Section one
Where your dog is legal on the Delaware coast
Five towns on twenty-five miles of coast, and no two of them share a set of dates. Fenwick shuts on 1 May; Rehoboth and Bethany on 15 May. Rehoboth reopens 16 September, Bethany and Fenwick on 1 October. Dewey never shuts at all, and Lewes runs on hours rather than dates. Any guide that gives you one answer for "the Delaware beaches" is wrong about at least three of them.
Status shown as of 3 August 2026
- No dogsRehoboth Beach
Beach: May 15 – September 15 · no dogs
- Dogs allowed, with limitsDewey Beach
Beach: May 23 – September 13 2026 · dogs allowed, with limits
- No dogsBethany Beach
Beach: May 15 – September 30 · no dogs
- Dogs allowed, with limitsLewes
Beach: May 1 – September 30 · dogs allowed, with limits
- No dogsFenwick Island
Beach: May 1 – September 30 · no dogs
Coming in this section
Listed so you know what's not here yet, rather than discovering it by searching for it.
- State parks — and the year-round exception for non-guarded and surf-fishing beaches
- Summer — where a dog is actually legal in July
- Pond safety — harmful algal blooms, and the one dog park everyone swims in
- Pet fees — what lodging actually charges, in total, with weight limits
- Dog parks — fenced, size split, water, shade, surface, fee, hours
- The drive — where to stop, by the city you're coming from