Electronic paid beach parking could be coming to Hilton Head. Here’s how it would work

Ben Morse

Electronic paid beach parking could be coming to Hilton Head in 2023.

Parking would be paid via text message and permanent residents could apply for parking passes.

The Public Planning Committee on Thursday passed a resolution allowing the town manager to begin negotiating a contract between the county and the firm PCI Municipal Services.

“At the end of the day, Hilton Head Island is Hilton Head Island,” Deputy Town Manager Josh Gruber said during the meeting. “So we need a plan that is tailored to fit all our unique needs.”

How electronic payment will work

Beachgoers would be able to pay for parking via text message or a QR Code. Signs with a phone number and code will be placed in the parking lots.

Drivers would enter their license plate numbers to track as a virtual parking permit. Customers’ payment information would also be saved to make purchasing future parking easier.

Paying for parking via text will be efficient and would only take seconds, PCI Principal Jack Skelton said during the meeting.

Paying for beach parking will be enforced by cameras in each lot. Skelton added people who have not paid for parking will be reminded via text if their information is already in the system. Habitual refusal to pay could result in a fine.

Cars begin stacking as one vehicle waits for a person to leave their parking space in a full Coligny Beach Park parking lot as seen on Thursday, March 19, 2020.
Cars begin stacking as one vehicle waits for a person to leave their parking space in a full Coligny Beach Park parking lot as seen on Thursday, March 19, 2020.

PCI will also provide island visitors either an app or signs to help them find available parking. Skelton said the goal is to reduce traffic and pollution due to people trying to find parking.

Permanent Hilton Head residents can obtain an annual beach parking permit. Residents would register online, and they could also be allowed to give visitors and family members guest access to their annual parking pass.

Skelton said the current system of hang tags, stickers and dashboard placards will be replaced with a license plate identification system.

Annual permit users’ parking spots would have a sensor to alert PCI and prevent non-pass holders from using the spot.

Policy around parking could vary somewhat from lot to lot. For example, people parking at Coligny Beach could have an hour of free parking. Parking lots currently with meters will have those removed.

Cost of parking has not yet been set.

No members of the committee voted against the measure. But Ward 4 Town Councilwoman Tamara Becker, who also serves on the Public Planning Committee, said she wanted to make sure the program did not infringe on users’ personal privacy.

Coligny Beach Park.
Coligny Beach Park.

When will the program begin?

No change in beach parking policy will occur until after the Town Council votes on allowing the town manager to enter into contract negotiations with PCI Municipal Services. If passed, a contract between the town and PCI could be signed as early as October.

The Town Council will take the proposal up at its Sept. 20 meeting, Hilton Head Communications Director Carolyn Grant said in an interview with The Island Packet.

The firm’s presentation also laid out an ideal timeline for implementing the plan.

  • The Resident Permit Program would launch in December 2022.

  • The technology for the plan would be implemented in March or April 2023.

  • A soft launch would begin in April 2023.

  • The full program would take effect Memorial Day 2023.

Informational sessions explaining the program to the public will be held before the electronic payment system begins, officials said.

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