After a storm, the case for a seawall can feel obvious. Homes stand exposed, roads are vulnerable and a wall of rock can buy time. The harder question comes years later, when the emergency has passed but the barrier remains, and the sandy beach in front of it may be narrower.
In its 2026 State of the Beach Report, released October 20, the Surfrider Foundation found that 27 of the 30 coastal and Great Lakes states it evaluated received a C or lower for rules intended to prevent emergency shoreline barriers from becoming unnecessary permanent structures. The grades measure laws on the books, not the number of structures left behind.
Surfrider describes an “emergency-to-permanent” pipeline: a storm brings an urgent permit, rocks or sandbags are installed, removal requirements prove weak or go unenforced, and a temporary fix stays in place or receives permanent approval. In West Maui, Hawaii, the foundation points to sandbags authorized in 2007 as a three-year measure that remain nearly two decades later.
The trade-off is physical. Seawalls and rock revetments can help protect land and buildings behind them. But beaches move as waves, storms and sea levels reshape the shore. A hard barrier can hold the landward edge in place while the beach continues to retreat, squeezing the strip of sand available for recreation and wildlife.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes that armoring can restrict the natural movement of sediment and beaches, even as it protects property.
That tension is especially familiar in New Jersey, where the shore is both valuable real estate and a public destination. The state’s Department of Environmental Protection supports beach replenishment as well as bulkheads, seawalls and other protective structures.
Its emergency guidance also draws a distinction: replacing a storm-damaged bulkhead may qualify for emergency authorization, while new shoreline stabilization structures typically require the regular permitting process. The report does not establish that New Jersey routinely leaves emergency seawalls in place.
Surfrider is calling for narrower definitions of an emergency, written approvals, enforceable removal deadlines and longer-term responses that consider dunes, living shorelines and, where appropriate, relocation. It recommends limiting temporary armoring to no more than two years.
Those options are not interchangeable, and the right approach depends on the shoreline. The principle is that emergency protection should buy time for a considered decision, not quietly become the final decision.
Protecting shore homes and preserving beaches are both legitimate priorities, but they are not always served by the same wall. When the next storm hits, the immediate question will be how to keep people and property safe. The next question deserves an answer, too: what kind of beach will the protection leave behind?
SOURCE REFERENCES
Surfrider Foundation. “2026 State of the Beach Report: How Emergency Armoring Undermines the Future of our Coasts.” October 20, 2026.
https://www.surfrider.org/news/2026-state-of-the-beach-report
Surfrider Foundation. “Emergency Seawalls Are Making Beaches Disappear — and 90% of Coastal States Aren’t Stopping Them.” PR Newswire, October 20, 2026.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/emergency-seawalls-are-making-beaches-disappear--and-90-of-coastal-states-arent-stopping-them-302913947.html
NOAA National Ocean Service. “What Is Shoreline Armoring?” Updated September 23, 2026.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/shoreline-armoring.html
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. “Emergency Authorization.”
https://dep.nj.gov/wlm/emergency/
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. “Shore Protection Program.”
https://dep.nj.gov/grantandloanprograms/shore-protection-program/
Findings attributed to the Surfrider Foundation, NOAA, and New Jersey DEP materials cited in SOURCE REFERENCES. Cultural framing is RMN's.