Anita Street Beach

What it’s like

Anita Street Beach is a narrow strip of sand below a bluff. A Coastal Commission staff report on the street end describes an ocean-fronting bluff with an upper terrace and a bluff face that drops to a narrow sandy beach.

The Coastal Commission lists the stairway beaches from Anita Street south to Pearl Street as one group. It marks the stretch as sandy beach with rocky shore and stairs at most street ends. Anita is the north end of that group, about 400 feet south of Thalia Street and about 400 feet north of Oak Street.

The city’s Oak Street page covers the water here. It says the reef off Oak is suited for surfing and not swimming, that swimmers are not allowed in the surfing area because of skim and surf boards, and that swimming is permitted past the surf flag at the northern end of Anita Street beach. Look for the flag before you go in.

Getting there and parking

The public stairway at the west end of Anita Street sits between two private homes. The public right of way there is about 60 feet wide, which is wider than the stairway.

The city is rebuilding the stairway and the street end. Its project page says the stairs and the sewer lift station beside them are more than 70 years old. Construction started on June 23, 2025, and the city expects to finish in December 2026. Until then, it points beachgoers to the stairs at Oak Street and Thalia Street.

A March 2023 Coastal Commission staff report describes the plan. The new stairs follow the existing alignment with minor changes, with a gentler slope than the old ones, more width on both sides, landings for resting, a bench and warning stripes. The street end would be leveled to give a viewing point that meets accessibility rules. The same project replaces a sewer lift station that sits above the upper landing and adds a permanent lifeguard tower on the beach. Check with the city’s Public Works Department before you plan around the stairs.

There is no beach lot. The Coastal Commission lists street parking and no fee for the stretch. Meters limit some blocks to three hours, according to the city, and neighborhood parking elsewhere is very limited. The parking guide explains permits, enforcement hours and summer lots. The Coastal Commission lists no restrooms on this stretch.

Rules and safety

The Coastal Commission’s listing for Anita Street to Pearl Street marks dogs as No. The city’s published rule allows leashed dogs on its beaches all year, with one limit: from June 15 to September 10, dogs may be on the beach only before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Follow any signs posted at the stairs.

Anita lies inside the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve, which covers more than four miles of coast from Abalone Point to Goff Island. Nothing living, geological or cultural may be injured, damaged, taken or possessed there, and fishing is off limits. The city’s pages for the neighboring beaches say the same thing in plain terms: leave marine life, rocks and shells where they are.

Good to know

The city closes its beaches from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Alcohol, smoking and fires are banned, and the alcohol ban covers adults 21 and over. Lifeguard coverage varies by beach, the city says, and the rebuild adds a permanent tower here.

Oak Street Beach is the next stairway south, and Thalia Street Beach is the next one north. The nearest neighborhood page, The Village, has homes and live figures for the area.