A seagull gliding low over a breaking wave
Know before you go

Beach rules and parking.

What it costs to park and how to pay, when dogs can be on the beach, which shades go where, when gear has to come off the sand, where you can surf, and what the warning flags mean.

Parking ↓Rules by seasonBeach rules🌐 Seguridad en la playa (español)
The year at a glance

What changes with the seasons

Paid parking, the summer dog hours and the surfing zone are the big seasonal changes. The marker shows today's date.

Paid parking · Town of Sunset Beach

Parking: prices, times & how to pay

Paid parking is enforced daily 9 AM to 5 PM, April 1 to October 31. Parking is free before and after those hours. It's first come, first served, and your pass is tied to your license plate: no ticket on the dash.

Pay or see open spaces (SurfCast) ↗ Otto Connect: 910-200-1497

🅿️ Rates

From the Town's parking guide

  • $5 an hour, up to 3 hours
  • $20 a day
  • $80 a week
  • $175 a season

The guide says your spending tops out at $175, when it becomes a season pass. Check SurfCast for the current price before you pay.

📱 How to pay

SurfCast by Otto Connect

  • The SurfCast by Otto app (iPhone or Android)
  • Online at park.surfcast.ottoconnect.us, which also shows open spaces in real time (OttoView)
  • Questions: 910-200-1497
  • Double-check your plate number: a typo can still get a ticket
♿ Handicap parking

Free in a handicap space

  • A handicap plate or hangtag parks free in a designated handicap space
  • Any other space needs a paid pass
  • Handicap spaces: Gazebo lot (4), Street Scape lot (4) and the 40th St. lot, per the Town parking map
Surf chairs & accessible walkways →
🏪 Where to park

Lots & marked spaces

  • Town paved lots: the Gazebo lot, the Street Scape lot and the west end of Main St. (40th St.)
  • 8 business spaces near the island shops are free for up to 1 hour
  • Park only inside the marked area: curb stops, gravel lining and Pay-to-Park signs
  • No parking on 7th through 11th St. (Town Council, July 2026)
🛺 Golf carts & LSVs

Green curb stops

  • Golf carts, other LSVs and motorcycles park in roadside spaces marked by green curb stops or signs
  • On Main St., LSV spaces are on the beach side only
  • Regular cars may not park in an LSV space

From the Town of Sunset Beach Beach Parking page, its visitor's guide to paid parking and its Beach Parking map, checked Oct 11, 2026. Tickets are paid on the SurfCast Fast Ticket portal; paying the same day keeps a discount. The signs on site are the final word.

On the sand

Beach rules

From the Town's Beach Rules page. In an emergency, call 911.

🐕
DogsFriday before Memorial Day through Labor Day: no dogs on the beach from 9 AM to 6 PM. Outside those hours, and all the rest of the year, leashed dogs are welcome. Leashed everywhere in town, island and mainland: leash no longer than 10 ft, no electronic leashes. Carry waste bags in plain view: $100 fine per offense.
⛱️
Shades, tents & cabanasNo shades before 7 AM; take them down by sunset. Between 3rd and 29th St., only shades with one point of contact. Canopies, tents and cabanas go in a single line between the trash-can poles, no bigger than 12' x 12', at least 10' from other shades, and never blocking an access. Infant tents up to 36" high and 48" long.
🚑
Keep the emergency lane clearThe emergency vehicle line runs from the trash-can posts to the dunes. Keep people and gear out of it. Umbrellas can go anywhere else on the strand.
🌙
Gear off the beach by sunsetSunset Beach is a turtle sanctuary: all personal property off the strand by sunset, and nothing put out before 7 AM. No sleeping or camping on the beach after dark.
🕳️
HolesFill any hole before you leave or by sunset, whichever comes first.
🌾
DunesKeep off the dunes. They are turtle nesting grounds and protect the island in storms.
🍾
No glassPlastic containers or cans only. Trash cans are at every access.
🎆
Fireworks, lasers, fires & grillsNo fireworks or laser pointers at any time. No bonfires, charcoal or gas grills on the beach at any time.
🚲
Bikes only, no vehiclesOnly non-motorized, classic bicycles on the beach. No vehicles of any kind, including e-bikes and pedal-assist bikes.
🏄
SurfingNot allowed from 5th to 32nd St., May 1 to October 31.
🛟
No lifeguardsThe beach is patrolled during the day, but there are no lifeguards. Check the NWS beach forecast for today's rip current risk.
🚩
Warning flagsYellow: medium hazard, weak swimmers stay out. Red: high hazard, everyone is discouraged from going in. Double red: the water is closed. Purple: jellyfish, stingrays or other stinging marine life (not sharks).

Source: Town of Sunset Beach Beach Rules page (flag meanings as the Town gives them, from the US Lifesaving Association), checked Oct 11, 2026. The page doesn't cover drones, kites, metal detecting, alcohol or fishing; ask Town Hall at 910-579-6297. The Town is the final word. Calabash is on the mainland and has no beach; see Calabash.

Sea turtles

A turtle sanctuary.

The Town calls Sunset Beach a turtle sanctuary. Its rules are built so nesting turtles can come ashore at night with nothing in the way.

  1. See a marked nest? Leave it alone and keep your gear well away from it.
  2. See a turtle or hatchlings? Don't pick them up. Stay back and keep lights off.
  3. Leave it flat. Fill holes and take everything off the sand by sunset.
  4. Stay off the dunes. That's where the nests are.

🐢 Turtle-friendly rental checklist

  • ☐ Porch and pool lights off at night
  • ☐ Blinds closed after dark
  • ☐ Chairs, shades and toys off the beach by sunset
  • ☐ Holes filled in before you leave
  • ☐ Nothing back on the sand before 7 AM