Orange County Parks

What Orange County Parks does

Orange County Parks (OC Parks) is the parks and recreation department of the County of Orange, California, headquartered at 13042 Old Myford Road in Irvine. The agency manages a portfolio of 23 regional and wilderness parks, 5 beaches, 9 historic sites, and the OC Zoo located within Irvine Regional Park, alongside the County of Orange Paleontology and Archaeology (COPA) collection of over 6 million fossils and artifacts. OC Parks serves Orange County residents and visitors with outdoor recreation, nature-based education, and community programming including the Jr. Ranger Program available at 20 facilities.

The agency's product surface spans physical access to parklands and beaches, an online reservation and permit system for campgrounds, picnic shelters, weddings, filming, and special events, plus structured educational offerings through the OC Zoo (school tours at $3/student, preschool programs at $5/child) and interpretive programs at historic sites. Core technical components are limited: OC Parks uses an online booking system, county-managed social media channels, email newsletters, and physical installations at John Wayne Airport for visitor engagement, but is not a technology company. Recent capital projects include the May 2022 opening of the OC Zoo Large Mammal Exhibit (2 acres, $9 million project cost) and May 2026 resurfacing of tennis and pickleball courts at Laguna Niguel Regional Park.

OC Parks' revenue mechanics are mixed: most facilities are free to enter, with usage-based revenue from parking ($3 weekday / $5 weekend per vehicle at regional parks), annual subscription passes, facility rental fees, OC Zoo education fees, and filming/special event permits. The majority of operations is publicly funded through the County of Orange general fund and tax support, supplemented by competitive grants such as the $1.9 million Proposition 68 per capita grant and the federally awarded Save America's Treasures grant for the Helena Modjeska Historic House restoration. Customer segments span general public/families, school and educational groups, event organizers, and researchers accessing the COPA collection.

Name

Orange County Parks

Legal name

Orange County Parks (County of Orange)

Website

https://ocparks.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Orange County Parks is the parks and recreation department of the County of Orange, California, managing 23 regional and wilderness parks, 5 beaches, 9 historic sites, and the OC Zoo, while curating the COPA collection of 6 million fossils and serving residents and visitors through recreation, education, and community programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Parks and Recreation

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Zoo & Aquarium Parks (Ticketed Wildlife Attractions) (THAJAEAE), Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH), Campgrounds & RV Parks (Developed Sites) (THAGAOAA)

Keywords

• Public parks management
• Regional park facilities
• Beach recreation services
• Historic site preservation
• Environmental education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Parking and Entry Fees: Revenue from daily parking fees at regional parks and beaches. Most regional parks charge $3 per vehicle on weekdays and $5 per vehicle on weekends. Beach parking varies by location.
2. Annual Passes: Sale of annual parking passes for county parks, beaches, or combined park and beach access.
3. Facility Reservations: Rental fees for campgrounds, picnic shelters, group areas, weddings, receptions, meetings, and conferences at park facilities.
4. OC Zoo Programs: School and group tour fees ($3 per student or adult), preschool program fees ($5 per child with one parent), and discovery cart activities.
5. Special Event and Film Permits: Fees for special events, filming permits, and photography permits at park facilities.
6. Public Funding and Tax Support: Government funding from Orange County general fund and public tax revenues supporting park operations and maintenance.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Orange County Parks (OC Parks) is the parks department of the County of Orange, California. It manages 23 regional and wilderness parks, 5 beaches, 9 historic sites, and the OC Zoo. The agency provides outdoor recreation, educational programs (such as the OC Parks Jr. Ranger Program and OC Zoo school tours), reservation and permit services for facility rentals and special events, and curates the County of Orange Paleontology and Archaeology (COPA) collection of over six million fossils and artifacts.

