Parking facing the ocean at Ocean Walk costs the same as parking behind the shops for most of a beach day. The City of Riviera Beach's posted rates for the Premium spaces on N. Ocean Avenue match the Retail West lot exactly from the two-to-three-hour band through the four-to-eight-hour band. The difference comes at each end of the day. Retail West gives you the first two hours free, and it charges $10 less once a stay goes past eight hours.
That matters most for short visits. A sunset drink, a takeout pickup or an hour at the beach before work all fit inside two hours. Since September, the back lot has also become the place where a Riviera Beach resident permit costs nothing.
Three lots, one rate table, and where they differ
Ocean Walk sits at Blue Heron Boulevard and N. Ocean Avenue. Its parking is split into two zones, and the city runs a third set of lots in the Marina District on the mainland side of the bridge. Here are the posted base rates, before One Parking's $0.79 convenience fee per transaction:
| Length of stay | Ocean Walk Premium, N. Ocean Ave. | Ocean Walk Retail West | Marina District North and South lots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 hour | $3 | Free | Free |
| 1 to 2 hours | $5 | Free | Free |
| 2 to 3 hours | $7 | $7 | $10 |
| 3 to 4 hours | $9 | $9 | $15 |
| 4 to 8 hours | $20 | $20 | $15 |
| 8+ hours | $40 | $30 | $15 |
| Resident and employee permits | Not accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
The table makes the trade-off plain. A 90-minute dinner costs $5.79 on the ocean row and nothing in Retail West. A five-hour beach day costs $20.79 in either Ocean Walk lot, so the view from your parking space is free on a long stay. The Marina lots charge more in hours two through four, then cap at $15. That makes them the cheaper choice for long daytime stays at the marina.
Permits stop at the ocean row. The city states that resident and employee permits do not apply to the N. Ocean Avenue Premium spaces, which are public parking only.
Thirteen months of stops and starts
Today's rules are the result of a year of revisions, and the order of events explains why the free spaces are where they are.
- October 3, 2025. Paid parking began at Ocean Walk and in the Marina District, as WPTV reported that fall.
- June 2026. The city paused the program after a wave of concerns, and parking was free for the summer.
- August 3, 2026. Paid parking returned along Ocean Walk. WPTV reported that Mayor Douglas Lawson described the reinstatement as a way to generate revenue.
- August 5, 2026. One Parking was on the City Council agenda, but according to WPBF, the council removed the item at the meeting.
- September 2, 2026. The council approved Resolution 109-26. It made the annual resident permit free, down from $50, and added a $40 overnight rate in the Marina District.
The September vote changed the most for anyone who lives in the city. According to Citizen Portal's summary of the meeting, Chief Financial Officer Randy Sherman presented both changes as a way to put resident access first. He said the overnight rate is meant to stop nonresidents, including people parking for nearby port facilities, from holding Marina District spaces overnight. The council also asked staff to consider refunds for people who had recently paid the old $50.
How the resident permit works
The city's parking page sets the terms. Permits are for Riviera Beach residents only, with one permit per vehicle, and you need a valid vehicle registration to apply. Each permit lasts 12 months from the date it is issued. It is accepted in the Marina lots and in Ocean Walk Retail West, and not on N. Ocean Avenue.
Applications go through the City of Riviera Beach parking page. The permit office can be reached at (561) 783-5561 or [email protected], at 600 West Blue Heron Boulevard, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Because the permit lasts 12 months from issuance, there is no shared calendar renewal date. Each permit expires one year after the day it was issued.
Your license plate does the checking
The program uses license plate payment, enforced by fixed license plate recognition cameras. No app is needed: you scan the QR code on a sign or use a kiosk at the central plaza or on the ocean side of Ocean Avenue. According to the city, the system checks each visit in this order:
- It records how long the car stayed on the lot.
- If the stay needed payment, it looks for a matching payment for that time.
- If it finds no payment, it looks for a valid employee or resident permit.
- If it finds neither, it mails a citation to the vehicle's registered address.
Several unpaid citations can lead to booting or towing. A citation sent in error can be disputed online. In practice, a permit is checked against your plate, so it only does its job in Retail West or the Marina lots. A car with a permit that parks on the ocean row still needs to pay.
Behind the counters at Ocean Walk
The two-hour window lines up with what Ocean Walk mostly offers: places to eat and drink, and errands. Castaway's Sports Bar & Grill lists 2415 N. Ocean Ave. on its site. Two Drunken Goats is at 2509 N. Ocean Ave. Ocean Ave Bar & Kitchen lists live music through November at 2551 N. Ocean Ave.
The people who work at these businesses have their own permit system. Employees register their vehicles for a free permit tied to where they work. It covers Retail West or the Marina lots during their shifts, never the Premium spaces, and every application is subject to approval and audit. The coverage area is a sore point. In August, WPTV reported that Conor Tierney, owner of Singer Island Pack and Ship, said his shop and some nearby businesses fall outside the city-defined Ocean Walk Plaza area for employee permits. He petitioned the city to expand the program to include them. He estimated that the employees involved would use about 15 of the nearly 300 spaces and noted that some of the businesses close on weekends.
The rest of the island's parking this month
Ocean Walk is the only part of the island run on the city's rate table. A short drive north, Ocean Reef Park at 3860 N. Ocean Drive is run by Palm Beach County. It is open sunrise to sunset, lists parking among its amenities and has an ADA beach mat.
Farther up the island, John D. MacArthur Beach State Park has had limited facilities since late summer. The restrooms near the Nature Center have been listed as unavailable since August 5, 2026, with portable toilets provided, and the North Beach restroom is listed as closed until further notice, according to Florida State Parks.
On the Blue Heron causeway, Phil Foster Park at 900 E. Blue Heron Blvd. is worth checking before you bring swimsuits. The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County issued a water-quality advisory there after September 14 sampling found bacteria above state criteria. The advisory stays in place until levels fall below the accepted threshold. The county's Phil Foster page has displayed that advisory, along with a note that the playground is closed until new facilities are ready.
Thanksgiving falls two weeks from today, and the island's resorts handle parking themselves. ONA Coastal Cuisine at Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island, 3800 North Ocean Drive, is serving Thanksgiving brunch on November 26 from noon to 4:30 p.m. Seatings are at noon to 2 p.m. and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and restaurant guests get free valet.
This post covers the city's published parking program as general information and is not legal advice. Before relying on a permit or disputing a citation, confirm the current terms directly with the City of Riviera Beach.
Things like where the free two hours are, which lots take a resident permit and how far a building is from Ocean Walk all come up when Singer Island owners weigh what their home is worth. If you are thinking about selling on the island, The Hyland Group can include these access details in a Confidential Home Valuation built around your building and your stretch of N. Ocean Drive.
