Smathers Beach is one of Key West’s most appealing public settings for a simple toes-in-the-sand ceremony—but it is not a place to arrive with chairs and an arch and hope for the best. The City of Key West requires a beach wedding permit for ceremonies at Smathers, and its rules are designed to keep the beach accessible, clean and safe for sea turtles.
How to apply for a Smathers Beach wedding permit
Start with the City of Key West’s online Beach Wedding Event Permit Application. Apply at least 14 business days before the requested date; late applications may be considered but are not assured. Dates, times and beach-access locations are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, so reserve early for popular sunset windows. The City Manager has final approval, and dates can be unavailable during major events or tropical weather watches or warnings.
The application asks for the couple’s names, a specific start and end time, expected attendance, the desired Smathers Beach access location and a detailed description of every item planned for the sand. A permit can cover up to four hours total, including deliveries, setup and cleanup. Keep the issued permit at the ceremony site.
Applicants also need general-liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence, naming the City of Key West as both certificate holder and additional insured, plus a signed release and indemnification form. If a wedding planner applies for a client, the planner must have an active City of Key West business license; planners with insurance already on file may not need to upload another certificate. Couples who live within Key West city limits can receive the permit without charge after supplying the required residency proof, but that exemption does not extend to wedding planners.
Current permit fees and guest limits
- 1–25 people: $150, plus applicable taxes and surcharges
- 26–50 people: $250, plus applicable taxes and surcharges
- 51–100 people: $350, plus applicable taxes and surcharges
- 101 or more: a separate Special Event Application is required
Cancellation requests must be made in writing. The current refund schedule is no refund 30 days or fewer before the permit date, a 50% refund 31 to 90 days out, and a full refund at least 91 days out.
What you can set up—and what stays off the beach
The application specifically asks whether you will use chairs, tents, arches, lighting, a vestibule or pergola. In other words, those items must be disclosed in detail rather than assumed to be automatically approved. Plan a compact, quickly removable ceremony footprint and make sure it does not block a beach access, sidewalk or pathway. The beach remains a public space, and the City’s code says neither vendors nor wedding equipment may impede public access.
Leave the reception elsewhere. Smathers Beach permits are for the wedding ceremony, not an after-party: food-and-beverage celebrations, amplified musical performances and large post-ceremony gatherings are prohibited on the beach. Alcohol, glass, open flames, fireworks, grills, pets, generators and motor vehicles are also prohibited. Smoking and vaping are not allowed.
For décor, the City allows only real, undyed flower petals. Do not bring silk or plastic petals, balloons, lanterns, rice, birdseed, confetti or streamers. Every chair, ribbon, petal, bottle and decorative element must leave with your group; the permit holder is responsible for a completely clear beach afterward.
Turtle-season rules: plan sunset carefully
The City’s wedding guidance treats March through October as turtle nesting season. During that period, no lights of any kind—including tiki torches, string lights and lamps—may be used on the beach after sunset. The practical takeaway for a late-afternoon ceremony is to schedule enough daylight for portraits, breakdown and a fully dark sand area before you leave.
Keep the sand smooth, too. Fill holes, level mounds and remove every stake or piece of setup equipment. Uneven sand can trap nesting turtles or hatchlings. The City lists Smathers Beach hours as sunrise to sunset, so do not build a ceremony timeline around lingering on the sand after dark.
Parking for the wedding party and guests
Smathers Beach is on South Roosevelt Boulevard, with city parking along the beach. Current posted parking is $5 per hour: Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from noon to midnight. There is no overnight parking. A Key West residential parking permit allows up to four hours once per day at Smathers, subject to the program’s rules.
For a small ceremony, tell guests to allow extra arrival time and pay individually rather than assuming spaces can be held. Reserving or using parking for a larger event may require the separate special-event process and City coordination.
Practical tip: Submit the permit application early, choose a daylight-friendly ceremony time in turtle season, and put one trusted person in charge of the final sand sweep before everyone heads to the reception.