Product overview

OC Parks operates as a unified parks and recreation management agency for Orange County, California, offering a portfolio of regional parks (such as Irvine Regional Park, Mile Square Regional Park, and Ralph B. Clark Regional Park), wilderness parks (including Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park and Laguna Coast Wilderness Park), beaches (Capistrano Beach, Salt Creek Beach, Dana Point Harbor), historic sites (Heritage Hill Historical Park, George Key Ranch Historic Park, Helena Modjeska Historic House and Gardens), and the OC Zoo. The agency also provides reservation and permit services for facilities and special events, runs the OC Parks Jr. Ranger youth education program at 20 facilities, and maintains the County of Orange Paleontology and Archaeology (COPA) collection of over six million fossils and artifacts. Notable recent improvements include the OC Zoo Large Mammal Exhibit opened in May 2022, featuring mountain lions and a jaguar in a 2-acre habitat.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regional Parks
• Wilderness Parks
• Beaches
• Historic Sites
• OC Zoo
• OC Parks Jr. Ranger Program
• County of Orange Paleontology and Archaeology (COPA) Collections
• Facility Reservations and Event Permits
• Annual Parking Passes

Quantifiable outcome

• 2026 Summer Concert Series: 9 free concerts and 12 free movie screenings across OC Parks June 5 to September 3, 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and historic.

• Rudolph & Sletten, Inc.majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 8 October 2019Design-build contractor awarded contract by Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2019 to provide design and construction services for the OC Zoo Large Mammal Exhibit Project.
• Jeff Katz ArchitecturemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 8 October 2019Architecture firm awarded contract by Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2019 to provide design and construction services for the OC Zoo Large Mammal Exhibit Project.
• OC Public WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaboration partner with OC Parks on the Design Build delivery method for the OC Zoo Large Mammal Exhibit Project, providing cost-effective alternative to traditional design-bid-build process.
• California State University, FullertonhistoricStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Academic partner that prepared and cataloged the County's COPA collection from 1999 until approximately 2018 through a collaboration lasting nearly 20 years.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Operates the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, a much larger zoological institution in Southern California. Relevant peer for the OC Zoo's educational programming, species care, and conservation mandate, though significantly larger in scale and budget.
• California State Parks: State-level agency operating 280+ park units including state beaches, historic parks, and recreation areas throughout California. Broader geographic mandate than OC Parks but directly comparable in core services (park access, camping, education, historic preservation).

Direct peers

• San Diego County Parks and Recreation: County parks agency operating regional parks, lakes, and historic sites in San Diego County. Comparable governance structure (county department), revenue model, and program offerings including camping, picnicking, and educational programming.
• East Bay Regional Park District: Special district operating 73+ parks and 1,330 miles of trails in the San Francisco Bay Area. Comparable as a public-sector regional parks operator with similar revenue mix (fees, passes, grants) and programming.
• Santa Ana Zoo (Preston B. Plumb): Small municipal zoo in Orange County focused on Central and South American fauna. Directly comparable to the OC Zoo in scale, educational programming (school tours), and community zoo model.
• Santa Barbara County Parks: County parks department operating regional parks, beaches, and campgrounds along the Santa Barbara coast. Comparable governance and service portfolio with an emphasis on coastal recreation.
• San Bernardino County Regional Parks: County regional parks department managing multiple regional parks, campgrounds, and recreation areas. Comparable in scale, funding approach, and programming mix to OC Parks.
• Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation: The peer county parks agency in Southern California, operating an even larger portfolio of regional parks, beaches, golf courses, and recreation programs for LA County residents. Directly comparable in mandate, funding model (county general fund + user fees), and service mix.
• Riverside County Regional Parks: Operates a portfolio of regional parks, campgrounds, and historic sites across Riverside County. Comparable in serving a large Southern California inland population with usage fees, camping, and outdoor recreation.

Regional players

• City of Irvine Parks & Recreation: Municipal parks operator serving Irvine residents with community parks, facilities, and recreation programs. Comparable in local recreation programming and educational offerings but smaller scale and municipal rather than county-level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xocgov.com/contact/connect
• YouTubeocgov.com/contact/connect
• Facebookocgov.com/contact/connect
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orange-county-parks
• Instagramocgov.com/contact/connect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Orange County Parks