One of the first practical questions I get from people moving to Fairfield is some version of this: how do the beaches work, and do I need a sticker? The short answer is that getting onto the sand is free and open to everyone. The sticker is really about parking during the summer. Here is how it actually works, with the current 2026 numbers.
When you actually need a sticker
During the beach season, which runs from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, you need a beach sticker to park at the town beaches. Outside those months, parking is open. So the sticker is a summer thing, and for most residents it is genuinely inexpensive.
Which beaches, and the residents-only ones
Fairfield has six beaches. Jennings and Penfield, the two big ones, can be reached either with a sticker or by paying a daily fee at the gate. Southport Beach, Sasco Beach, and South Pine Creek Beach are residents-only in season, meaning you need a seasonal sticker to use them at all. If those quieter beaches are the draw, the sticker is not optional.
The resident stickers, and what they cost
Here is the part that surprises new residents: it is cheap. The main resident pass, the “A” sticker, is $25 for the season and covers all the beaches plus the marina and the transfer station. Residents 62 and over pay $10, and residents in the town’s tax relief program get one free. And if Penfield is your beach, the “P” sticker, which covers Penfield only, is free to residents. To qualify for resident rates, your vehicle has to be registered and paying taxes to the Town of Fairfield. Your registration will show Tax Town 051.
Visitors and non-residents
If you are not a Fairfield taxpayer, you still have options. A day at Jennings or Penfield runs $40 on a weekday and $50 on weekends and holidays, credit cards only, paid at the gate. There are also seasonal non-resident passes, such as a $75 “B” sticker for out-of-town-registered property taxpayers and a $250 “J” sticker for vehicles that do not pay Fairfield taxes. Most visitors just pay the daily fee.
How and where to get one
You can pick up or renew a sticker at the Fairfield Parks and Recreation office at 75 Mill Plain Road, open weekdays from 8:30 to 4:30. Renewals can also be done online, and the sticker is mailed to the address on file, which is the easy route once you are in the system. The town posts the application and the current details on its beach stickers and fees page.
The bottom line
For most new residents the takeaway is simple. A whole summer of beach and marina parking costs about the price of a nice lunch, or nothing at all if Penfield is your spot. It is one of the quiet perks of living in a shoreline town. Once you have your sticker, my guide to summer in Fairfield covers what to actually do with it.
One note. These are the fees for the 2026 season, and the town sets them year to year, so it is always worth confirming the current numbers and pickup locations on the official Parks and Recreation page before you head over.
Thinking about a move to the shoreline?
If a Fairfield beach neighborhood is on your list, I live at the shoreline myself and am always happy to help you get to know the town. Reach me any time at alex@fairfieldbeachrealty.com, or start with my Moving to Fairfield guide.
Alex Kniffin, REALTOR, Century 21 AllPoints Realty
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