From March through October, Satellite Beach asks for darkness on the sand after 9 p.m. On November 1 the same beach opens for permitted bonfires at Hightower Beach and Pelican Beach. The fire season runs through February 28, and the city spreads it across only a handful of sites and three nights a week.
The way the city hands out those sites matters more than the rules about flame height. Residents can book twice as far ahead as visitors. The paperwork has to be done in person at a counter, and the fee is non-refundable. A Thanksgiving or New Year's bonfire goes to whoever calls the Recreation office early, and the calendar makes that easy to plan.
Eight Dark Months, Then Four of Firelight
The Sea Turtle Preservation Society explains that Brevard County's lighting ordinance runs May 1 through October 31. It requires artificial lights visible from the beach to be off, shielded or covered from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Satellite Beach runs a longer window. The society's May 15, 2026 article says the city's restrictions apply from March 1 through the end of October, from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The city's bonfire season starts the next day. In its October 1 announcement, the city set the season at November 1 through February 28, with permits issued only for Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from 6 p.m. to midnight. No permits are issued outside that window. The two seasons don't overlap. The city's lighting restrictions run March through October, and bonfire permits run November through February.
Nine Public Fires a Night, 52 Nights a Season
The supply is small. According to the city's permit page, Satellite Beach has 10 designated bonfire sites, all at Hightower Beach and Pelican Beach. One Pelican Beach site is held for Pelican Beach Clubhouse rentals, which leaves nine for everyone else.
On this season's calendar, November 1 falls on a Sunday and February 28, 2027 does too. Counting every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in between gives 52 permitted evenings. Nine public sites across 52 evenings comes to about 468 bookable bonfire nights for the season. That covers a city of residents plus every visitor who wants a fire on this stretch of beach.
Opening night is Sunday, November 1. Paperwork for any weekend is due by noon on the Thursday before, which makes Thursday, October 29 the deadline for the first fire of the season.
The 15-Day Head Start
With so few sites, the booking window matters most. Satellite Beach residents can reserve a site up to 30 days ahead, and non-residents up to 15 days ahead. On any given night, residents get about two weeks to claim the nine sites before visitors can book at all.
Here is how that window plays out on the weekends people are most likely to want. The open dates below count back 30 and 15 days from each evening. Reservations go by phone during weekday office hours, so a date that falls on a weekend moves to the next business day.
| Bonfire evening | Residents can book from about | Non-residents can book from about | Paperwork due by noon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28, Thanksgiving weekend | Thu., Oct. 29 | Fri., Nov. 13 | Thu., Nov. 26, Thanksgiving Day |
| Sat., Dec. 5, GROM Fest day | Thu., Nov. 5 | Fri., Nov. 20 | Thu., Dec. 3 |
| Fri., Dec. 25, Christmas Day | Wed., Nov. 25 | Thu., Dec. 10 | Thu., Dec. 24 |
| Fri., Jan. 1, New Year's Day | Wed., Dec. 2 | Thu., Dec. 17 | Thu., Dec. 31 |
| Sun., Feb. 28, closing night | Fri., Jan. 29 | Mon., Feb. 15 | Thu., Feb. 25 |
Three of those deadlines fall on or just before a holiday. For Thanksgiving weekend, the Thursday deadline lands on Thanksgiving Day itself. For Christmas night and New Year's night, the deadline is Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve at noon. Anyone planning a holiday fire is really planning to visit the Recreation office earlier that week.
Booking Happens at a Counter
None of this happens online. The permit page describes these steps:
- Call Satellite Beach Recreation at 321-773-6458, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., to check which sites are open.
- Pay the permit fee, which is $50 for residents and $100 for non-residents.
- Pay the $100 refundable security deposit, which is the same for everyone.
- Sign the Beach Bonfire Permit Agreement in person at the Recreation Office, where staff notarize it on the spot. Every staff member there is a notary, so no outside notary is needed, but the permit holder has to be there.
