Dog Friendly Beaches on the Treasure Coast

Walton Rocks Beach on South Ocean Drive is the one beach St. Lucie County approves for dogs, and Indian River County bans pets from all of its county parks, beach parks included.

St. Lucie County's sea turtle page states that Walton Rocks Beach is the only dog-approved beach in St. Lucie County (St. Lucie County sea turtle information). The county beach index repeats the point in its own words, offering horseback riding at Frederick Douglass Memorial Park and saying dogs are welcome at Walton Rocks (St. Lucie County beaches).

North of the county line the answer flips. Indian River County's beach park pages for Golden Sands and Tracking Station both list the rule no pets permitted within any County Park, County Ordinance 205.03.22 (Indian River County, Golden Sands Beach Park; Indian River County, Tracking Station Park). The City of Vero Beach, which lists Humiston, Jaycee and South Beach parks inside its city limits, authorizes leashed dogs in the parks named under its Resolution 2014-07, and none of them is a beach park (City of Vero Beach, City Parks Information).

Last verified: October 22, 2026, by reading again the Walton Rocks, beach index, sea turtle, Savannas and pet licensing pages of St. Lucie County, two Indian River County beach park pages and two City of Vero Beach parks pages for this Treasure Coast dog beach guide.

Walton Rocks Beach, at 6700 South Ocean Drive, is an off leash dog beach on 24 acres, open dawn until dusk, where any dog that bothers people or other dogs has to be leashed, with the leash capped at 8 feet.

The county page lists the park under a Jensen Beach 34957 mailing address and gives the contact number 772-462-1522. The county set aside 24 acres of beach for the off leash park so dogs can run in sand and surf, and its leash rule asks for a leash of dependable strength, eight feet at most, that is held or controlled whenever a dog bothers others (St. Lucie County, Walton Rocks Beach / Dog Park). The same page lists pavilions, picnic tables, a restroom, swimming, fishing and beach access.

Two St. Lucie County pages read differently on leashes. The Walton Rocks page describes the beach as off leash, while the county sea turtle page, in the sentence right after it names Walton Rocks the only dog-approved beach, asks that dogs be leashed so they do not dig into turtle nests (St. Lucie County sea turtle information). Both statements appear on the county's site. The Hutchinson Island beaches guide covers the other St. Lucie County beaches.

No: Indian River County's beach park pages bar pets under County Ordinance 205.03.22, and the City of Vero Beach's pet friendly park list names no beach park.

Sources by row: Walton Rocks, St. Lucie County sea turtle page, Golden Sands, Tracking Station and Vero Beach City Parks Information. Golden Sands covers 6.23 acres with lifeguards from 9:10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. and opens daily 7 a.m. to sunset; Tracking Station covers 5.53 acres with the same lifeguard hours and three boardwalks to the beach. Both pages also list no alcohol under Ordinance 205.03.26, and Indian River County's beach condition hotline is 772-226-3384.

Vero Beach lists Humiston Beach Park, Jaycee Beach Park and South Beach Park among its parks inside the city limits, but its pet friendly list under Resolution 2014-07 names only the Vero Beach Dog Park as an off leash area and MacWilliam Park, Riverside North Park and Royal Palm Pointe Park as on leash parks (City of Vero Beach, City Parks Information).

In the Vero Beach parks that allow them, dogs must be on a leash no longer than 8 feet, at least 4 months old and vaccinated and licensed, and owners must clean up and leave at the first sign of aggression.

Resolution No. 2014-07, as the City of Vero Beach summarizes it, limits dogs to each park's regular hours of operation, makes owners responsible for their dog's conduct and supervision, requires dogs to be under control at all times, and requires owners to immediately clean up and properly dispose of waste (City of Vero Beach, City Parks Information). An owner must immediately remove a dog from any city park at the first sign of aggression toward a person or another dog.

The off leash choice in Vero Beach is the Vero Beach Dog Park at 3449 Indian River Drive East, open dawn to dusk. The city says the park is leased from the City of Vero Beach by Vero Beach Dog Park, a Florida nonprofit, which operates, manages and maintains it using only private sector donations (City of Vero Beach, Vero Beach Dog Park). City Hall, at 1053 20th Place, answers at 772-978-5151.

St. Lucie County's nesting season runs March 1 through November 15, and the county's turtle page asks that dogs on the beach be leashed to protect nests.

The county says its 21 miles of beaches are critical nesting habitat for three species, loggerhead, green and leatherback, that last season's first recorded nest was laid in late February, and gives the FWC hotline, 1-888-404-FWCC, for reports about nests (St. Lucie County sea turtle information). Its other beach guidance for the season: beach furniture should not be left out overnight, pits, holes and sandcastles should be filled because they can trap hatchlings, and bonfires are prohibited on all St. Lucie County beaches year round.

For Walton Rocks, the county's beach page describes an off leash beach open dawn until dusk, and the county's turtle page says dogs should be on leashes so nests are not dug up; the turtle page gives the nesting season as March 1 through November 15.

In unincorporated St. Lucie County, yes: since October 1, 2007, dogs and cats 4 months and older need a county pet license, obtained within 30 days and tied to a current rabies vaccination.

The county's Animal Safety division charges $75 a year for an unaltered pet and $10 a year for a first spayed or neutered pet with proof of sterilization, and each license expires when the rabies vaccination expires; mail applications must include a copy of the current rabies certificate (St. Lucie County pet licensing). Vero Beach's park rules separately require dogs in city parks to have all vaccinations and licenses (City of Vero Beach park rules).

For a dog that needs space away from the sand, St. Lucie County's Savannas Recreation Area at 1400 E. Midway Road, Fort Pierce, has a dog park with open turf, shade and seating, and the property is open daily from sunrise to sunset (St. Lucie County, Savannas Recreation Area). Its office line is 772-464-7855.