The north end of Canal Drive allows more in November than it did in July. Freeman Park's rules change by season, and on October 1 it moved to its off-season set. Since then a day pass has cost less, dogs can run off leash, and small campfires are allowed on the north end of the sand. Overnight camping came back right after Labor Day. Next on the calendar is December, when Carolina Beach sells its cheapest annual permit of the year. The Town committee planning the park's long-term future is also scheduled to finish its draft around now.
All of these dates come from the Town's own code and its adopted fee schedule. Taken together, they make winter the season when Freeman Park is open to the widest range of uses, and the season when next year's access gets settled.
The Park Changed Rulebooks on October 1
Most of Freeman Park's seasonal rules switch on the same two dates, April 1 and October 1. Under the Town of Carolina Beach's adopted FY2026/2027 fee schedule, a daily pass costs $50 per vehicle from April 1 through September 30 and $30 per vehicle from October 1 through March 31. Town Council adopted that budget on June 9, 2026, and it covers the fiscal year from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. So the $30 rate applies all this winter.
The same October 1 date changes how dogs and fires are handled. In Chapter 28 of the Carolina Beach Code of Ordinances, animals must be leashed in Freeman Park from April 1 to September 30. Between October 1 and March 31 they can be off leash, as long as they stay under voice command and the owner stays within a reasonable distance. Small campfires follow the same window. They're allowed from October 1 through March 31, starting at marker F and running north to the end of the park, in a fire pit or container no wider than three feet. No fires of any kind are allowed south of marker F.
| Rule | April 1 to September 30 | October 1 to March 31 |
|---|---|---|
| Daily pass, per vehicle | $50 | $30 |
| Dogs and other domestic animals | Leash required | Off leash under voice command |
| Small campfires | Not allowed | Allowed from marker F north |
| Overnight camping | Banned from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day Sunday | Allowed by reservation from Labor Day night through the Thursday before Memorial Day |
The camping row doesn't line up exactly with the others because camping follows the holiday weekends instead of the first of the month. It's the change that matters most for anyone planning to stay overnight.
Camping Returned After Labor Day at $70 a Night
The code bans sleeping in a vehicle or camping overnight at Freeman Park from the Friday before Memorial Day weekend through the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. From Labor Day night through the Thursday before Memorial Day, camping is allowed in designated areas, and reservations are required. Every campsite has to be set up between marker D and marker Z, and no stay can run longer than 14 consecutive days.
The FY2026/2027 schedule sets the camping reservation at $70 per night for that Labor Day to Memorial Day season. A reservation doesn't include beach access. You also need a daily or annual pass to drive onto Freeman Park to camp, and passes and reservations can't be transferred. A winter overnight for one vehicle therefore costs at least $100: the $70 site plus a $30 day pass, or the site alone if you already have an annual permit.
Departure times are tied to the type of pass. Daily permits are good for no more than 24 consecutive hours. Vehicles on a daily pass have to leave by 6 a.m. the next morning, and daily pass holders with a camping permit have until 10 a.m. No camper can stay on a site after the reservation expires at 10 a.m. If you come up for a sunset fire north of marker F without a campsite, plan to be off the sand by 6 a.m.
The Rules That Stay the Same All Year
Some rules don't change in winter, and they mostly cover vehicles and the dunes:
- Vehicles: only operational four-wheel-drive vehicles that are legally licensed and insured may enter.
- Speed: 15 miles per hour.
- Where you can drive: only in the areas marked for vehicles, and never close to the dune or vegetation line, whatever the markers show.
- Day setups: day tents and canopies are allowed year-round, but not in travel lanes, in the wet sand or within ten feet of the dune.
- Hours: the park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Town Council can vote to close it, and the Town Manager, Fire Chief or Police Chief can close it without notice for an extraordinary event.
The fire permission has a limit of its own. The Fire Chief, the Town Manager or other emergency personnel can ban fires at Freeman Park at any time, and any pit wider than three feet counts as a bonfire that needs a special permit from the Town Manager. Fire debris has to be picked up and carried off the beach, and leaving it can bring a fine.
December Is the Cheapest Month to Buy an Annual Permit
The FY2026/2027 schedule sets the annual Freeman Park permit at $235. It also offers a discounted annual permit for $120, sold only from December 1 through December 31 and bought in person.
Here's how those prices compare with day passes:
- $120 in December costs the same as four winter day passes at $30.
- $235 at full price costs less than five summer day passes at $50, which add up to $250.
- The December discount saves $115 compared with the full annual price, almost half.
So if you expect to drive up even a few times between now and next fall, the December permit pays for itself after four winter visits. Every trip after that, including any summer weekend trip that would otherwise cost $50, adds to the savings. The schedule requires in-person purchase for the discount, so the Town of Carolina Beach can confirm where and when the December permits will be sold.
Downtown has its own winter rate change. The same schedule makes designated on-street parking free from November 1 through February 28, while the designated premium lots charge $7 an hour or $35 a day all year.
The Park's Long-Term Plan Is Due Before Next Season
The December pass covers the next twelve months. A separate Town process will shape how Freeman Park is managed for years after that. In an August 14, 2026 news update, the Town described a Council-appointed committee writing a long-term land management plan for the park. Its members include representatives of the NC Coastal Federation, UNCW, the NC Division of Coastal Management, the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the Natural Heritage Program, Audubon NC, and the NC Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, along with three Carolina Beach citizens, a Town Council liaison and Town staff.
The Town's Freeman Park Land Management Plan presentation names the members. They include Roger Shew of UNCW, Lindsay Addison of Audubon NC, citizens Mike Hoffer, Jack Moore and Sarah Finn, Mayor Pro Tem Deb LeCompte and Deputy Manager Ed Parvin. The presentation also sets out the schedule:
- February 16, 2026: committee introductions, park history, mapping and ecology, and a land use prioritization exercise
- May 4, 2026: purpose, vision, goals and a public participation plan
- August 24, 2026: open house with survey results and public input
- October and November: committee review and finalization of the draft plan
- January and February: formal adoption by Town Council
On that schedule, the committee is finishing its draft this month, and Council takes it up in the first weeks of 2027. Council adoption would come shortly after the December permit window closes, and well before the leash rule and the $50 day rate come back on April 1.
WWAY reported that more than 70 residents came to the three August 24 sessions at Town Hall. Their suggestions included expanded four-wheel-drive access, camping, commercial vending and rentals, more beach, boating and jet ski access, a historical memorial and flag, primitive trails, protection of the park's ecosystem and biological diversity, and educational programs. The same WWAY report quoted a resident of more than three decades who opposed commercial vending and asked for trash collection and restrooms. "We need to look at trash collection, we need to look at having restrooms available, but then allowing access to continue to Freeman Park for those of us that enjoy it," she told the station.
The fees and rules in this post come from the Town's adopted fee schedule and its code. Treat them as general information, not legal advice, and check with the Town of Carolina Beach before you buy a permit, book a campsite or light a fire.
Our team at FreshNEST Homes follows Carolina Beach through all four seasons, from the fee schedule to the next Council agenda. That includes the stretch of town around Canal Drive and the north end. If you'd like to talk about life near the north end of the island, book an appointment with us.