Limited street parking has long been a source of friction on Long Beach Island, so much so that residents in some communities have painted curbs and streets near their homes to stake claims to public parking – an unauthorized practice Ship Bottom classifies as graffiti and strictly prohibits.

“It boils down real simple: You can’t paint anything in the street,” Mayor William Huelsenbeck said last week. “People don’t own the streets, and you can’t designate parking spots.”