Both. Along all 26 miles of Walton County’s Gulf beach, the wet sand below the mean high-water line is public, as are public beach accesses, state parks and county- and state-owned beaches. Dry sand above that line is usually owned by the adjacent lot owner, and which stretches are private depends on the deed and survey. Whether any customary use rights apply to that dry sand is legally unsettled.

For beaches that come with a club, see our guide to WaterSound and WaterColor beach club membership. This guide covers public access and the county rules on the sand.

What is settled, and what depends on the deed

This guide is general information drawn from public sources as of September 29, 2026, not legal advice, and a Gulf-front buyer should have the survey and title reviewed by a Florida real estate attorney or title professional.

• The wet sand is public. The Florida Constitution holds the beach below the mean high-water line in trust for all the people, and Walton County’s tourism department says everyone can walk the wet sand along all 26 miles of the county’s beach.
• Public accesses and public land are public: county beach accesses, county- and state-owned beaches, and the Topsail Hill Preserve, Grayton Beach and Deer Lake state parks, which charge entry fees.
• Some renourished beach west of 30A is public. When Florida renourishes a beach, a fixed erosion control line becomes the boundary and the beach seaward of it belongs to the state. In 2018 the county’s Tourist Development Council said that applied to the stretch from Topsail Hill Preserve State Park west to the Okaloosa County line.
• Everywhere else, it depends on the deed. Florida Senate staff note that dry sand above the mean high-water line is usually owned by the adjacent lot owner. Whether a particular lot runs to the water is a title question.

Sources: Florida Constitution, Article X, Section 11; Florida Senate Committee on Rules, analysis of CS/SB 1622 (April 23, 2025); Visit South Walton, Beach and Bay Access Locations (map updated July 21, 2026); Walton County TDC statement (July 3, 2018).

Customary use in Walton County, 2016 to 2026

Customary use is the legal doctrine that if the public’s recreational use of dry sand has been “ancient, reasonable, without interruption and free from dispute,” the owner should not interfere with it. The Florida Supreme Court set that test in 1974, and courts apply it beach by beach. Walton County’s history with it:

• October 25, 2016: the county adopts a countywide customary use ordinance, amended March 28, 2017.
• July 1, 2018: HB 631 (chapter 2018-94) takes effect, barring customary use ordinances not based on a court declaration.
• December 11, 2018: the county sues for a declaration covering 1,194 private beachfront properties.
• February 2024: the represented owners who objected have either won dismissals with findings of no customary use on their beaches or settled, and the circuit court enters judgment on the 95 unrepresented parcels whose owners never objected.
• June 2025: Florida repeals the 2018 law when CS/SB 1622 (chapter 2025-178) is signed. According to Florida Senate staff, a local government may again declare customary use by ordinance, and an owner who disagrees must sue.
• February 18, 2026: Florida’s First District Court of Appeal, not the Florida Supreme Court, holds the 2024 judgment a nullity with no legal effect. Its opinion reports that at oral argument the county could not say whether the repeal revived its 2017 ordinance, maintained that the ordinance had been invalidated and was no longer in effect, and said it believed it could adopt a new one under home rule.
• May 26, 2026: the Board of County Commissioners adopts a resolution affirming its support for the public’s use of the beaches. It is a resolution, not an ordinance, and it does not declare customary use.
• August 25, 2026: the county adopts Ordinance 2026-10. No ordinance through that one is a new customary use ordinance.

So as of September 29, 2026, no new customary use ordinance appears in the county’s ordinance index, the 2024 judgment has no legal effect, and the appeals court did not decide whether the 2017 ordinance was revived. The county has said it could adopt a new ordinance, which owners could then challenge property by property. NPR called the result “a confusing patchwork of beach access” on September 4, 2026.

Sources: Florida Senate Committee on Rules, analysis of CS/SB 1622 (April 23, 2025); Florida First District Court of Appeal, Nos. 1D2024-0682, -0720, -0748 (February 18, 2026); Walton County Board of County Commissioners, public beach use resolution (May 26, 2026); Walton County Clerk ordinance index, through Ordinance 2026-10 (retrieved September 29, 2026); NPR (September 4, 2026).

Regional and neighborhood beach accesses

Walton County’s tourism department runs the official Beach and Bay Access map, which the county’s own Beaches page uses as the complete list. It shows more than 50 beach and bay accesses. Gulf beach accesses come in two kinds.

