Know before you go
Beach rules and parking.
What it costs to park, how to get a pass, when dogs can run free, the golf cart rules, and what to do if you find a sea turtle nest.
The year at a glance
What changes with the seasons
The big three are paid parking, dog leash rules and sea turtle nesting. The marker shows today's date.
Paid beach parking · Town of Oak Island
Parking: prices, passes & how to pay
Paid parking is enforced April 1 – September 30, 9am–5pm, every day. Outside those dates and hours, public beach parking is free.
🅿️ Visitor rates
Pay as you go
- $5 an hour
- $20 a day
- $80 a week
- Buy it when you park, for your license plate
📱 How to pay
SurfCAST
- The SurfCAST app (by Otto Connect)
- Online: surfcast.ottoconnect.us/pay
- Phone: 910-200-1497
- Not sold at Town Hall
- No sticker or ticket to display. Your permit is tied to your license plate, and staff check plates on site. Have your plate number handy.
🎟️ Passes for non-residents
Season permit: $225
- Good all season (Apr 1 – Sep 30) at paid spots.
- Anyone can buy one, up to 4. A 5th or more costs $375 each (call Otto Connect).
- Only 1,500 are sold each year and they can sell out, so buy early.
- Buy through SurfCAST (app, web or phone).
🏠 Residents & owners
Resident permit: $10
- For Oak Island residents and property owners, up to 3 per property
- Proof of residency or ownership required
- Resident-only spaces are enforced until 9pm
🆓 Free parking
Where it's free
- Oak Island Pier lot (705 Ocean Dr): free for 2 hours
- Handicap spaces: free with a valid placard or plate (see accessible accesses)
- Middleton Park (SE 46th–49th St): free during Town-run events like the Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market
- October through March, and before 9am or after 5pm: no paid parking
- Caswell Beach public lot near 701 Caswell Beach Rd: free, first come, first served (Town of Caswell Beach)
🎫 Tickets
Fines
- $25 if paid the same day
- $50 within 30 days
- $75 after 30 days
- $250 for blocking a hydrant, fire lane or emergency access, or using a handicap space without a plate or hangtag
- Tickets go on the windshield only, with no mail notice. In a rental car, it's up to you and the rental company
- Think it's a mistake? Email surfcast@ottoconnect.us with a photo of the ticket
⚠️ Where you can park
No bumper = no parking
- Park straight and centered at a yellow (or blue handicap) parking bumper
- In the paid zone, unmarked spots and the roadside are no parking during paid hours, even with no sign
- The paid zone: beachfront south of the Davis Canal (west of SE 40th St), south of E Oak Island Dr (east of SE 40th), plus the canal-crossing lots at SE 9th, 20th and 31st St
- No overnight parking at beach accesses
Rates and dates from the Town of Oak Island for the 2026 season. The Town sets new rates each year, so check the official parking page.
On the sand
Beach rules
Straight from the Town's Beach Rules page and its Code of Ordinances (section numbers included).
Fines
- Gear left out overnight: $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second (Sec. 14-144).
- Dunes and dune plants: up to a $500 fine (Sec. 14-127).
- Most other beach rules: the Town's civil citation is $100 for a first violation and $200 for a second. After that, a violation can become a criminal charge.
🐕
DogsMar 16 – Oct 14: dogs must be on a leash on the beach. Oct 15 – Mar 15: dogs may be off leash, under conditions set by the Town. Voice command and electronic collars are not accepted as restraint. Pick up after your dog year-round (Sec. 4-46). The conditions are on the Town's Animals & Pets page ↗.
🚲
Bikes, e-bikes & scootersBanned on the beach at all times: motor vehicles, e-bikes and any other electric vehicle, plus scooters, Onewheels, skateboards and unicycles (Sec. 28-5). Regular pedal bikes aren't on the banned list. Bikes are not allowed on the scenic marsh walkways (Sec. 22-4) or on the pier (Sec. 22-12).
🛺
Golf carts & LSVsNo golf carts or other vehicles on the sand (Sec. 28-5). The only exception is a Town-approved beach mobility device for people with a state handicap placard or plate (Sec. 28-6). Those rules changed in July 2026; see the Town's Mobility Device Program update. Unregistered golf carts cannot be driven on public streets. Only NC-registered low-speed vehicles (LSVs) may, and not on roads posted above 35 mph (they may cross a 45 mph road at an intersection). The Town asks drivers to avoid long trips on Oak Island Dr and use Yacht Dr, Beach Dr, E Holly Dr, E Oak Dr or Ocean Dr instead. A valid driver's license is required.
