Beach parking in Boca Raton changed on Oct. 1, 2026. The City of Boca Raton raised its daily entry fees, stopped taking cash at the gatehouses and started a new permit year. Older articles still quote the previous fees, so check the date on anything you read. We read the City’s Beach Permits and Daily Rates page on Oct. 20, 2026, 19 days after the new table took effect. This guide is not the City of Boca Raton; the City’s page is the one that counts.
The short version, as of Oct. 20, 2026
Car (Class 1 vehicle): $40 weekdays, $55 weekends and holidays. Class 2 vehicle: $95 and $140. Trailer: $35 extra. No cash at City gatehouses. A day pass is good at one park, for one day. Annual permits run Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2027.
- As of October 1, 2026, the City's daily beach park entry fee for a car (Class 1 vehicle) is $40 on weekdays and $55 on weekends and holidays. A daily pass is valid only at the park where it is bought, for that day. City of Boca Raton: Beach Permits & Daily Rates
- Beginning October 1, 2026, City beach park gatehouses no longer accept cash; they take debit and credit cards, Google Pay and Apple Pay. City of Boca Raton: Beach Permits & Daily Rates
- Older third-party articles quote beach fees of $17-$18 a day. The City's current table (as of October 1, 2026) is $40 weekdays and $55 weekends/holidays for a car. Never use the old figures. City of Boca Raton: Beach Permits & Daily Rates (vs. The Coastal Star snippet)
The daily entry fees, vehicle by vehicle
The City runs three beach parks with gatehouses: South Beach Park, Red Reef Park and Spanish River Park. One fee table covers all three. The fee is per vehicle, not per person, and the City sorts vehicles into classes:
- Class 1 vehicle (a car): $40 on weekdays, $55 on weekends and holidays.
- Class 2 vehicle: $95 on weekdays, $140 on weekends and holidays. The City’s table lists this class separately from cars; ask at the gatehouse if you are not sure which class your vehicle is in.
- Trailer behind a vehicle: $35, in addition to the daily fee or an annual permit.
Some simple arithmetic from the table: a weekend or holiday visit in a car costs $15 more than a weekday visit ($55 minus $40). For a Class 2 vehicle the weekend premium is $45 ($140 minus $95). A car pulling a trailer pays $75 on a weekday ($40 plus $35) and $90 on a weekend ($55 plus $35). If your dates are flexible, a weekday is the lower price at every City beach park.
- The City runs three beach parks: Spanish River Park (3001 N. State Road A1A), Red Reef Park (1400 N. Ocean Blvd.) and South Beach Park (400 N. State Road A1A). City of Boca Raton: Beaches
Rules that catch people out
No cash at the gatehouse
Beginning Oct. 1, 2026, City beach park gatehouses no longer accept cash. They take debit and credit cards, Google Pay and Apple Pay. If you are used to paying with bills from the glovebox, bring a card or a phone wallet instead.
A day pass is good at one park only
A daily pass is valid only at the park where it is bought, for that day. Pay at Red Reef in the morning and you cannot use the same pass to drive into Spanish River after lunch. Pick the park before you pay. Our Boca Raton beach guide compares the three parks so you can choose once.
Permits and passes do not cover meters
The City says annual beach permits are not valid at metered spaces anywhere in the city, including at the beaches. The South Beach Pavilion, on Palmetto Park Road, has metered parking only, and those spaces must be paid at the meter or in the ParkMobile app.
- Annual beach permits are not valid at metered spaces anywhere in the city. The South Beach Pavilion has metered parking only. City of Boca Raton: South Beach Park & Pavilion
- Downtown metered spaces are marked with a painted number, rates vary by location, and payment is by the ParkMobile app or card at the meter. Parking Services: 561-367-7048. Downtown Boca (Boca Raton CRA): Easy Parking
Annual permits and the 2026-27 permit year
The City’s Annual Beach Vehicle Entry Permit runs from Oct. 1, 2026 to Sept. 30, 2027, and the City says permits are not prorated. There are two resident prices:
- $90 for City of Boca Raton and Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District residents, good at all three beach parks.
