Visiting the St Johns County Pier in St Augustine Beach – Everything you Need to Know

The St Johns County Pier, aka the St Augustine Pier, is the county municipal pier located in St Augustine Beach. We live here by the pier, so visit often and have all the details on fishing, watching sunrise and things to do at the pier. Whether you are a tourist or a local, no doubt you’ll find yourself here in our neighborhood at some point, so enjoy the view and add a visit to the St Johns County Pier to your St Augustine visit!

As you can tell, we call the St Johns County Pier lots of this. It’s called its correct name, SJC Ocean Pier, it’s the St Augustine Beach fishing pier, the St Augustine Pier, the boardwalk (no, there’s no actual boardwalk) and the beach pier. In our house we just call it The Pier. It’s the hub for what’s going on in St Augustine Beach and a great spot to take in the beach vibes.

UPDATE: End of Pier Closed Indefinitely

It has been announced that the end of the St Augustine Beach fishing pier will be closed until further notice. The end of the pier is being evaluated for structural safety, and with that the last 50+ feet of the pier are closed to the public. There’s a fence up to secure the closed area, and visitors are asked to be mindful of their safety. If you walk to the end of the pier on the sand you’ll be able to see how rusty the supports are and why the pier is closed at the end.

Where is the St Johns County Pier?

Downtown St Augustine we have the marina and then several other marinas around St Augustine Bay, but no large pier like you expect in a beach community. If you’re looking for the St Augustine Beach fishing pier, you have to actually cross the Bridge of Lions from downtown over to Anastasia Island and turn onto Beach Boulevard to our little beach community by the shore.

The St Augustine Beach fishing pier is located between Pope Road and 16th Street over the water. There are big signs for it, so you can miss it. I will say, the St Johns County Pier does attract a lot of bad drivers from out of town who don’t understand how to drive in beach traffic, so please be patient as you approach and visit the pier. It’s a magnet for poor driving and oblivious people.

Hours of Operation

The official hours for visiting the St Augustine Beach fishing pier at 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, but they do open the gate earlier if you’d like to walk out onto the pier for sunrise. When the gift shop and admission window opens at 7:00 am, you’ll need to pay to access the St Johns County Ocean Pier, but you can pop out there beforehand for a few minutes and it’s usually not a problem.

Cost for Visiting the St Johns County Pier

Yes, there is a cost to walking out on the St Augustine Beach fishing pier. Like with most larger piers in Florida and the Gulf Coast, there is an admission fee just to walk the pier, and then a fee if you plan on fishing as well. Here is the fee structure for the St Johns County Ocean Pier:

• Sightseeing – $2.00
• Fishing (passes not currently being sold due to the pier being closed for fishing)
  • SJC Residents – $4.00
  • Non-Residents – $6.00
  • Military, Handicapped – $2.00
  • Children under 6 years old – Free
  • SJC Residents over 60 years old – Free
• 12-Month Passes
  • SJC Residents – $40.00
  • Non-residents – $60.00
  • Military, Handicapped – $20.00
• *NEW in 2024* 12-Month Family Sightseeing Passes
  • Allows up to six family members to sightsee – $50.00

Is it worth the fee to go out on the pier? I think so. I like being on the pier to watch people fishing, and when the water level returns to the beach once the renourishment has gone down, it’s a great place to watch dolphins and sometimes rays in the water.

Note: if you want to rent out the pavilion area by the pier, it does have it’s own fee of $300 per day for St Johns County residents ($450 for non-residents). The pavilion is NOT on the pier but is adjacent, right next to the volleyball courts.

Parking at the Fishing Pier

Parking at the St Augustine Beach fishing pier and park is easy on most days, and it’s free. There is a large parking lot adjacent to the pier and activity area, so it’s usually not difficult to park here EXCEPT on weekends. For busy weekends, you’ll have to use one of the other public parking areas along Beach Blvd on both sides of the street. Parking within the numbered streets is allowed in some places, but this is a live-in neighborhood, so you need to be respectful of residents’ parking spots and privacy/trespassing.

There are also bike racks here at the St Augustine Beach fishing pier. They are located between the vintage St Augustine Beach dance hall and the restrooms.

Before and After Beach Renourishment at St Augustine Beach Fishing Pier

There was a lot of negativity swirling about with the planned and now completed beach renourishment here in St Augustine Beach. With the dredging just off-shore bringing in thousands of tons of sand, the beach from Anastasia State Park to A Street is very different now. The new sand is a very dark gray and full of seashells versus the old sand which was coquina, so it was very pink and orange. The look is quite different for now, but time and erosion will change it.

