Carteret County beach parking fee increases

ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. (WITN) - If you’re heading to Atlantic Beach you’ll be paying more to park in just a few weeks.

Between April 1 and September 30, Atlantic Beach is increasing their beach parking rates from $4.00 an hour to $5.00 and decreasing their parking timeframe by an hour from 9 am-6 pm to now 9 am to 5 pm; all to generate more funds to maintain beach services.

“It covers most of our cost to operate at the circle and that’s what our goal is to help offset our fireworks, beach music festival, events that draw in a lot of people, help maintain our bath houses, do those renovations, keep the board walk clear of sand and those things and as well to provide life guards,” says Atlantic Beach town manager John O’Daniel.

One Atlantic Beach visitor says the fee increase won’t change people coming to Atlantic Beach or sway them to travel to Fort Macon, where parking is free, and that the price to come to Atlantic Beach is worth it.

“I really don’t think it’ll make much of a difference with parking here. I think, you know, if you come here, you come to a place for sports or something like that, Fort Macon is totally different.

Atlantic Beach will be offering a limited time, two-week window for locals with vehicles registered in Carteret County to purchase seasonal paid parking passes for $150, versus the normal $200 seasonal pass offered to everyone.

Atlantic Beach property owners and businesses will be allowed free parking with annual parking pass registration.

The Hang 10 Donut manager says she still thinks the increase will drive out visitors.

A lot of college kids like coming down for the Summer and Spring Break when the weather is nice but in the coming weeks I hope more people want to come to the beach, but I feel like it’s going to turn them away a little bit," says Jazmin Luciano.

The town of Beaufort and Emerald Isle say their parking fees for the year will not be increasing which still stands at $4.00 an hour.

Carteret County does not fund beach services, so Atlantic Beach is increasing their parking rates by a dollar to ensure that residents do not fully subsidize tourist-related beach services.

Carteret County beach parking fee increases

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