Emergency ferry service is now being offered between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe for Hatteras Island residents, essential personnel, and nonresident property owners while N.C. Highway 12 remains closed because of damage from the recent storm.
Visitors continue to be prohibited from the island.
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Those granted access must have proper identification and fall within one of the following three groups:
- Priority 1: Essential personnel. Anyone in this category is required to present a reentry permit and matching government-issued identification.
- Priority 2: Permanent Dare County residents and essential personnel for critical businesses. Those in this category must present either a valid North Carolina driver license, N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles-issued identification card with a physical Dare County address, or a voter registration card that shows a physical Dare County address, along with a government-issued photo that matches the name on the card. Residents may display their 2026 reentry permit to expedite the verification process.
- Priority 3: Nonresident property owners and employees of island businesses. Property owners must present a current real property tax bill or property record and a matching, current government-issued ID, or a 2026 reentry permit with matching, current government-issued identification. Nonresident employees of businesses on the island must present a reentry permit and matching, current government-issued ID.
Entry permit applications for this and additional information about Dare County’s staged entry process are available at DareNC.gov/Reentry.
Requests for priority boarding may be made electronically and only under extenuating circumstances to include an urgent or time-sensitive need such as a medical appointment, procedure or treatment. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Separate requests must be submitted for each direction of travel.
Those permitted on the island are asked to delay travel unless absolutely necessary until the highway reopens.
Until that time, emergency ferry service will operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so travelers should anticipate limited capacity and extended waits. Each ferry typically accommodates about 25 to 30 standard vehicles per trip.
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Bulk deliveries of petroleum products and propane will be limited to the 5 p.m. departure from Stumpy Point and the 2 a.m. departure from Rodanthe.
The trip between Rodanthe and Stumpy Point takes about two hours one way.
The emergency ferry schedule is as follows:
- Rodanthe to Stumpy Point: 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
- Stumpy Point to Rodanthe: 5 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., and 11 p.m.
These ferry operations are weather-dependent, and schedules are subject to change.
