Beachcombing in Key West, Florida: Shells, Conch and Coral Rules
ALLOWED
No permit required
Empty shells, including queen conch shells, can be collected on Key West's city beaches under Florida law. Coral is the trap: below the high-tide line you're in a federal sanctuary that bans possessing any coral, living or dead. Rules checked against primary sources in .
Key Conditions
- Empty shells need no license; FWC requires a saltwater fishing license only for a shell with a living animal inside
- On city-owned beaches, Key West City Code § 82-71 makes it unlawful to remove "sand, rock or fill in any quantity whatsoever": take shells and sea glass, not pebbles or coral rock
- Queen conch is a Florida protected species: a shell is legal to keep only if no live conch was in it or removed from it, and possessing a shell with an off-center hole larger than 1/16 inch through the spire is illegal (FAC 68B-16.004)
- Below the mean high-water mark you are in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which bans possessing "any living or dead coral", wherever it came from (15 CFR 922.163(a)(2)(i))
- Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park's beach is state park land, where FAC 62D-2.013 bans removing sand, rocks, marine animals, artifacts "or other materials" without a scientific-collecting permit; ask the park before taking even an empty shell
Key West (Smathers, Higgs and Fort Zachary Taylor beaches) · 24.5513, -81.7717
The coral rule starts at the high-tide line
Key West's shoreline is the edge of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, whose boundary is the mean high-water mark. Seaward of it, federal law bans "possessing (regardless of where taken from) any living or dead coral" (15 CFR 922.163(a)(2)(i)). A bleached fragment in your pocket while you wade or snorkel is enough, even one you picked up somewhere else. Florida's rule (FAC 68B-42.009) separately bans taking any hard or stony coral or sea fan, with no exception for dead pieces.
The question people ask most about Key West, whether you can keep a conch shell, has a clear answer in Florida's rules: yes, if it was empty. Florida designates queen conch a protected species (FAC 68B-16.001), and FAC 68B-16.004 bans taking or possessing a live one. The same rule lets you "harvest a queen conch shell if the shell does not contain a live queen conch at the time of harvest" and the animal wasn't killed or removed to get it.
One detail turns a legal souvenir into an illegal one: a hole. Conch are taken out of their shells by knocking a hole near the spire, and the rule bans possessing a queen conch shell "that has an off-center hole larger than 1/16 inch in diameter through its spire." A beach-worn shell with a natural break is a judgment call; a neat round hole in the spire isn't.
The city adds one rule of its own: § 82-71 of the City Code makes it unlawful "to remove sand, rock or fill in any quantity whatsoever" from "the South Roosevelt Boulevard Bathing Beach or any other municipally owned beach", which takes in Smathers Beach on South Roosevelt Boulevard. Shells, sea glass and sea beans aren't named; pebbles and chunks of coral rock are. Beyond that, the city beaches follow the general Florida rule. FWC lets you take empty shells without a license and requires a saltwater fishing license only for shells with a living animal inside. Monroe County has no live-shell ban like Sanibel's Lee County rule, though live queen conch and Bahama starfish are off-limits everywhere in Florida.
Key West's beaches and who sets the rules
| Beach | Manager | Empty shells? | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smathers Beach | City of Key West | Yes | Nourished since the 1960s with crushed lime rock and Bahamian aragonite sand (DEP) |
| Higgs Beach | City of Key West (from Monroe County, May 1, 2026) | Yes | Also the site of the African Cemetery, a burial ground the city commemorates: leave any bone or artifact alone |
| C.B. Harvey Rest Beach | City of Key West | Yes | Next to Higgs Beach |
| South Beach | City | Yes | At the foot of Duval Street |
| Fort Zachary Taylor State Park | Florida State Parks | Ask the park first | FAC 62D-2.013 bans removing "other materials"; collecting permits only for science or education |
| Water and wet sand below mean high water | NOAA sanctuary and the State of Florida | Empty shells yes; coral never | 15 CFR 922.163; Fla. Stat. § 267.061 |
Straight-line, Smathers Beach to Fort Zachary Taylor is 2.5 miles. Checked October 2026.
Fort Zach's beach is a state park beach
The pebbly beach at the southwest tip of the island, which the park itself calls the "rocky beach", is inside Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. Florida's state park rule says no one may "remove from any park area, or the waters thereof" any sand, rocks, marine plants or animals, artifacts or "other materials", and it requires a permit for "the collection of natural objects" that's granted only for scientific or educational purposes (FAC 62D-2.013). The text has no carve-out for empty shells. Ask at the gate or call 305-292-6713 before you keep anything.
