Public beaches: permits, not venues
Santa Cruz · public park
Not a venue but a permit. Three agencies govern the sand between Scott Creek and the Pajaro, and the rules change with the stretch you stand on.
Three separate permit sectors cover this coast, each with its own office and application: Pajaro Coast, Santa Cruz Mountains and San Mateo Coast. The current unified district contact is (831) 400-8519, SCD.specialevents@parks.ca.gov, which supersedes the older sector phone numbers printed on the 2020-era forms.
No balloons, rice, bird seed, flower petals or confetti under State Parks rules, and nothing staked into the sand.
The practical details
Capacity
Up to 500
Varies entirely by authority and site - see the three regimes below. State Parks Pajaro Sector caps at 50; County Parks 20-150 by location; City of Santa Cruz 200-5,000 by segment.
Indoor capacity
0
Rain backup
None
Curfew / end time
All three are day-use only. State Parks 8:00am to half an hour before sunset; County Parks and City 8:00am to dusk
Amplified music
State Parks: generally prohibited. County Parks: sound permit limited to light acoustic and PA levels
Alcohol
Prohibited under all three authorities - State Parks Pajaro beaches, County Parks outdoor facilities, and both City beaches
Parking
Not published
Season
County Parks bookings are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only, April-October. State Parks issues no permits on holidays or holiday weekends, which removes Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day
Pricing
State Parks: $25 filing fee, then $300-$625 by headcount, $250 deposit. County Parks: $75/hr resident, $82.50 non-resident, 2-hour minimum. City of Santa Cruz: Cowell at Surfline $388 resident / $505 non-resident (200 cap); Cowell at Collin's, Sandy Point, hotel or wharf $517 / $673 (500 cap); Wagner Grove ceremony site at Harvey West $145 / $189 (100 cap)
Accessibility
Not published
Permit authority
Three separate authorities: California State Parks Santa Cruz District (Seacliff, Sunset, Manresa, New Brighton, Twin Lakes, Seabright); Santa Cruz County Parks (Seascape Park, Dolphin and Sumner, Corcoran Lagoon, Sunny Cove, Scott Creek, Felton Covered Bridge); City of Santa Cruz (Cowell and Main Beach)
See it on your wedding date
Set your date and this page fills in with the tides, what the weather is usually like, sunset, and where the sun will be.
See also: Santa Cruz wedding photographer · permits guide
Checked against the venue's own page on September 7, 2026