The Town of Scarborough owns and operates a parking lot and bathhouse with public restrooms and showers at 41 Ocean Avenue.  For hours, parking fees, etc., click below:

https://www.scarboroughmaine.org/departments/community-services/amenities-reservations/beaches

25 MPH within the Higgins Beach neighborhood

Maine Bicycling Laws require cyclists to ride with traffic, not against it.  On a public way posted for one-way traffic, a bicycle may only be ridden in the direction designated.  Cyclists must also obey other vehicular traffic laws such as stopping at stop signs and yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks.

Scarborough’s carry in/carry out trash policy is strongly encouraged.  A limited number of trash barrels are located at main entrances to the beach and in the municipal parking lot for the convenience of dog owners. Household trash should not be disposed of in the communal beach trash bins. 

Friday is trash collection day.  The schedule may be affected by the following holidays:  Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.  The Town of Scarborough provides dumpsters for overflow household trash and recycling “Silver Bullets” for overflow paper, plastic, cans and cardboard at the Department of Public Works, 20 Washington Avenue (near Holy Donut on the corner of Washington Ave and Route 1). 

Additionally, Scarborough residents may dispose of grass clippings and leaves free of charge at the Casella Transfer Station, 594 County Road near Smiling Hill Farm near the Westbrook line.  Residents may also dispose of bulky items at the Casella Transfer station for a fee. 

Click here for the most up-to-date information on household trash, yard waste and bulky item disposal as well as holiday trash pick up schedules.

From April 1 to Labor Day, dogs are restricted in the area of Champion Street to the Spurwink River from the shore to the low tide line (see Piping Plover information). 

From May 15 to Labor Day, pets are not allowed on the beach from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and must be leashed from 5:00 PM to dusk.

 From the day after Labor Day to May 14, pets on the beach must be leashed from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. 

Year-round, pets are not allowed on the beach from 30 minutes after sunset (dusk) to 30 minutes before sunrise (dawn). 

Owners must pick up after their pets.  Waste disposal  bags and trash barrels are provided at the main entrances to the beach.  

The use of fireworks is prohibited year-round on the ocean side of Spurwink Road from Black Point Road to the Cape Elizabeth line, including anywhere in the Higgins Beach neighborhood, on Higgins Beach, and in or from watercraft.  This restriction includes July 3 & 4, December 31 and January 1 when the use of fireworks is permitted elsewhere in Scarborough. 

From June 27th until September 5th, a group of neighborhood volunteers  work in conjunction with Scarborough DPW each week to rake and remove seaweed on the beach.  If you would like to rake, volunteers meet each Thursday at 6:00 AM at the main stairs to the beach.

No Parking at any time within the Higgins Beach neighborhood with the following exceptions:

2 handicapped accessible parking spaces on Bayview Avenue across from Ashton Street with no time limit.

From May 1 to Sept 15, 1 hour paid meter parking from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM in designated spaces on the ocean side of Bayview Avenue between Pearl and Morning Streets.

From Sept 16 to April 30, parking allowed in designated spaces on the ocean side of Bayview Avenue between Pearl and Vesper Streets.

Year round, a 5-minute drop off in the designated area outside the travel lane zone on Bayview Avenue near Pearl Street.

Check street markings/no parking signage for all on-street parking restrictions.  

From June 15 to Sept 15, surfing is not allowed between 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.  

From Sept 16 to June 14, surfing is allowed at any time. 

The Maine Healthy Beaches program is a statewide partnership between the Maine DEP and local municipalities/state parks to monitor water quality and protect public health at participating coastal saltwater beaches, including Higgins Beach.  From Memorial Day to Labor Day, water is routinely tested for the presence of enterococci bacteria, an indicator of fecal contamination.  To know if there is an active advisory, look for advisory signs and an orange flag posted at beach entrances. If there are no advisories posted but there is a Maine  Healthy Beach sign, this indicates the beach is being monitored by the MHB program and there is no active advisory.   Beach goers can also CLICK HERE to check the Maine Healthy Beaches Dashboard. 

Higgins Beach is designated as an essential habitat for nesting Piping Plovers and Least Terns under the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) Endangered Species Act.  In 2009, the Town of Scarborough entered into a Beach Management Agreement with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), MDIFW and Maine Audubon to ensure the recreational use of Higgins, Pine Point and Ferry Beaches co-exists with the Town’s obligation to preserve Piping Plover habitats when nesting activity is occurring.  

The Town of Scarborough is responsible for enforcing the Beach Management Agreement, as well as its Piping Plover Ordinance (see Higgins Beach-Related Ordinances below).  Jami Fitch, Scarborough Community Services Sustainability Manager, is responsible for recruiting and training volunteers to regularly monitor the beach during nesting season.  For more information on Scarborough’s Beach Management Agreement, Piping Plover Ordinance and becoming a volunteer Beach Monitor, click here.