⛱️
Gear overnightAll beach gear has to come off the beach every day. Anything left unattended between 8:30pm and 7am counts as abandoned, and the Town removes and disposes of it. Non-motorized sailboats and catamarans are the only exception (Sec. 14-141, 14-143). Fine: $50, then $100 (Sec. 14-144). Overnight camping on the beach is prohibited (Sec. 14-132).
🕳️
HolesDig no deeper than 12 inches, and only with children's toy shovels. Stay with the hole and fill it in before you leave or by 6pm, whichever comes first (Sec. 14-142). Open holes trap turtles and hurt people.
🌾
Dunes & sea oatsNo walking, playing or climbing on the dunes, and don't let pets cross them. Cross only at the accesses, and don't cut or trample the dune plants (Sec. 14-132). Violations can bring up to a $500 fine (Sec. 14-127).
🍾
GlassNo glass containers of any kind on the beach or at beach accesses (Sec. 14-143).
🍺
AlcoholDrinking or carrying an open container is illegal on public streets and on all Town property: parks, playgrounds, recreation areas and Town parking lots (Sec. 20-1, 22-1). On the pier, no outside alcohol is allowed; buy it at the Pier House (Sec. 22-12).
🎆
FireworksThe Town code has no fireworks rule written just for the beach. North Carolina law (G.S. 14-410) already bans consumer fireworks that explode or fly into the air, so leave them at home and catch a Town-sanctioned show instead.
🚑
Emergency lanes & nestsKeep gear 15 feet from marked emergency beach access points and 10 feet from marked turtle nests (Sec. 14-143). Don't set up tents where they'd block rescue vehicles (Sec. 14-132).
🎣
Scenic walkwaysNo fishing, crabbing or bait casting on the marsh walkways or within 30 feet of their access areas. No bikes, scooters, skateboards or golf carts on them (Sec. 22-4).
🛟
Beach Safety DivisionThere are no lifeguard stands. The Town's Beach Safety Division patrols by UTV, rescue watercraft and drone, May through September, 7am–6pm (Town Beach Safety page). Call 911 in an emergency.
🔥
Beach bonfiresPermit required, from the Oak Island Fire Department. Permits are only issued November 16 – April 30 (none during turtle season), and the Town cancels all permits whenever the wind forecast is over 15 mph. Details and the application: Town bonfire permits page ↗.
🛸
DronesDrones fall under FAA rules. The FAA retired its B4UFLY app in 2024; check airspace with an FAA-approved app listed on the FAA recreational flyers page, and ask the Town before flying over a crowded beach or near nests.
Sources: Town of Oak Island Beach Rules, the Code of Ordinances (Chapters 4, 14, 20, 22 and 28; Supplement 69, codified through March 17, 2026; newer Town rule changes, like the July 2026 beach mobility device update, are posted on the Town's site) and the Low-Speed Vehicle page. Rules can change, and the Town is the final word.
May 1 – November 15 (Town of Oak Island turtle season)
Sea turtle season
Sea turtles nest on Oak Island from May into the fall, and hatching peaks in late July and August. The Town runs turtle season through November 15. Volunteers from the Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program mark every nest they find with stakes and tape.
- See stakes and tape? That's a marked nest. Don't cross the tape or touch the stakes, and keep your gear at least 10 feet away.
- See a turtle or hatchlings? Stay back and stay quiet. No white flashlights, phone lights or flash photos; if you must have a light, use a red-filtered one. Don't touch them or carry hatchlings to the water.
- Call the Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program, day or night: 910-945-8888. Trained volunteers will come. For a sick or injured turtle you can also call the NC Wildlife Resources Commission's 24-hour Stranding Hotline: 252-241-7367.
- Lights out at night. Turn off beach-facing outdoor lights and close the blinds. Light pulls hatchlings away from the ocean.
- Leave it flat. Fill holes and knock down sandcastles before you leave, so nesting mothers and hatchlings don't get trapped.
🐢 Turtle-friendly rental checklist
- ☐ Beach-facing porch lights off after dark
- ☐ Blinds closed at night
- ☐ Chairs, tents and toys off the beach every evening
- ☐ Holes filled in by 6pm
- ☐ Red-filtered flashlight for night walks (no white light)
- ☐ Turtle program number saved: 910-945-8888