A reservation doesn't count as complete until the agreement is signed and all fees are paid. A phone call can hold your interest in a site, but you still have to sign at the counter.
The money adds to the timing pressure. Once a permit is issued, the fee isn't refunded for bad tides, weather the city doesn't cancel for, or a change of plans. The city tells applicants to check expected tides and weather before they book. If the city cancels for extreme weather, a fire ban or municipal needs, the 2026 bonfire rules say a full refund is issued. A resident booking 30 days out is betting on a forecast nobody has yet. That's the cost of getting first pick.
Parking is separate. Fees apply at the Hightower Beach and Pelican Beach lots until 7 p.m., and a bonfire permit doesn't cover them. Guests who arrive at 6 p.m. pay, and guests who arrive after 7 do not.
What the Rules Sheet Is Strict About
The city's 2026 rules are short. Breaking several of them can cost you the deposit and future permits, not just one night.
- The permit holder must be at least 21, stay on site the whole time, and carry photo ID and a signed copy of the permit, on paper or a phone, for nightly inspections by city staff, fire officials or police.
- The fire has to sit at least 25 feet from the beach access ramp, the dune line and any structure. It can be no more than 3 feet across, with flames no taller than 2 feet.
- A bucket of water and a shovel have to be on hand, the fire must be out by midnight, and overnight camping isn't allowed.
- Only store-bought seasoned dry firewood or Duraflame-type products are allowed, and no flammable liquids may be used to start the fire.
- Balloons, lanterns, confetti, glitter, streamers and plastic petals are prohibited, and so is Styrofoam.
The wood rule names one item that matters in a season running through January:
"The use of lumber, plywood, pallets, trees, Christmas trees or any wood that is painted, has nails, pressure treated or such WILL NOT BE USED."
Breaking that rule gets the fire put out, the permit canceled and the holder banned from future applications. Leaving the site less than fully cleaned leads to the same ban and the loss of the whole deposit. If everything checks out, the $100 goes back to the card used for payment within one to three business days. The rules sheet also says bonfire permits are subject to public records requests.
Fees and rules can change during a season. This post is general information, not legal advice, so check the current terms with the Recreation Department before you book.
The Nights That Will Book First
The city's fall events put several of the most-wanted fire nights on the same days as daytime gatherings at the same parks.
Wednesday, November 4. The Senior Expo runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the David R. Schechter Community Center, 1089 S. Patrick Drive. It's free for people over 55 and includes local services and Publix flu shots.
Saturday, November 7. Founders Day brings the Satellite Beach Woman's Club Marketplace, with more than 200 craft and specialty vendors, to the DRS Community Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The parade leaves DeLaura Middle School at 11 a.m. and ends at the DRS. This year's marketplace theme is "Discover Satellite Beach, Our Hidden Gem," with blue crab and sunset artwork by DeLaura students. That same Saturday is the first full weekend of bonfire season. Residents could book it starting in early October, and the paperwork is due at noon on Thursday, November 5.
Saturday, December 5. The annual Space Coast GROM Fest runs at Pelican Beach Park from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with surf contests, a cleanup, live music, vendors and food trucks. The festival ends three hours before Pelican's bonfire permits start at 6 p.m.
Sunday, December 6. The Fire Department's holiday Open House starts at 6 p.m. at 240 Jackson Avenue. It has children's activities, hot chocolate, Santa and a fire-engine display, and toy and food donations are accepted. It overlaps the first hours of that night's permitted fires.
Founders Day and the bonfire season both go through the Satellite Beach Recreation Department at the same phone number, 321-773-6458. The Thanksgiving-weekend resident window opens about the day this post goes up, and the Christmas-night window opens the day before Thanksgiving. For a fire on Saturday, November 28, the earliest resident booking date is close.
I grew up with these beaches in winter, and a fire at Hightower or Pelican with family in town is one of the best Space Coast traditions there is. If you're hosting this season and want help timing a bonfire night around a visit, a move or a closing, BSC Real Estate with Amanda is happy to help you plan. Let's Connect.
