Tybee Island Parking and Beach Rules: What to Know Before You Go

Two things separate a smooth day on Tybee from an expensive one, and the weather is neither. One is where you put the car. The other is what you carry onto the sand.

Neither set of rules is complicated. Both are enforced, and a few of them catch out people who have been coming here for twenty years: the meter runs on Christmas morning, the glass ban covers the parking lot as well as the beach, and dogs are not allowed on the sand in any month.

Here are the twelve worth knowing before you cross the bridge. Parking comes first, because that's the part that costs money.

The parking rules

1. The meter is $4.00 an hour, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 365 days a year

Public parking on Tybee runs $4.00 an hour. The city's own wording is worth quoting, because visitors keep testing it: "Payment for parking is enforced citywide, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., year-round, including weekends & holidays."

Citywide means citywide. There is no free lot at the quiet end of the island, no free Sunday, no free week in February. Park without paying and fines apply. We aren't printing a figure here, and there's a note at the bottom of this post explaining why.

2. No cash, no coins, so sort out payment before you arrive

This is the change that strands the most people. In the city's words, "The City of Tybee no longer is accepting coins or cash." The jar of quarters in your glovebox is now a jar of quarters.

Three ways to pay: the Park TYB app, the kiosks in the lots (pay and display, so the slip goes on your dashboard), or TybeeIsland.CMRPay.com in a browser. Install the app at home rather than standing in a hot lot with a slow download.

3. Past about six hours, the $25 day pass is the cheaper ticket

Run a normal beach day. Arrive at 9 a.m., leave at 6 p.m., and the hourly rate has taken $36 off you. The city's $25 day pass covers the same day for less, so the break-even sits a little past six hours. Staying longer, a pass valid up to seven consecutive days costs $175. Both can be bought up to 30 days in advance, which is worth doing if your dates are locked.

Longer-term passes exist too, for regulars and for residents. We're not quoting those prices: the figures published in different places don't match each other, and a wrong number here costs you real money at the kiosk. Buy from the source. The city's Parking Services page has the current list.

4. There are around 2,100 public spaces, and it pays to pick your lot in advance

Tybee has roughly 2,100 public parking spaces spread across the island rather than one big beach lot. The ones most visitors want:

• South Beach, the lots between 14th and 18th Streets, closest to the pier and the main strip
• North Beach, at 37 Meddin Drive, by the lighthouse
• Van Horne and Fort, also at the north end
• the Jaycee and Memorial lots
• Tybee Oaks
• Back River, near Chatham Avenue on the island's back-river side

Decide which one you're aiming for before you turn off Butler, and have a second choice ready. Circling a full lot with the meter already running on your patience is nobody's idea of a beach day.

5. A room with parking included removes the line item entirely

Here's where we have an interest, so we'll say it plainly. Every room at the Sandcastle Inn comes with free on-site parking, one car per room. We're on Butler Avenue, about a five-minute walk from the sand, with the pier, the shops and most of the restaurants within a few blocks.

The practical effect is that the car stops being part of your day. Park on arrival, walk to the beach, walk to dinner, touch the keys again when you leave. Over a long weekend, the meter you don't feed pays for a decent meal. Our amenities page has the rest of what comes with the room, and if you're costing out a whole trip, our budget guide to Tybee does the arithmetic in more detail.

The beach rules

6. Dogs are not allowed on the beach, in any month

This is the rule we correct most often, because a lot of travel sites get it wrong. Dogs and other pets are not permitted on Tybee's beaches, or on the structures built on them, at any time of year. Service and guide dogs are excepted. There is no October reprieve, no winter loophole, no early-morning window. Fines apply.

What's true is the rest of it: the island is genuinely good with dogs everywhere else. On a leash or under direct control, your dog is welcome on public property across Tybee, and we're a dog-friendly inn ourselves. Two pets of any size, $25 per pet per night capped at $75 per pet per stay, ground-floor rooms, crated if you leave them alone in the room, with a pet relief area on the property. For what actually fills a dog's day here, see our six dog-friendly things to do on Tybee or the longer dog guide.

7. No glass, and the ban follows you off the sand

Glass and other breakable containers are prohibited on the beaches. The part people miss: the same rule applies in the public parking lots and on the sidewalks. So the bottle stays in the cooler in the car, or better, doesn't come at all. Cans, cartons and hard plastic solve it.

8. The entire beach is smoke-free and vape-free

Smoking and vaping have been banned on any beach area since June 1, 2022. It's a full ban rather than a designated-areas arrangement, and it covers e-cigarettes as squarely as it covers cigarettes.

9. Your trash stays in a container, and that includes balloons

The city's requirement is blunt: beachgoers must have their trash in a container at all times. Bottles, cans, food, and cigarette butts all count as litter, butts included whether or not you think of them that way.

Balloon releases and sky lanterns fall under the same rule. They're a popular idea for a beach wedding or a memorial and they are not permitted, which is worth knowing well before the day.

10. Stay off the dunes and leave the sea oats where they are

Disturbing the dunes or the sea oats is prohibited. The dune line is what stands between Butler Avenue and a storm surge, and the sea oats are what hold it together, so this one is structural rather than decorative. Use the marked crossovers to get from the street to the sand.

11. Lights out for sea turtles, sunset to sunrise, May 1 through October 31

From May 1 to October 31, Tybee runs a "Lights Out" rule from sunset to sunrise. Sea turtles nest on these beaches through the summer, and artificial light pulls hatchlings inland instead of out toward the water. If you're planning an evening on the beach in that window, plan for it to be dark.

12. Golf carts have their own map of the island

Carts are a genuinely good way to get around Tybee, and they come with real restrictions.

They are not permitted on the beaches, on sidewalks or on bike paths, and they cannot be driven on the four-lane stretch of Highway 80 and Butler Avenue. Crossing that stretch happens at the designated crossings: Campbell Avenue, Jones Avenue and 14th Street.

On the rental side, the primary renter generally needs to be 25 or older with a driver's licence, a credit card and proof of auto insurance. Additional drivers are usually 18 and up. Tybee Golf Carts is one of the operators on the island, and you'll find it on our things to do page. If you're staying somewhere walkable, ask yourself honestly whether you need one at all.

What we've deliberately left out

Two numbers people expect in a post like this are missing, on purpose.

Fine amounts. The figures we found for beach-rule violations don't agree with each other across sources, and quoting a wrong one either alarms you or leaves you underprepared. Fines apply. The City of Tybee's beach rules and parking page is the place to check the current penalties, and it's the source for every beach rule above.

Long-term pass prices. Same reason. The annual, senior and transferable pass prices published in different places don't match, so we've pointed you at Parking Services instead of printing a figure you'd budget against.

We've also left out rules we couldn't confirm from the city directly. If you've read somewhere that a particular thing is banned on Tybee's beach and it isn't in the list above, that doesn't mean it's allowed. It means we couldn't verify it and won't guess. The city publishes the full list, and it takes about two minutes to read.

Planning a trip? Check availability and our current offers. Park once, walk everywhere, leave the glass in the car, and you've handled nearly all of this before you reach the sand.