• Regional beach accesses are the large ones. There are 11, from Miramar Beach in the west to Inlet Beach in the east. They offer restrooms, parking, showers and bike racks, though amenities vary by access, and several have ADA access. Each has a surf-conditions flag and a lifeguard from March through October.
• Neighborhood beach accesses are smaller public accesses inside neighborhoods, reached by boardwalk and built mainly for walk-up traffic. There are dozens. Most have no parking, restrooms or lifeguards.

The newest, the county’s 11th, is the Bets “Beachmama” Haynes Regional Beach Access in Grayton Beach, opened June 15, 2026, with restrooms, rinse showers, an observation deck and a boardwalk to the beach tram. Some county pages still say nine regional accesses; that count is out of date.

The other two, Miramar Beach and Scenic Gulf Drive, are in Miramar Beach. The map shows some communities, such as Seaside and Rosemary Beach, as private beaches with access for their guests, and its disclaimer says it “is not a legal representation of the features depicted.” Use it to find an access, not to decide whether a parcel is public.

Sources: Visit South Walton (Walton County TDC), Beach and Bay Access Locations and map data (updated July 21, 2026; access records retrieved September 11, 2026); WMBB (June 16, 2026).

Beach rules in South Walton

The ordinance also bans glass containers, unattended holes or holes deeper than 2 feet, removing sand, overnight camping and personal fireworks on county beaches. Sea turtle nesting season runs May 1 to October 31, and tents go on the upland half, not the upper third older pages mention.

Sources: Walton County Ordinance 2025-22, amending Chapter 22 (adopted November 24, 2025); Walton County Bonfire Rules and Permits page (retrieved September 11, 2026).

Driving on the beach at Grayton

The ordinance lists four designated areas for permitted vehicles. In practice Grayton Beach is the only open one: Inlet Beach allows boat launching only, and Walton Park and Seagrove Beach are temporarily closed.

• The lottery. Walton County may issue up to 150 additional one-year, nonrenewable permits each year. Applications run April 1 to May 10, the drawing is the third Tuesday in May, and winners have 30 days from June 1 to buy.
• Who can enter. Only Walton County residents: registered voters or property owners who live in the county. A second-home owner who lives elsewhere can drive only on a grandfathered, nontransferable permit renewed every year.
• Vehicles. Four-wheel drive and registered for highway use; lottery and disability permit vehicles and trailers must be registered in Florida. No ATVs.
• 2026 fees. A grandfathered permit costs $135, plus $40 for a launch decal. A charter vehicle permit costs $210, plus $40 for the trailer.
• Charters. Up to 15 charter fishing beach permits go to county-resident licensed captains, and fishing charters launch off the sand at Grayton.

Sources: Walton County Ordinance 2025-22, Sec. 22-02 and 22-57 (adopted November 24, 2025); Walton County Code Compliance, Beach Driving, Charter Fishing, Dog Beach Permits page and 2026 Beach Charter and Launch Application (retrieved September 11, 2026).

Parking for the beach

Walton County began paid beach parking on April 3, 2026, at three county lots: Van Ness Butler, County Road 393 and Grayton Beach. The former Van Ness Butler beach access between Seaside and WaterColor is now owned by WaterColor and limited to its homeowners, so check which access a lot serves before you park. From March through October, parking costs $5 an hour or $15 a day, and $5 a day in winter. Annual passes cost $5 for Walton County residents and $205 for non-residents, plus a $3.50 fee per vehicle, and a weekly visitor pass is $90. Beach trams are free, overnight parking is banned in county beach access lots, and the program may add lots, so check parkwaltonco.org.

Sources: Park Walton County, locations, passes and FAQ pages (retrieved September 29, 2026); WJHG (April 3, 2026); Walton County Code Sec. 22-61; WaterColor Community Association FAQ and Seaside, Commonly Asked Questions (May 10, 2024), on the former Van Ness Butler access.

Buying on the Gulf: a property question and a legal question

Whether a Gulf-front lot includes the sand in front of it is decided by the deed, the survey and, where one exists, the erosion control line. On April 15, 2026, the First District Court of Appeal sent a Dune Allen case back to the trial court over whether deeds written from 1964 to 1970, which set the southern boundary by a measured 315-foot call from Highway 30A and never mention the Gulf, reach the water. This guide is general information, not legal advice: for any Gulf-front purchase, have a current survey and the title reviewed by a Florida real estate attorney or title professional.

Source: Florida First District Court of Appeal, No. 1D2025-0984 (April 15, 2026).

Frequently asked questions