BELMAR, NJ (WCBS 880) - People in one Jersey Shore borough have probably been breaking the law for years without even knowing it.

WCBS 880′s Levon Putney On The Jersey Shore

Building sandcastles in Belmar has been illegal for 24 years.

“[It's the] very first time I’ve heard… is it true?!” said Angela Kennedy, who grew up in nearby Long Branch. “We built sandcastles probably everyday of our lives.”

“It’s one of those ridiculous government regulations that exist on occasion and once we recognize it, we changed it,” Mayor Matthew Doherty told WCBS 880 reporter Levon Putney.

He says police never wrote a ticket for it, but it was punishable by a $25 fine before this year.

“Well, they were very smart for taking it off the books,” said Kennedy, as she dug into the sand with a toy shovel.

The mayor was at a loss to come up with an explanation for why the law existed in the first place.