The Atlantic Beach beach driving season opened October 1 and runs through March 15. Most of the rules are the same as last year. The Town did change one thing: some permits that used to be free now cost $5 if you buy them online, and stay free only at the counter. Under that change sits an older rule that matters more. The vehicle is what qualifies. The registration card in your glove box settles county residency for pricing and decides whether a special rate applies. It also decides whether the truck can go on the sand at all.
The Registration Card Sets the Price
The Town's permit page lists three standard annual tiers, and they match the FY2026-27 fee schedule, which took effect July 1, 2026 and was last amended September 28, 2026.
| Permit holder | 2026-27 annual permit |
|---|---|
| Atlantic Beach resident or property owner | $50 |
| Carteret County resident or property owner | $100 |
| Resident or property owner outside Carteret County | $125 |
The line under that list matters most. "County residency is determined by the vehicle registration card," the Town's beach driving permit page says. Each tier covers residents and property owners alike, but when the question is which county you live in, the Town looks at the truck's registration card. If you split time between a cottage on the island and a primary home somewhere else, check what the registration card shows before you buy.
Every standard permit also requires a valid driver's license and a registration card for a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Permits bought online are mailed out during regular business hours.
Four-Wheel Drive Means Four-Wheel Drive
The vehicle rule comes straight from the Town Code, and the permit page quotes it in full:
All vehicles must be equipped with four-wheel drive with the capability of maneuvering in sandy areas. Permits shall not be issued for a) all-wheel drive vehicles, b) all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), c) utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), or d) any vehicle without proof of valid registration and four-wheel drive.
The same section requires insurance that meets North Carolina's minimum liability limits under G.S. 20-279. It also requires a valid license plate and a valid registration card on the vehicle at all times. That registration card does a second job here. You show it at the counter to get the permit, and the code also requires it to stay in the truck whenever the truck is on the beach.
A crossover with all-wheel drive is out under this language, however capable it feels on a sandy shoulder. Side-by-sides and four-wheelers are out too.
The $5 Change, and Why the Counter Matters
At the May 26 meeting where the Town Council approved the FY2026-27 budget, the fee changes included one that drew little attention. The Carteret County News-Times reported that "beach driving permits will increase to $5 for certain groups that previously had the fee waived." The Town's permit page now lays out who those groups are and what each one pays.
- Atlantic Beach residents or property owners age 65 and older get one free permit when they buy in person at Town Hall. Online, the same permit costs $5. The four-wheel-drive vehicle must be registered to that resident or property owner.
- Persons with disabilities, any age, pay $5 for one permit, online or in person. Qualified Atlantic Beach residents or property owners get the $5 waived when they buy in person at Town Hall. Applicants bring the vehicle registration, driver's license, handicap placard and the DMV registration card for the placard. The vehicle must be registered to the person with the disability, and any extra permits cost the full rate.
- Purple Heart recipients pay $5 for one permit, online or in person, with the same in-person waiver for qualified Atlantic Beach residents or property owners. Accepted proof includes a DD Form 214, discharge papers, military personnel records, orders or award certificates. The vehicle must be registered to the recipient.
The pattern holds across all three. Each special rate requires the four-wheel-drive vehicle to be registered to the qualifying person. The free version of each permit now also comes with a trip to Town Hall at 125 West Fort Macon Road.
Commercial fishermen are handled separately. They can get one free pass in person at Town Hall by bringing the front and back of a current commercial fishing license, and the vehicle must be registered to the fisherman. The Town spells out that this pass "is not a beach driving permit." It covers access to the strand only "while actively commercial fishing."
Once You're on the Sand
The permit gets the truck through two gates and no others. Henderson Boulevard is the east entrance and Raleigh Avenue is the west. Once you're past them, a short list of code rules decides where the truck can go, when, and how fast.
- Hours run on the clock. The Town lists driving hours as 5:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily. Under the code, it is unlawful to drive, park or have a vehicle on the beach or an access area before 5:00 a.m. or after 7:30 p.m. without written permission from the police department. A 2025 WCTI story described the window as dawn to dusk. Fixed hours read differently in December, when sunset comes well before 7:30 and a truck can legally sit on the beach after dark.
- The driving lane has an edge. Vehicles are allowed on the designated accessways and on the hard-packed sand between the water and a line 10 feet seaward of the nearest dune toe, or 10 feet from a bulkhead. Permit holders cannot drive on the rest of the beach and dune area.
- The speed limit is 20. Town Code Section 5-28 makes it unlawful to go faster than 20 miles per hour in the driving areas and accessways. The same 2025 WCTI story gave the limit as 25 mph, but the code sets it at 20.
- People on foot go first. Pedestrians and swimmers have the right-of-way over vehicles, and permit holders and their passengers may not leave litter on the sand.
- Sections can close on short notice. The mayor or a designee can close the whole beach or part of it for up to 10 days when conditions threaten the environment, health, safety or public welfare. Longer closures go to the Town Council.
What the Truck Is Getting You To This Fall
The fall fishing reports explain why so many trucks head out this time of year. In its October 2026 Morehead/Atlantic Beach report, Fisherman's Post quoted Chasin' Tails. Anglers had been catching "a bunch of spanish mackerel and bluefish from inside the inlet to out along the beachfronts," and it was "a better class of spanish" hitting casting jigs. Another report in the same issue, from On Deck Fishing Charters, said bait moving out through the inlets had brought good-sized Spanish mackerel, bluefish and some false albacore, and that "the king mackerel haven't shown up on the beaches yet."
The big red drum were not in the surf in that report. The "old drum" bite was described in the sound and up the Neuse River, and Mount Maker Charters said inshore anglers had turned to bull reds in the Neuse and Pamlico Sound once flounder season closed. In the September report, Oceanana Pier listed croakers, whiting, bluefish, small sharks and Spanish mackerel. Chasin' Tails described a surf mix of spots, croakers, whiting, bluefish and pinfish.
For fall king mackerel, the October report said most of the action farther off the beach had been on the east side and to the north, and that it "should change quick as the water temperatures come down."
This post is general information about the Town's published rules and fees, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm your own eligibility and requirements with the Town of Atlantic Beach before you buy a permit or drive the strand.
If you own a place on the island, or you're thinking about one because of mornings like these on the beach, New Bern Property Group knows the details of coastal ownership that only come up after closing, from Town fee schedules to which registration card goes in the glove box. Schedule a free consultation and we'll talk through how Atlantic Beach ownership fits the way you actually use the coast.