The biggest difference with the beach renourishment is actually how far it is from the seawall to the water now. While the waves used to come all the way up to the rock wall at the base of the St Augustine Beach pier, now there is more than 100 yards of sand to cross until you get to the water. In time it will dissipate, but currently this vast swath of sand does make it so there is no fishing from the pier. The water doesn’t even go under the end of the St Johns County pier at high tide unless it’s a VERY high tide.

I know this will change.

Things to Do at the St Johns County Pier

So is the St Augustine pier just for fishing or is there more to it? Great question and thankfully there is more to it. The summer 2024 beach renourishment brought the sand much further out and as of September 2024 the high tide line at the St Johns County Pier is just at the very end of it. As hurricanes and Noreasters bring in big waves and aggressive weather, the tide line will continue to move back, making the end of the fishing pier actually fishable again. But here’s all the fun you can expect at the pier.

Fishing at the St Augustine Beach Pier

Yes! Fishing is the primary function of the St Augustine Beach fishing pier, and while it’s currently not an option (September 2024) due to the high water line being far out in anticipation of storm erosion, it’ll be back to being the fishing pier again soon. If you want to fish, you just need to bring your own gear, pay the fishing fee at the office, and be sure you have a valid Florida State fishing license.

If you don’t have your own fishing gear and want to enjoy time seeing what you can catch from the St Augustine Beach fishing pier, you can also rent gear at the pier shop. Fishing gear is limited, but it’s available when fishing is open. Gear rental DOES NOT include the cost of a fishing license.

Note: pay attention to the posted signs about cleaning fish…

Sunrise on the St Augustine Pier

I love getting to watch the sunrise from the St Augustine Beach fishing pier. Depending on the time of year, you can access the pier before sunrise to watch the sun come up and you don’t have to pay the access fee. As the sunrise gets later, you can expect to pay the $2 for entry. Sunrise at the pier is one of the most Instagramable spots in St Augustine.

PS: we do get cold weather in January through March, so expect to need a jacket if you’re watching sunrise from the St Augustine fishing pier during those months.

St Augustine Beach Farmers Market

The St Augustine Pier Farmers Market happens every Wednesday, year round. It starts at 8:00 am and goes until noon May through October, and then stays open an extra hour until 1:00 pm November through April. The Pier Farmers Market has a lot of arts and crafts, local kombucha, lots of produce and other homemade goods. It is busy from the start of the market hours until around 10:00 am, as it gets hotter out and fewer people are stopping by. 

Note: on St Augustine Beach Pier farmers market days parking in the lot is VERY limited until the market has fully cleared out, so plan appropriately if you’re visiting on a Wednesday.

Beach Volleyball and Bocce Ball Courts

There are lots of things to do all around the St Augustine Beach fishing pier, and volleyball just happens to be one of them. On the north side of the pier next to Beach Blvd and the parking area you’ll find several sandy beach volleyball courts. These are open to the public but are sometimes reserved for events and tournaments.

There are also bocce ball courts at the St Johns County Ocean Pier Park. On the south side of the parking lot there are two full size bocce ball alleys for public use. There is usually no wait for at least one bocce ball alley, and unless there’s a tournament going, players are (historically) very good about moving through their games and sharing the courts.

Splash Pad and Playground

Also at the St Augustine Beach fishing pier is a splash pad and covered playground. There are restrooms attached to this part of the park, so you can visit with kids and not stress about finding facilities during an afternoon at the splash pad. The fountains of the splash pad do run seasonally, and even then sometimes only on the weekend. The playground is open as long as the sun is up.

Beach Walks at the St Johns County Pier

You can’t come to St Augustine Beach without enjoying a beach walk. You may enter the sandy beach area on either side of the St Johns County Pier, walking to the south for the longer beach walk. Directly to the north of the Pope Road beach entrance is Anastasia State Park, including the beach area being a part of that.

When you walk to the south of the pier, you can go the length of 24 blocks to F Street, with each street having a beach exit back to Beach Blvd. If you continue past F Street, your next beach exit is at Ocean Hammock Park with a beautiful coastal hammock boardwalk to enjoy as you make your way back to Beach Blvd.

Beach Gear Rentals

There are beach gear rentals available at the St Augustine Beach fishing pier shop. If you need chairs or umbrellas, they’ve got them. You can also do beach gear rentals through Drifters and a variety of other vendors, or you can get your own inexpensive beach gear at either Island Beachwear (Beach Blvd & 11th) or at Alvin’s Island (Beach Blvd & A1A).

If you’re interested in renting beach gear at the pier shop, it is managed by St Johns County and has a pretty good deal. The summer 2024 price for a large beach umbrella and two quality beach chairs for the whole day is $40. Individual equipment rental is also available in the pier shop.

If you have any questions about the St Augustine Beach fishing pier or need other recommendations for your visit, please leave a comment or send us a note. We live here, so we’re always happy to provide additional information or scope out anything we haven’t covered on the website.