Short answer: North Forest Beach is the ungated oceanfront neighborhood that runs northeast from Coligny Circle along North Forest Beach Drive toward Shipyard, on the south end of Hilton Head Island. It has no gate, no gate fees and no required POA dues. The Forest Beach Owners Association is voluntary (2026 dues $150). Homes are mostly single-family on small lots, with villa and condo buildings on the Resort Development land near the beach. Town zoning, the Forest Beach Neighborhood Character Overlay, and a Town short-term rental permit apply directly.

Key facts

  • Gate: none. Anyone can drive in, and nobody needs a pass.
  • Association: the Forest Beach Owners Association is voluntary. Its 2026 dues are $150 a year (association website).
  • Covenants: recorded 1950s covenants allow one detached single-family home per residential lot, up to 2.5 stories (Deed Book 78, Page 306).
  • Zoning: mostly RSF-5 (single family) inside the Town's Forest Beach Neighborhood Character Overlay. Resort Development (RD) land sits along the edges (Town GIS, October 2026).
  • Overlay size: about 242 acres. It covers both North and South Forest Beach (Town GIS).
  • Flood zones: VE on the oceanfront, with base flood elevations of 13 feet where we sampled. Inland it's a mix of AE (9 feet) and shaded X (FEMA flood map effective March 23, 2021).
  • Short-term rentals: a Town permit is required for stays under 30 days, at $150 per bedroom per year.
  • Distances by road: about 1 mile to Coligny Circle, 9 miles to the bridge and 9 miles to Hilton Head Island Airport (our measurement).

Where is North Forest Beach?

North Forest Beach covers the streets off North Forest Beach Drive, from Coligny Circle northeast toward Shipyard. Many of the cross streets have bird names in alphabetical order: Avocet, Bittern, Curlew, Dove, Egret, Flamingo, Gannet and Heron. The Town's draft Forest Beach District starts at Pope Avenue and Cordillo Parkway. It runs north to Shipyard and south to where South Forest Beach Drive becomes Sea Pines Drive. South of Coligny, see South Forest Beach.

What changes when there's no gate or POA?

You pay no gate fees and no mandatory dues. In exchange, the Town enforces most rules, and so do neighbors through the covenants. Gated communities like Sea Pines or Shipyard charge assessments, run architectural review and set rental rules on top of the Town's. In North Forest Beach, these are the layers to check:

  • Town zoning and the overlay. The Town says the Forest Beach overlay protects the area's single-family character. It recently set a Forest Beach floor area ratio to limit the mass and scale of single-family homes (Town, Managing Growth update). Ask the Town for the current number before you plan a rebuild or an addition. The Land Management Ordinance is being rewritten, so the limit could change.
  • Trees. In most places, single-family lots don't need a Town permit to remove trees. Lots inside the Forest Beach overlay buffers do need a Natural Resource Permit first (Town tree removal page, LMO 16-3-106).
  • Old recorded covenants. The Hilton Head Company covenants cover all Forest Beach subdivisions except 2A. They allow one detached single-family home per lot, up to 2.5 stories. They require setbacks of 20 feet from the front line, 10 feet from a side street and 5 feet from other lot lines, plus at least 650 square feet of enclosed space. No lot may be cut below 8,000 square feet or 60 feet of frontage without consent. The covenants renew automatically every 10 years, and any owner in the area may sue to enforce them.
  • Villa regimes. Condo and villa buildings have their own regime documents and monthly fees. These can restrict rentals, pets and renovations. Ask for them before you sign a contract.

How do beach access and parking work?

The beach is public. Several street ends lead to it, and the Forest Beach association lists accesses at Avocet (beach marker 61), Bittern (61A), Curlew, Dove, Egret, Flamingo, Gannet and Heron. The Town's nearest beach park is Coligny Beach Park at 1 Coligny Circle. It's the only Town beach park with free parking, and the Town runs overflow parking at the USCB Hospitality Campus (220 spaces). Every other Town beach lot charges visitors $3 an hour on weekdays and $5 an hour on weekends. Fees apply 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. from March 1 to September 7. Violations carry fines of $50 to $500 (Town beach parking).

