PLEASURE ISLAND, N.C. (WECT) – Kure Beach visitors could face a $35 daily parking rate and a significantly longer paid season in 2027 under a new proposal heading to town commissioners Monday.
The draft proposal outlines a sweeping expansion of the town’s paid parking program. While the hourly rate would hold steady at $6 and continue at $3 per hour in two-hour lots, daily visitors would see a $10 increase from the current $25 rate. The town also plans to eliminate the $125 weekly rate entirely, which data shows accounted for just 133 transactions and $16,000 in revenue during 2026.
Under the draft, the paid parking calendar would expand to run from March 1 through October 31, adding 45 days to the current March 15 through September 30 window. Daily paid hours would also lengthen to end at 8 p.m., starting at either 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. This shifts the schedule by one to two hours per day compared to the current 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. timeframe.
Season permit pricing would shift to a strict two-tier structure based on how quickly drivers buy them. Permits purchased during an early bird window from February 1 through February 14 would cost $50, while any permit bought after February 14 would jump to $250. The current pricing structure relies on three tiers of $50, $100, and $225 depending on the date of purchase.
Free parking would continue during the off-season from November through February, as well as during off-hours from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. However, standard overnight restrictions would remain in place for beach access lots, where parking is prohibited between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.
No changes are proposed for existing free parking exemptions, which apply to marked handicap spaces, Purple Heart license plate holders, and Sunday church parking from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at designated locations on 3rd Avenue, 6th Avenue, and the Kure Beach Community Center lot.
The draft also introduces a new rule allowing nonprofit groups to request discounted parking rates for special events with a 30-day pre-approval from the town.
WECT will continue to bring the latest on these proposed changes as they develop.
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