regulations with current state law and agency terminology.
DNREC will hold a virtual public hearing on the proposed regulations on Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. Public comments will be accepted through Aug. 20 before the department considers adopting the changes.