If the home is your residence, you can get a free resident beach parking permit for up to two vehicles. It covers the Town's metered beach lots, plus permit-only spaces at Islanders and Driessen. Short-term rental properties don't qualify. Inside the neighborhood, park only in designated spaces. The Town now issues administrative citations for parking violations.

Can you rent a North Forest Beach home short term?

Yes, if you get a Town permit. The voluntary association doesn't regulate rentals, but the Town does, and a villa regime may add its own rules. Any rental under 30 days needs a Town short-term rental permit and a business license. The permit costs $150 per bedroom per year, runs May 1 to April 30, and doesn't transfer to a new owner. It must be in an individual's name, not an LLC's, and the permit number has to appear in every ad. Single-family homes must file a site plan showing no more than six exterior parking spaces (9 by 18 feet each). Guests may not park on grass or pine straw. A home of 3,600 square feet or more needs a fire suppression system or a monitored fire alarm (Town permit requirements). Rentals also collect 10% in state and Town lodging taxes.

What flood zones are in North Forest Beach?

Most of North Forest Beach is in a FEMA high-risk zone, but not all of it. In October 2026 we sampled FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer along a line from the beach inland. The oceanfront was Zone VE (coastal high hazard, with wave action) and had a base flood elevation of 13 feet. Behind that, Zone AE (base flood elevation 9 feet) alternated with patches of shaded X (0.2% annual chance) on slightly higher ground. Two lots a block apart can be in different zones, so check each parcel on FEMA's map service center. Then pull its elevation certificate. The Town provides certificates on file since 1983 for free.

The zone matters for building. For a new home or a substantial improvement, the Town requires the lowest floor (in VE, the lowest structural member) to sit at least 3 feet above the base flood elevation or at 13 feet above sea level, whichever is higher. A renovation that costs 49% or more of the structure's value counts as substantial, and that's stricter than the 50% many sites quote. Oceanfront lots also face the state beachfront setback line. See Is Hilton Head in a flood zone? for insurance details.

What's for sale, and what's changing nearby?

Expect older beach houses on small lots, rebuilt and elevated homes, and villas and condos near the beach. The Town is studying traffic and safety in the area. From October 6 to 9, 2026, it collected vehicle, speed, pedestrian and bicycle counts on North Forest Beach Drive, South Forest Beach Drive and Pope Avenue for an engineering study (Town news). The Coligny Circle pocket park opened in May 2026. The Town's 2025 to 2026 beach renourishment covered the island's central and south beaches. The $47.5 million project was funded mainly by the beach preservation fee. Property taxes follow the Beaufort County millage card. The Forest Beach district (553) is 241.3 mills at 6% and 115.2 at 4% for tax year 2026. Try the property tax calculator.

How we help

We'll send North Forest Beach listings as they come up. For any home you're serious about, we pull the FEMA zone and the elevation certificate, check whether a villa regime limits rentals, and ask the Town whether the current floor area ratio would allow the home you have in mind. Call (843) 986-1000.

Questions

Are there HOA dues in North Forest Beach?

Not for a single-family home, because the Forest Beach Owners Association is voluntary, with 2026 dues of $150. Villas and condos are different: their regimes charge mandatory monthly fees, so ask for the regime budget and the most recent minutes.

Who enforces the Forest Beach covenants?

Other property owners do. The recorded covenants let any owner in the covered area go to court to stop a violation. The Town separately enforces its own zoning, overlay and permit rules. Your closing attorney can tell you which covenants are in your lot's chain of title.

Can I get a free beach parking permit if I buy here?

Yes, if the home is your residence. Town residents can get a free permit for two vehicles by showing a tax bill or closing documents. Short-term rental properties aren't eligible.

Sources

  1. Beach Parking, Town of Hilton Head Island (checked October 2026)
  2. Short-Term Rental Permit Requirements, Town of Hilton Head Island (checked October 2026)
  3. Strategic Action Plan Update: Managing Growth, Town of Hilton Head Island (checked October 2026)
  4. Covenants, including Deed Book 78, Page 306, Forest Beach Owners Association (checked October 2026)
  5. National Flood Hazard Layer, FEMA (sampled October 2026)
  6. Build Responsibly, Town of Hilton Head Island (checked October 2026)