Short answer: South Forest Beach is the ungated neighborhood along South Forest Beach Drive, between Coligny Circle and the Sea Pines entrance at the island's south end. It has no gate and no mandatory POA dues (the Forest Beach Owners Association is voluntary, $150 in 2026). The Town's Alder Lane Beach Access and Coligny Beach Park sit on the neighborhood's beach. Homes are single-family on small lots, with villa and condo complexes nearby. Town zoning, the Forest Beach overlay and the Town short-term rental permit apply directly.
Key facts
- Gate: none. You won't need a pass, a gate fee or guest registration.
- Association: the Forest Beach Owners Association is voluntary. Its 2026 dues are $150 a year.
- Beach parks: Alder Lane Beach Access is at 2 Woodward Avenue (22 paid spaces, 1 accessible). Coligny Beach Park is at 1 Coligny Circle and parks free (Town of Hilton Head Island).
- Zoning: mostly RSF-5 (single family) inside the Forest Beach Neighborhood Character Overlay, with Resort Development (RD) and PD-1 at the edges (Town GIS, October 2026).
- Flood zones: VE at the beach (base flood elevations of 11 to 13 feet where we sampled). Behind it are bands of shaded X and AE (9 feet) (FEMA, map effective March 23, 2021).
- Short-term rentals: a Town permit is required for stays under 30 days, at $150 per bedroom per year. It doesn't transfer to a buyer.
- Distances by road from Alder Lane: about 1 mile to Coligny Circle, 9 miles to the bridge and 9 miles to the airport (our measurement).
Where is South Forest Beach?
South Forest Beach runs along South Forest Beach Drive, southwest of Coligny Circle and Pope Avenue, toward Sea Pines. The Town's draft Forest Beach District ends where South Forest Beach Drive meets Cordillo Parkway and becomes Sea Pines Drive. Laurel Lane and Myrtle Lane are among its streets that end at the beach. Across Coligny is North Forest Beach. Both fall inside the Town's 242-acre Forest Beach overlay, so the same zoning tools apply on both sides.
How is owning here different from owning in Sea Pines?
Next door in Sea Pines, Sea Pines Community Services Associates charges a 2026 assessment of $2,065 on an improved lot. It sells day passes at the gate and runs a rental registration program. South Forest Beach has none of that. You pay no mandatory dues, and your guests and contractors drive straight in. Your rules come from the Town and from recorded deed covenants:
- Overlay limits on house size. The Town created a Forest Beach floor area ratio to control the mass and scale of single-family homes in the overlay (Town update). Check the current limit with the Town before you buy a teardown. The Land Management Ordinance rewrite that started in 2026 may change it.
- Tree permits. Single-family lots in the Forest Beach overlay buffers need a Natural Resource Permit before you cut trees. In much of the island, single-family lots don't need one.
- Deed covenants from the 1950s. These cover all Forest Beach subdivisions except 2A. They allow one detached single-family home of up to 2.5 stories per residential lot, with setbacks of 20 feet in front, 10 feet from a side street and 5 feet from other lot lines. Any owner in the area can enforce them in court. They don't mention rentals.
- Construction rules. Since July 16, 2025, Town construction hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with no Sunday work. These rules matter on small lots where a neighbor's rebuild sits close to yours.
How do the beach parks and parking work?
Alder Lane Beach Access is the Town park inside the neighborhood. It has seasonal lifeguards, 22 paid spaces and 1 accessible space. From March 1 to September 7, visitors pay $3 an hour on weekdays and $5 an hour on weekends, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Payment is by phone app only, and the lot doesn't take cash. Coligny Beach Park is under a mile northeast. It's the only Town beach park with free parking, and it has public art, a beach wheelchair and seasonal rentals (Town beach parking).
Full-time residents can get a free resident permit for two vehicles that covers the metered lots. Short-term rental properties don't qualify, so rental guests pay at the meter or walk. Vehicles parked outside a designated space can be towed, and parking fines run $50 to $500.
What are the short-term rental rules?
The Town's ordinance controls short-term rentals in South Forest Beach, because no mandatory POA adds rules for single-family homes. Every stay under 30 days requires a Town short-term rental permit ($150 per bedroom per year) and a Town business license. A new owner must apply for a new permit, because permits don't transfer. A single-family home needs a site plan showing no more than six exterior parking spaces. The owner or a rental agent must answer complaints within one hour, and the permit number must appear in every listing (Town requirements). The ordinance was rewritten effective May 1, 2026, and the Town added inspectors and code officers in 2026. Villas and condos also answer to their regime documents, and some regimes restrict rentals.
What flood zones are in South Forest Beach?
South Forest Beach has a striped flood pattern, so the zone can change within a block. In October 2026 we sampled FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer on a line from the ocean inland through Alder Lane, about every 50 meters:
| Distance from the Alder Lane park entrance | FEMA zone | Base flood elevation |
|---|---|---|
| 250 to 400 m toward the ocean (beach and first row) | VE | 11 to 13 ft |
| 50 to 200 m toward the ocean | Shaded X (0.2% annual chance) | None set |
| 0 to 100 m inland | AE | 9 ft |
| 200 to 400 m inland | Shaded X | None set |
| 450 to 600 m inland | AE | 9 ft |
The pattern follows old dune ridges. Higher ground maps as shaded X and the swales between maps as AE. Shaded X isn't the federal "special flood hazard area," so a lender won't require flood insurance there. It still has some flood risk: FEMA defines it as the 0.2% annual chance zone. The Town is in FEMA's Community Rating System at Class 5, which gives every NFIP policy a 25% discount. Use these samples as a guide only. Look up the exact parcel on FEMA's map service center, and get the elevation certificate. Before you plan a big renovation, read the Town's 49% substantial improvement rule.
What's for sale here?
You'll find small-lot single-family homes, from original beach cottages to elevated rebuilds, and villa and condo complexes on the Resort Development land closer to Coligny and the beach. Prices change monthly, so we don't quote them here. Ask us for current sales. Tax district 553 (Forest Beach) is 241.3 mills at 6% for tax year 2026, a little below the 249.0 mills in district 510, which covers most of the Town. Check the district on any tax bill.
The Town counted traffic on South Forest Beach Drive, North Forest Beach Drive and Pope Avenue in October 2026 for a safety study.
How we help
We'll send South Forest Beach listings, then pull the FEMA zone, any elevation certificate on file, and the regime documents for villas. If you plan to rent, we'll go through what the Town's permit requires for that property before you make an offer. Call (843) 986-1000.
Questions
Is South Forest Beach part of Sea Pines?
No. South Forest Beach is outside the Sea Pines gate and doesn't pay Sea Pines assessments. Owners here don't get Sea Pines gate privileges either.
Do I need flood insurance in South Forest Beach?
Your lender will require it if the building is in Zone AE or VE and the loan is federally backed. In shaded X it's optional, and every NFIP policy in the Town gets a 25% Community Rating System discount.
Is parking free at Alder Lane Beach Access?
Not for visitors in season. It costs $3 an hour on weekdays and $5 an hour on weekends, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 1 to September 7. Town residents with a beach parking permit park free.
Sources
- Beach Parking, Town of Hilton Head Island (checked October 2026)
- Public Beach Parks and Access, Town of Hilton Head Island (checked October 2026)
- Short-Term Rental Permit Requirements, Town of Hilton Head Island (checked October 2026)
- National Flood Hazard Layer, FEMA (sampled October 2026)
- Covenants, Deed Book 78, Page 306, Forest Beach Owners Association (checked October 2026)
- Town collecting traffic data on Forest Beach corridors, Town of Hilton Head Island (October 6, 2026)