Sunday, February 9, 2025

Ocean Isle to begin paid parking program this spring

Ocean Isle’s paid parking program goes into effect April 1 through Oct. 31. (Courtesy Ocean Isle Beach)

OCEAN ISLE – The majority of council in a Brunswick County beach town voted to institute its first paid parking program, to begin this spring.

READ MORE: Ocean Isle residents debate paid parking to officials, defend visitors’ rights to free access

Ocean Isle Beach Town Council met Tuesday and voted 5-1 (Mike Wade dissenting), after months of discussions and public hearings regarding paid parking. The initial two-year contract will be held by Otto Connect, which will obtain 30% of consumer parking fees collected and 30% of violation fees collected plus $0.49 per payment transaction.

The program is in effect from April 1 through October. 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Designated paid parking areas are free from 5 p.m. to midnight and 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., with parking not permitted overnight.

Rates per vehicle are:

  • $5 per hour for up to 3 hours
  • $20 per day and durations longer than 3 hours (with buy-up to Max $20)
  • $80 per week as seven consecutive days from the time of purchase
  • $175 per calendar season per vehicle (with buy-up to Max $175)

“SurfCAST by Otto” will scan vehicle license plate for parking permits and enforcement of violations.

The town also approved $50,000 to cover costs of needed signs delineating parking specifics and for the construction of a designated parking lot on the northeast corner of 3 W. Third Street (Old Town Hall Site). It’s for employees of businesses located in the Commercial District and is outfitted with roughly 20 spaces; employees must be registered with Otto by their employer.

Council also signed off on a resolution to request the North Carolina General Assembly allow the town to use its paid parking revenues for any public purpose, not to just fund the paid parking program.


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Shea Carver
Shea Carver
Shea Carver is the editor in chief at Port City Daily. A UNCW alumna, Shea worked in the print media business in Wilmington for 22 years before joining the PCD team in October 2020. She specializes in arts coverage — music, film, literature, theatre — the dining scene, and can often be tapped on where to go, what to do and who to see in Wilmington. When she isn’t hanging with her pup, Shadow Wolf, tending the garden or spinning vinyl, she’s attending concerts and live theater.

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