Is Parking Free on Tybee Island?

No. Parking on Tybee Island is not free. Nearly all public parking is paid, every day of the year.

The City of Tybee posts the rules on its Parking Services page. Right now it lists $4.00 an hour, enforced from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., every day of the year. There is also a $25 day pass.

The one sure way to skip the meter is to stay somewhere that includes a space. The Sandcastle Inn has a free on-site lot, with one car per room.

What the City charges

The City sets the price, and the City can change it. These are the numbers on its page today:

• $4.00 an hour for public parking.
• 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. is when you pay. The City says this is enforced citywide, year-round.
• $25 for a day pass. It runs until midnight of the day you pick.

There is no free lot on the quiet end of the island. There is no free Sunday.

Before you drive over, read the City's page. It is the one place that always shows the current rules.

How you pay

Tybee does not take cash or coins. That surprises people who still keep quarters in the cup holder.

You have two ways to pay:

1. The Park TYB app. Download it, then enter Zone 2100 for the island.
2. A kiosk. Use a card at the machine.

The City also lets you pay online at TybeeIsland.CMRPay.com. Set up the app before you cross the bridge. Cell service can be slow when the beach is full, and a parking ticket is a poor way to start a trip.

You can also buy the day pass up to 30 days ahead. If you plan to be on the sand from morning to evening, it is worth a look. It beats feeding the app hour after hour.

The details that change the cost

The question sounds simple, but the real cost depends on how you spend your day.

How long you stay. A short stop for coffee costs a few dollars. A full beach day at $4.00 an hour adds up fast. That is where the day pass earns its place.

How many days you stay. Pay for a day, and you only solve that day. Pay for three days, and the cost stacks up. For a long weekend, free parking at your room matters more than it first seems.

Where you sleep. If your room is a five-minute walk from the sand, you can park once and leave the car alone. You never need a public space for the beach at all. You walk there.

The calendar. Do not plan around a free day. The City page does not list one, so we do not promise any. Plan for the posted rate.

Where the Sandcastle Inn fits

We are a simple, dog-friendly, good-value inn at 1402 Butler Avenue. We are not on the water. The sand is about a five-minute walk.

Every room comes with free on-site parking, one car per room. Park the car when you arrive. Walk to the beach, the pier and most restaurants. Skip the meter and the app.

Here is how that adds up. Say you spend a long weekend on the island. You arrive on Friday, and you leave on Sunday. If you drove to the beach each day and paid the posted rate, the cost would grow with every hour you stayed. With the free lot, you pay nothing to keep the car where it is.

A few things help the plan work:

• Each room gets one car. If your group brings two vehicles, think about that before you book.
• The inn has 60 rooms, with King Rooms and Two Double Rooms.
• Check-in is at 4:00 PM and check-out is at 11:00 AM.
• Stay 2 nights and save 10%. Stay 3 nights and save 15%. Both are on our special offers page.

Details on the rooms and the property are on our amenities page.

Bringing a dog

The inn is dog-friendly. The pet fee is $25 per pet, per night. In the off season, it's $25 per pet for the first night, then $10 per pet per night after that.

The beach is a different story. Dogs are not allowed on Tybee's beach. Service dogs are the exception. Dogs are welcome elsewhere in town on a leash. Our guide to dog-friendly Tybee Island lays out where they can go.

Want the full list of rules?

This post covers one question. For the rest, our guide to Tybee Island parking and beach rules covers glass, golf carts, dogs and more.

For more to do once the car is parked, see our things to do page.

The short version

Public parking on Tybee is paid. The City currently posts $4.00 an hour, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., every day of the year, plus a $25 day pass. You pay by app or kiosk, with no cash.

The Sandcastle Inn's lot is free for guests, one car per room. Planning your trip? Check our special offers and book your stay.