- $108 for other Palm Beach County residents, good at South Beach Park only.
- An Annual Beach Vehicle Entry Permit (October 1 to September 30) is $90 for City of Boca Raton and Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District residents, covering all three beach parks, and $108 for other Palm Beach County residents, for South Beach Park only. City of Boca Raton: Beach Permits & Daily Rates
Is a permit worth it? For a City or District resident, two weekday visits cost $80, less than the $90 permit. A third weekday visit brings the total to $120, more than the permit. Two weekend visits cost $110, which is already above $90. The same math holds against the $108 County permit, which costs less than three weekday passes or two weekend passes, as long as South Beach Park is the park you use. Because permits are not prorated, buying one on Oct. 20 still gives you 346 days of use, counting today and Sept. 30.
The City page we read lists resident permits only. Visitors from outside Palm Beach County pay the daily fee.
Lower-cost options the sources support
Go on a weekday
The weekday rate is $15 less for a car. That is the simplest saving in the table.
Use a meter for a short visit
The City lists metered, ParkMobile spaces at the South Beach Pavilion on Palmetto Park Road, at Red Reef Park West across A1A, and on Spanish River Boulevard just before A1A. The City does not print the meter rate. It says rates vary by location and are posted at the meter and in the ParkMobile app, so read the meter before you compare it with a day pass. Our downtown parking guide covers ParkMobile and the space-number system.
South Inlet Park, a County park, charges by the hour
South Inlet Park, at 1100 S Ocean Blvd, is run by Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation, not the City. The County’s South Inlet Park page lists automated parking at $4 an hour Monday to Friday and $5 an hour on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, tax included. Payment is by credit card at the kiosks or by ParkMobile, and the County asks you to note your space number before you walk to the kiosk. The park is open sunrise to sunset.
The arithmetic: 10 weekday hours at South Inlet cost the same as one $40 City day pass, and 11 weekend hours match the $55 weekend pass. A two-hour weekday swim there is $8. The County lists a $35 fine for unlawful parking and says you can get more than one ticket a day. It also says a handicap placard alone does not exempt a vehicle from its fee. An older search snippet gave a different rate, so read the kiosk sign on the day.
Leave the car downtown
BocaConnect, the City’s on-demand electric shuttle, serves the barrier island from Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to the Boca Raton Inlet. Rides inside the downtown zone are free; rides to or from the outer zone are $2 per rider plus $1 per extra rider, capped at $5. The City’s zone map decides which zone a beach address is in, and we have not seen it in words, so we do not say which fare applies. The service area stops at the inlet, so do not count on it for South Inlet Park. More in our BocaConnect guide.
- BocaConnect serves the area south of Glades Road, east of I-95, north of the Hillsboro Canal and west of NE 5th Way/SE 5th Avenue/Royal Palm Way, plus the barrier island from Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to the Boca Raton Inlet. Rides within the red (downtown) zone are free; rides to or from the outer zone are $2 per rider plus $1 per extra rider, capped at $5. City of Boca Raton: BocaConnect – Circuit Shuttle
What the fee gets you
Each park has its own hours and lot size, per the City: Red Reef Park is open 8am to 10pm with 230 spaces, South Beach Park 8am to sunset with 228 spaces, and Spanish River Park 8am to sunset with 816 spaces. Ocean Rescue lifeguards staff all three every day. Daylight saving time ends Nov. 1, 2026 (the federal date; the City states hours by time regime, not by date), and from then the City’s standard-time hours of 9am to 5pm apply.