Before you pocket anything in Key West
- Look inside every shell; put back any with a living animal
- Check a conch shell's spire for a knocked hole
- Leave all coral on the beach, including dead and bleached pieces
- Leave pebbles, rock and sand: the city bans removing any from its beaches
- At Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, ask staff before keeping anything
- Leave anything that looks old or man-made: it may belong to the state
- Keep three or fewer queen conch shells if you'll cross an international border
Who Sets the Rules Here
City of Key West, Community Services
The city's public beaches: no removing sand, rock or fill (§ 82-71); beaches closed 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. (§ 26-70). Higgs Beach passed from Monroe County to the City on May 1, 2026, and is also a city park under § 26-96
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Shells with living animals, queen conch and conch shells, stony coral, sea fans and live rock, statewide
Florida DEP, Division of Recreation and Parks
The park's beach and waters at the southwest tip of the island
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Everything seaward of the mean high-water mark around Key West: no coral, live rock or historical resources
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Boat-access islands west and north of Key West: no removing natural objects (50 CFR 27.61); parts of some beaches closed
Permits & Licenses
| Permit | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting empty shells, sea glass and sea beans on the city beaches | No | No state license or permit. FWC: a license is required "to harvest a sea shell containing a living organism, even when harvesting from shore"; an empty shell doesn't need one. |
| Florida recreational saltwater fishing license (live shells) | Yes | Needed only to take a shell with a living animal in it, within the marine-life limits (20 organisms a day, no more than five of one species). Live queen conch, stony coral, live rock and Bahama starfish can't be taken at all. |
| Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park entry | Yes | Entry doesn't cover collecting. FAC 62D-2.013(7) requires a permit to collect natural objects, issued only for scientific or educational purposes. |
Time & Seasonal Restrictions
- City-owned beaches: no removing sand, rock or fill "in any quantity whatsoever" (City Code § 82-71); closed 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. (§ 26-70)
- No possessing any coral, living or dead, anywhere seaward of the mean high-water mark, including a piece bought or found elsewhere (15 CFR 922.163(a)(2)(i))
- No taking hard or stony coral, sea fans, fire coral or black coral; no possessing fresh, uncleaned or uncured pieces (FAC 68B-42.009)
- No live queen conch, and no queen conch shell with an off-center hole larger than 1/16 inch through its spire (FAC 68B-16.004)
- No removing historical resources, such as shipwreck material, in the sanctuary (15 CFR 922.163(a)(9)); artifacts on state-owned land and sovereignty submerged land belong to the state (Fla. Stat. § 267.061)
- Fort Zachary Taylor State Park: no removing sand, rocks, marine animals, artifacts or other materials, and no picking seeds, without a collecting permit (FAC 62D-2.013); open 8 a.m. to sundown
- Sea turtle nests, eggs, hatchlings and shells or other parts are protected: possessing or disturbing them is a third-degree felony (Fla. Stat. § 379.2431(1)(d)); the city lists nesting season as March 1 to October 31 on the Atlantic side
- National wildlife refuge islands: no removing natural objects (50 CFR 27.61); half of the beaches on Boca Grande Key and Woman Key are closed
Equipment Notes
- A mesh bag, so sand and any hitchhiking live animal can drop out before you leave the beach
- Water shoes for Fort Zach's rocky bottom, which the park recommends
- A small magnifier or phone flashlight to check that a shell is empty: look into the aperture for a foot or operculum
What People Find Here
- Queen conch shells: the species is protected in Florida, but empty, intact shells may be kept
- Pebbles and shell fragments on Fort Zachary Taylor's "sprawling beach of sand and pebbles", as the park describes it
- Much of the sand on Smathers Beach was trucked or shipped in: DEP says it has been nourished since the 1960s with sand screened from crushed lime rock and with oolitic aragonite imported from the Bahamas
Penalties for Violations
← Scroll to see all columns
| Violation | Statute | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Removing sand, rock or fill from a city-owned beach | Key West City Code §§ 82-71, 82-1, 1-15 | Fine up to $500 and/or up to 60 days in jail |
| Possessing coral (living or dead) or a historical resource in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary | 15 CFR 922.163(a)(2), (a)(9); 16 U.S.C. 1437(d)(1); 15 CFR 6.3 | Federal civil penalty of up to $222,609 per violation (2026 inflation-adjusted figure) |
| Taking a live queen conch, a queen conch shell with a spire hole, or stony coral | FAC 68B-16.004, 68B-42.009; Fla. Stat. § 379.407(1)(a) | First conviction: up to 60 days in jail and/or a fine of $100–$500; a second within 12 months up to 6 months and $250–$1,000 |
| Collecting plant or animal specimens, or breaking off coral or water-bottom formations, in a state park | Fla. Stat. § 258.008(3)(a), (c); FAC 62D-2.013 | Second-degree misdemeanor and ejection from all state park property; other park-rule breaches are a noncriminal infraction with a fine up to $500 (§ 258.008(1)) |
| Possessing sea turtle parts, eggs or hatchlings | Fla. Stat. § 379.2431(1)(d) | Third-degree felony |
Etiquette & Leave No Trace
- Check every shell for a living occupant and put back any that has one
- Leave coral, even sun-bleached fragments, on the beach
- Don't buy or carry a conch shell with a hole knocked in the spire
- Keep off posted turtle nests and the closed refuge beaches
Nearby Alternatives
← Scroll to see all columns
| Site | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sanibel Island | 132.2 mi | Florida's best-known shelling island, where Lee County bans taking any live shell, even with a license |
Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.All 2 beachcombing sites in Florida
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you take conch shells from Key West?
