FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It seems like it should not be a challenge: Load the folding chairs into the car, head for the beach, find a place to park and set up on the sand.
But beaches have an assortment of weird rules that sand lovers could unknowingly violate. No tables allowed next to your beach chairs? No business transactions in the sand? Cigars are OK, but not cigarettes? Who thinks of these things?
South Florida has so many cities on the beach, each with a different set of rules. Here’s a selection to help you out. Some are important for the everyday beachgoer, while others you may never need but are good to know, just in case you attend a wedding on the beach and want to sit in a chair (not allowed in Delray Beach).
City-by-city
- Fort Lauderdale: No swimming in long pants or shoes. Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue Chief Alexandre Bagwell explains the rule this way: “Neighbors and visitors are advised not to swim fully clothed or in long pants and/or shoes because it doesn’t allow for efficient swimming, especially during strong rip currents. Swimming in the water can be a hazard. Ocean Rescue will politely whistle swimmers out of the water if they are wearing pants and/or shoes, and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department will be contacted only if necessary.”
No drying your clothes on trees, bushes, tables or in/around restrooms. According to Bagwell, “This can cause blind spots for Ocean Rescue, which is a matter of public safety. Also, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s homeless outreach officers and/or park rangers will be contacted if warranted.”
- Hollywood: No tables allowed on the beach. “Generally speaking, because a table is hard to anchor down on a sandy beach, and it can block sight lines for lifeguards, posing a public safety risk, tables are only allowed in the designated picnic area of the sandy beach and parks,” Hollywood spokeswoman Joann Hussey said. “That said, they can be used via a special event permit that is applied for and approved by the city prior to an event.”
No food on the Broadwalk wall. This is the wall that separates the promenade from the beach. “I am told the Broadwalk wall rule came about after repeated issues,” Hussey said. “Pedestrians were being prevented from sitting/or stopping to rest, which is one of the original purposes for the wall, in addition to holding the sand back on the beach, etc. The wall apparently was repeatedly being used as a large table or storage area by individual families, thereby preventing others from enjoying this public amenity.”
- Pompano Beach: No conducting business on the beach. The city doesn’t allow people to “sell, peddle, or carry on any business on or within 50 feet of the municipal public beach and any park recreational or cultural facility. This provision shall not apply to persons having express permission to do so from the City Commission or its authorized agents or personnel.”
Pompano Beach spokeswoman Sandra King said the law was initially implemented in 1959 and amended in 1991 and 2022 with safety and competitive concerns in mind, including “the potential for unlicensed vendors setting up at city facilities, such as food, bounce houses, dive cages, etc. (The city has a public event permitting process which multiple disciplines review including risk management, police and fire).” The city also has an agreement with its beachside Fishing Village that includes a no-compete clause so vendors don’t sell items similar to those sold in the village.
No changing of clothes unless you’re younger than 6. You may not “dress or undress, either by changing from ordinary street clothes into bathing or beach attire, or from beach attire into ordinary street clothes, on the municipal beach or municipal swimming pools or while riding in a motor vehicle on any public street or park in the city. This provision shall not apply to children under the age of six years, nor to restrooms or locker rooms provided for that purpose by the city.”
- Delray Beach: No sitting down at weddings. According to the city’s website, “you can have a wedding on the beach, however you are not allowed to set up any chairs, tents, arches, tables, etc. The wedding must be between the hours of 8 a.m. and sunset, with no more than 25 in attendance and you will have to contend with the beach being open to the public.”
Lynda Wieland, Delray Beach’s business operations administrator, said the city tries to balance public access with giving residents room to enjoy private ceremonies. “This rule has been in effect since prior to my starting (in 2017), so not sure as to the when/why, but I imagine it is so the public can enjoy without having to give up space for special events.”
Rules found in many cities
Smoking: There’s no cigarette smoking allowed on the beach in many cities, including Pompano Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. Thanks to a new Florida law, cities have been approving beach cigarette bans in the past year, and there’s been little controversy. Cigar-lovers, however, caught a break: Cigar smoking is allowed due to an exemption in the state law.
Nudity: This is not allowed on public beaches anywhere in Broward or Palm Beach counties.
Sea turtle nests: Steer clear! It’s against federal and state laws to touch or disturb sea turtles or their nests. These nests are easy to find along South Florida beaches this summer and often have markings around them to ensure humans stay away. However, you can participate in organized sea turtle walks.
Dogs: Dog policies are confusing as each city has its own rules. Some do not allow dogs at all, others on select days, others every day. And some — such as Boca Raton, which has a dog beach open only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays — require permits. Boynton Beach’s Oceanfront Park beach allows dogs on some Saturdays in fall and winter. Fort Lauderdale has a permit-required Canine Beach that’s open daily, but only from 6 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. In Hollywood, dogs are allowed any day sunrise to sunset but only between Pershing and Custer streets, no permit needed. Dogs are not allowed on Delray Beach and Deerfield Beach.
Swimming: In Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach, Hollywood and Pompano Beach, swimmers must stay within 50 yards of the shore. Lifeguards are on duty at many beaches from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but they stay as late as 7 p.m. at others. Some cities, such as Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Pompano Beach, have designated surfing areas.