- Red Reef Park is open 8am to 10pm, with 230 parking spaces (permit or daily fee), a boardwalk, snorkeling pods and 54 grills. City of Boca Raton: Red Reef Park Beach
- South Beach Park is open 8am to sunset with 228 parking spaces that need a permit or daily fee; the City says its pavilion is the place for a sunrise view. City of Boca Raton: South Beach Park & Pavilion
- Spanish River Park is open 8am to sunset, with 816 parking spaces, beach and Intracoastal frontage, a canoe/kayak launch and rentable pavilions. The City calls its beach a Blue Flag award winner. City of Boca Raton: Spanish River Park Beach
- Boca Raton Ocean Rescue lifeguards staff South Beach, Red Reef and Spanish River parks every day, year-round, 9am to 5pm Eastern Standard Time and 9am to 6:30pm during daylight saving time. City of Boca Raton: Ocean Rescue
- The City gives lifeguard hours by time regime (9am-5pm standard time, 9am-6:30pm daylight time) but not by date. seasons.json maps these to the federal DST dates (DST ends Nov 1, 2026; begins Mar 14, 2027); those calendar dates are not on the City page. City of Boca Raton: Ocean Rescue
Two more costs to plan for. Dog owners: a Bark Beach permit at Spanish River Park does not include beach parking. And the City’s park rules ban alcohol, Styrofoam, drones, balloons, fires and pets (outside Bark Beach) in its parks and on its beaches, so pack accordingly.
- As of October 1, 2026, Bark Beach dog permits are $70 a year for City and Beach and Park District residents, $630 a year for non-residents, or $20 per visit for a three-day permit. Beach parking is not included. City of Boca Raton: Bark Beach Dog Entry Permit
- City park pages list pets, smoking, alcoholic beverages, Styrofoam, drones, balloons and confetti, overnight camping and fires as prohibited in City of Boca Raton parks, beaches and facilities. City of Boca Raton: Red Reef Park Beach (Park Rules & Regulations)
Before you drive to the beach
- Bring a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No cash at the gatehouse.
- Choose one park. The day pass will not move with you.
- Do not park a permit car at a meter without paying the meter.
- Check the date: fees quoted before Oct. 1, 2026 are out of date.
For the rest of the day, our plan your visit page links the beach to downtown, and getting here covers the drive and the train.
Beach questions
How much does beach parking cost in Boca Raton?
As of October 1, 2026, a day pass for a car at a City beach park is $40 on weekdays and $55 on weekends and holidays, valid only at that park for that day. Gatehouses no longer take cash; bring a card or use Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Can BocaConnect take me to the beach?
The City's service area includes the barrier island from Gumbo Limbo Nature Center to the Boca Raton Inlet. The fare depends on the zone on the City's service-area map, and any ride in the outer zone must start or end in the free downtown zone.
Which beaches are closest to downtown and who runs them?
The City of Boca Raton runs three beach parks on A1A: South Beach Park (400 N. Ocean Blvd.), Red Reef Park (1400 N. Ocean Blvd.) and Spanish River Park (3001 N. Ocean Blvd.). Gumbo Limbo Nature Center sits at the north end of Red Reef Park.
Source: City of Boca Raton: Beaches
Is there a cheaper way to park at the beach?
Residents can buy an Annual Beach Vehicle Entry Permit (October 1 to September 30): $90 for City and Beach and Park District residents, covering all three beach parks, or $108 for other Palm Beach County residents, valid at South Beach Park only.
When are lifeguards on duty?
Boca Raton Ocean Rescue staffs South Beach, Red Reef and Spanish River parks every day, year-round, from 9am to 5pm in standard time and 9am to 6:30pm during daylight saving time.
Source: City of Boca Raton: Ocean Rescue
Can I bring my dog to the beach?
Only to Bark Beach at Spanish River Park, between lifeguard towers 18 and 20, with a Bark Beach dog permit. It is open daily 7-9am and from 3pm (standard time) or 5pm (daylight time) until sunset; pets are not allowed on other City beaches or at Gumbo Limbo.
Is Gumbo Limbo Nature Center free?
Yes, general admission is free. The nature center is open Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 4pm and Monday noon to 4pm, and its trails and boardwalk are open 7am to sunset.
Source: City of Boca Raton: Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Plan Your Visit
When is sea turtle nesting season?
Gumbo Limbo says nesting season in South Florida runs March 1 through October 31, and FWC asks that decorative beachfront lights stay off until it ends. Gumbo Limbo's 2026 Turtle Walks sold out; 2027 dates are not posted yet.
Source: City of Boca Raton: Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Nesting
Written by the Downtown Boca Raton Guide Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.
Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: City of Boca Raton (official site)
