St Augustine Beach Dog Rules: Leads and Access

You can take a pet dog onto the public beach at St Augustine Beach, provided you keep it restrained and follow the applicable access hours. City rules and St Johns County guidance give different time and lead conditions, so do not treat public-beach permission as unrestricted access. Anastasia State Park is different: its beach and beach-access boardwalks are closed to ordinary pets. Frank B. Butler County Park East offers a named alternative for reaching the county beach with your dog.

Dogs on the public beach

Public-beach pet access

Permitted with a lead and direct physical control

City access, daylight saving time

5pm–9am

City access, standard time

4pm–10am

City maximum lead length

16 feet

County maximum restraint length

12 feet

County ordinance access, 1 October–31 March

Any hour

County ordinance access, 1 April–30 September

5pm–9am

The City of St Augustine Beach conditions and the St Johns County ordinance windows are separate rules, not a single all-day permission. County beach guidance gives restraint requirements without a recurring dog-access window, while the county ordinance sets the seasonal windows above. Within the city, plan around the municipal hours rather than relying on broader county guidance.

Bring a short handheld lead that meets both authorities’ limits. The city also prohibits dogs wandering, straying or being left unaccompanied. County beach rules cover the sand from the seawall or permanent vegetation line and extend into the water up to 3 miles offshore.

The county Animal Code’s dog-park restraint exception does not apply on the beach. Its Beach Code creates no express service-animal exception to beach restraint, so the state park’s service-animal policy should not be applied here.

Leads, swimming and dog waste

On the sand and in the water

Do

• Keep your dog on a lead and under direct physical control, including while it swims.
• Under St Johns County beach rules, immediately collect dog waste and dispose of it in a public rubbish bin.

Don’t

• Unclip the lead at the waterline or let your dog swim loose.
• Leave waste on the sand or leave a filled bag behind.

Carry your own waste bags and drinking water. St Johns County provides bags at most walkovers and vehicle-access ramps, but not every access has them. Keep bags within reach so that cleaning up does not depend on finding a dispenser.

Choose cooler conditions for your dog’s comfort and allow drinking breaks. A swim does not replace drinking water, and entering the sea does not change how you must control the dog.

St Augustine Beach’s municipal law and code enforcement operate within the city limits, not along the entire county shoreline. County animal-control ordinances are adopted within the city. If an officer intervenes, bring your dog under control and follow the lawful direction given.

Anastasia State Park and Butler beach access

Look for the park boundary signs near the public beach access at the end of Pope Road. They mark the change from the adjoining public beach into Anastasia State Park. Keep a walk with an ordinary pet on the public-beach side rather than continuing past those signs.

Anastasia State Park welcomes working service animals accompanying visitors with disabilities in all public areas, including the beach. The animal must be individually trained to perform tasks for that person. It must be harnessed, leashed or tethered unless this interferes with its work or the visitor’s disability prevents it. In that case, the visitor must maintain control through voice, signals or other effective commands.

Frank B. Butler County Park East gives you a pedestrian route over the dunes to the adjoining county beach.

• Choose Butler East with your dog on a lead no longer than 12 feet and under your direct control. Carry your own waste bags so you can promptly collect and remove any waste.

From the parking area, take the boardwalk to the beach sand. The walkover is about 309 feet long and has 21 steps, so allow for handling your dog on the stepped approach rather than expecting a level route all the way to the sand.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, as well as services.

• Find Your Perfect Place in the Sand
• City of St. Augustine Beach code materials
• St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners — service
• Beach Rules & Safe Driving
• St. Johns County; City of St. Augustine Beach — service
• Ordinance No. 2017-01
• Experiences & Amenities | Florida State Parks
• Park Rules — Anastasia State Park
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation and Parks — service
• Florida Park Service — service
• St. Johns County — fares and charges
• Ordinance No. 19-13