Dozens Complain About Sudden Parking Fee at Fairhope Pier During Fireworks
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Public Safety News
July 6, 2026
FAIRHOPE, Ala. On Saturday, as the Fairhope Pier parking areas began to fill up as they usually do during the 4th of July celebrations, residents and visitors alike were hit with a sudden announcement, parking for this special day would be at a premium.
According to those in shock, the City of Fairhope, Public Works Department, was charging each vehicle, $20 to park.
This information had not been released earlier in the week and was a total surprise as people looked to find a parking spot.
Geoffrey Barkin, a Fairhope businessman and partners in the Blind Tiger Restaurant that sits on the pier hit the social media platforms and offered to offer discounts for those eating at the Blind Tiger.
We will discount the tab of anyone subjected to this tax. Take a picture of your badge of honor windshield tag you purchased for $20 from the City of Fairhope and show your server.
We apologize unreservedly for the City’s actions, Barkin said. Last year the restaurant offered to pay for parking for the entire summer, and the city denied our offer. Staff indicated that the City’s desire was to restrict the park and not open it to all.
Dozens of people took to social media to complain about the sudden parking fees and the lack of any communication from the city about the anticipated $20 parking.
Walking out on the Fairhope Municipal Pier is completely free year-round. However, if you park at the adjacent North Beach Park, non-residents are charged a fee of $20 per vehicle during the summer season. Fairhope residents (zip code 36532) park for free but must get a beach sticker from City Hall.
The City of Fairhope enforces these summer parking fees at North Beach Park to manage high seasonal traffic, and public parking operates on a first-come, first-served basis.
While this has been enforced in years past, this year, there has frequently been no attendants at the booth and no vehicles have been charged a fee for days and weeks at a time until Saturday, July 4th, 2026, when the city decided to one again implement the $20 per vehicle fee.
We contacted the mayor’s office and several other government offices throughout the weekend, but they were all closed.
We will again reach out to them during business hours today.
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