Yes, if the shell was empty when you found it. Queen conch is protected in Florida, but FAC 68B-16.004 lets you keep a shell that had no live conch in it. A shell with an off-center hole larger than 1/16 inch through its spire is illegal to possess, because that hole is how the animal is cut out.
Is it illegal to take coral from Key West?
Yes. Below the mean high-water mark you are in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, which bans moving, taking or possessing "any living or dead coral", regardless of where it was taken from. Florida's own rule bans taking any hard or stony coral or sea fan. Leave washed-up coral fragments where they lie.
Can I collect shells at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park?
Ask the park first (305-292-6713). Florida's state park rule bans removing sand, rocks, marine animals, artifacts "or other materials", and its collecting permits are only for science or education. We found no published exception for empty shells there.
Do I need a fishing license to pick up shells in Key West?
Only for a shell with a living animal inside. FWC requires a recreational saltwater fishing license for that, even from shore. Monroe County has no live-shell ban like Lee County's, but live queen conch and Bahama starfish can never be taken.
Can I bring a conch shell home from a trip abroad through Key West?
Queen conch is listed in CITES Appendix II. U.S. rules let you carry up to three queen conch shells as personal effects across a border without a CITES document (50 CFR 23.15); more than that needs a permit.
Who runs Higgs Beach now?
The City of Key West. Monroe County conveyed the beach to the city on May 1, 2026, and the city added it to its list of public parks in July 2026.
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Disclaimer
Information is provided for general guidance only. Regulations change frequently. Always verify current rules with the official jurisdiction before relying on this information for legal decisions. Permitted Pursuits is not a substitute for official agency guidance. Report an error.
Sources
- Key West Code of Ordinances, Ch. 82 Art. III (Beaches), § 82-71; Ch. 26 Div. 3–4 (Use of Beaches, Use of Parks); § 1-15 (Municode)(accessed 2026-10-23)
- City of Key West Resolution 15-230, Exhibit A — Park rules for all city parks(accessed 2026-10-23)
- FWC — Recreational sea shell collecting(accessed 2026-10-23)
- FAC 68B-16.004 — Harvest of queen conch prohibited (Cornell LII)(accessed 2026-10-23)
- FAC 68B-42.009 — Prohibition of harvest: stony coral, sea fans (Cornell LII)(accessed 2026-10-23)
- 15 CFR 922.163 — Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary prohibited activities (Cornell LII)(accessed 2026-10-23)
- 15 CFR part 922 subpart P, Appendix I — Sanctuary boundary (mean high-water mark)(accessed 2026-10-23)
- FAC 62D-2.013 — State park resource management (Cornell LII)(accessed 2026-10-23)
- Fla. Stat. § 258.008 — State park prohibited activities; penalties(accessed 2026-10-23)
- Fla. Stat. § 379.407 — Marine resource rule penalties(accessed 2026-10-23)
- Florida State Parks — Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park: hours and fees(accessed 2026-10-23)
- Florida DEP — Strategic Beach Management Plan, Florida Keys Region (August 2026)(accessed 2026-10-23)
- 50 CFR 23.15 — CITES personal and household effects (queen conch shells)(accessed 2026-10-23)
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