Beach access, parking & the rules

Public beach accesses

The City of Panama City Beach numbers its public beach accesses. Only some have a parking lot of their own, so plan to park at a city lot or one of the piers and walk to the sand. The city's Beach Access page lists which accesses have parking, bike racks and wheelchair access.

Parking

The city runs three paid public lots: 9941 Thomas Drive (across from Ripley's), 600 Henley Drive (off Churchwell Drive, just north of Front Beach Road) and 11209 Front Beach Road at Richard Jackson Boulevard. You pay with the Passport Parking app or at passportparking.com: $2 an hour up to six hours, or $12 for 24 hours. RVs and trailers aren't allowed in those lots. Russell-Fields Pier, M.B. Miller County Pier and St. Andrews and Camp Helen state parks have their own parking and fees. Current rates are on the city's Public Parking page.

What to leave at home

• Glass, even inside a cooler.
• Grills and open flames.
• Shovels for deep holes: no holes deeper than 2 feet, and fill them in before you leave.
• Anything you'd drive onto the sand. Beach driving needs a permit.

Tents, chairs and canopies

Tents and canopies are fine during the day. Under the city's Leave No Trace ordinance, anything left on the sand between 7pm and 7am (tents, chairs, umbrellas, coolers) counts as abandoned and can be removed. Don't set up in the emergency lane that runs along the dunes, and stay off the dunes themselves. Details: Leave No Trace.

Dogs

Dogs are allowed only at Dog Beach, on the west side of Russell-Fields Pier across from Pier Park. ADA service animals working with their handler are the exception; emotional support animals are not. Fines start at $50. City dog rules.

Alcohol

Adults 21 and up can drink on the beach except in March, when alcohol isn't allowed on the sand. Glass is never allowed.

Beach flags

Flagpoles along the beach show water conditions. The water is closed only when double red flags are flying. Read the flag meanings on the city's Beach Flags page, or text PCBFLAGS to 888777 for alerts.

Always check the beach warning flags at your nearest beach access before entering the water.

Wildlife

Don't touch or bother sea turtles, nesting sites or other wildlife. That's federal law as well as city rules.