Important Information for Traveling with your Dog(s) to Cocoa Beach

Dogs & the Beach 

City of Cocoa Beach Rules: Dogs are not permitted on the beach throughout most of Cocoa Beach however, there are areas where dogs are allowed with the following conditions:

• Between 4th Street South to the north side of Murkshe Park (only location dogs are allowed).
• Dog must on 10 ft. leash (maximum length of leash) at all times
• To access dog beach you must be located in the dog beach area. You may not walk along the beach to get to the dog beach
• Allowable times for dogs to be on the beach are:
  • 6:00-10:00 am each morning year round
  • 4:00-7:00 pm during standard time
  • 5:00- 9:00 pm during daylight savings time.
• Owners must clean up after their dog. There are pet disposal stations located at each crossover from 4th Street South to Northside of Murkshe Park
• Please keep dogs off dunes and away from turtle nests
• Violation may result in a $50.00 fine
• Read more about dogs on Cocoa Beach here

Lori Wilson dog park: There is a dog park at Lori Wilson beach which is great for the pups. However, it is not ON the beach and NO dogs are allowed outside the fenced enclosure or on the beach at that location. We mention this because people get confused since Lori Wilson is a beach – the dog park is closer to the street, not on the beach. 

Canova Beach Park in Indialantic: There is an actual dog beach further south in Indialantic- approximately a 30-minute drive down A1A from Cocoa Beach. If you’re traveling with your dog, it is worth the drive (in our opinion). Not only is the beach dog-friendly, there are restrooms, showers, and even a pavilion with a grill so you can make a day of it for everyone, not just fido! Bonus: there are also some wheelchair accessible beach access points, too. It’s important to understand that dogs must still be on a leash at all times AND wear tags showing their current vaccinations and license. Learn more about Canova Park here.

Leash Law: 

In Brevard County (where Cocoa Beach is located), there is a leash law that requires your dog to be leashed at all times when not behind a fenced enclosure. The fine for allowing an animal to be at large is $55 for the first offense and $165 for a second incident.

Emergency Vet Information: 

While we certainly hope you do not need it but in the event that you do, we suggest: 

• Island Animal Hospital (the Cocoa Beach location is the closest, Merritt Island is 2nd closest) for an emergency vet visit. They ONLY accept emergency visits during normal business hours, though. 
• If your emergency is after standard business hours, we suggest heading to the Animal Emergency & Critical Care Center off of Eau Gallie Boulevard (please note: it is about a 30-35 minute drive from Cocoa Beach).