Town will ban dog access on part of popular Hilton Head beach to start renourishment
Dog owners who stroll a portion of Fish Haul Beach will need to find new sands to walk their four-legged friends as the access rules are changing soon.
During a Feb. 4 Hilton Head Town Council meeting, Assistant Town Manager Shawn Colin said that in order to secure the necessary permits to proceed with the beach renourishment project, the town would need to ban dogs on a section of Fish Haul Beach.
While dogs often enjoy romps on the beach, their presence can be stressful and scary for shorebirds who use the area to nest and the ban is to ensure their protection.
“Until we accept the permits, we can not bid out the beach renourishment project, so we wanted to bring this forward to town council so you know we’ll need to amend the municipal code related to animal activities on the beach,” Colin said to the town council.
The restricted area goes from Fish Haul Creek northwest to the entrance of Fish Haul Beach Park.
Under the current restrictions, dogs aren’t allowed on Fish Haul Beach during summer daytime hours. Outside of that period, dogs are allowed on the beach anytime, but owners must leash or be in control of their dog. Under the new rules, dogs will not be allowed in the restricted area at any time, including the winter months.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues one of the main permits for the 2025 beach renourishment project, and that process includes an opinion from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act. They analyze how the renourishment project would impact endangered and threatened species. On Hilton Head, those species include two types of shore birds, the rufa red knot and the piping plover, as well as loggerhead turtles.
Initially, the USFWS required that a larger beach areas on Fish Haul Beach, parts of Port Royal Plantation, as well as Pine Island be dog restricted areas. In 2024 meetings between the agency, town staff and South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, that area was shrunk to a smaller section of Fish Haul Beach.
The town’s code will need to be changed to ban dogs
The town would need the municipal code change in place before the beginning of construction activity, Colin said. The USFWS also determines the timeline that the beach renourishment project so the heavy construction equipment doesn’t impact nesting birds and sea turtles. The project’s first phase is planned to begin in June 2025.
“We know the first period set by Fish and Wildlife is June to October,” Colin said. “We’re likely to not start the project until much later in the summer season, but we need to make sure we have that code change in place.”
The town would also need to place signs and bouys that indicate the location of the restricted area as well as create a “positive messaging campaign” concerning the changes. Additionally, the town will also need to continue to conduct shorebird surveys.
Town Manager Marc Orlando requested that the council allow him to sign the permits, which Colin projects will be finalized the coming weeks, during the meeting. The council approved this request. During the meeting, Orlando said he will wait to sign the permits until the council moves forward with the municipal code change banning dogs from the section of Fish Haul Beach.
“There are at least five other municipalities along the coast that are looking to do beach renourishment within the next 12 months,” Mayor Alan Perry said. “So timing is of the essence.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM with the headline "Town will ban dog access on part of popular Hilton Head beach to start renourishment."
