How Much Does Elks Club Membership Cost?

Updated on August 9, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 8 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

Elks Club membership commonly costs about $75 to $150 per year at many ordinary local lodges, plus a one-time application or initiation fee that is often around $25 to $100. There is no national membership price because each Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge sets its own dues and local fees.

Some lodges cost much more because the facility itself offers expensive amenities. San Francisco Elks Lodge No. 3 charges $318 per year for regular 2026–27 membership, while Palo Alto Elks Lodge charges $692 per year. Optional gym, pool, locker-room, hot-tub, and racquetball access at Palo Alto can push the annual cost to $1,641 for an individual or $2,041 for a family.

The cheapest way to understand Elks pricing is therefore to separate basic annual membership from optional athletic, pool, dining, event, and facility expenses. A local lodge may cost less than $100 per year while a premium amenity-heavy lodge can cost more than $2,000 annually.

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• Many current local Elks Lodges charge roughly $75 to $150 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 2.5 to 5 hours of work, before taxes) per year for standard membership.
• Current examples include $77 in Cynthiana, Kentucky, $83 in East Providence, Rhode Island, $100 in Waterville, Maine, and $120 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
• Higher-cost lodges include San Francisco at $318 per year and Palo Alto at $692 per year.
• Application or initiation charges can range from $25 at East Providence to $349 at Palo Alto.
• Palo Alto athletic access adds $949 per year for one member or $1,349 for family access, on top of regular dues.
• The national Elks organization does not set one universal annual dues amount. Pricing and amenities are handled locally.

How Much Does Elks Club Membership Cost?

Current lodge pricing demonstrates how misleading one national average would be. Some small or traditional social lodges remain exceptionally inexpensive, while major urban lodges with extensive real estate and recreational facilities cost several times more.

Current Elks Lodge	2026–27 annual dues	Application / initiation cost
Cynthiana, KY Lodge #438	$77 (about 2.6 hours of work at $30 per hour)	Check with lodge
East Providence, RI Lodge #2337	$83	$25
Waterville, ME Lodge #905	$100	Check with lodge
Lake Havasu City, AZ Lodge #2399	$120	$75
San Francisco, CA Lodge #3	$318	Check with lodge
Palo Alto, CA Lodge #1471	$692	$349

East Providence’s current 2026–27 lodge information lists annual dues of only $83 and an initiation fee of $25. That produces a first-year base cost of just $108.

Lake Havasu City’s current membership page lists annual dues of $120 and a one-time application fee of $75. First-year dues are prorated from April 1, so someone joining later in the lodge year may pay less than the full $120 initially.

Waterville Lodge No. 905 currently charges $100 per year for a regular member and $50 for a qualifying life member, according to its 2026–27 dues notice.

How Much Is the Initiation Fee?

Application and initiation fees are also set locally. Current examples range from $25 at East Providence to $75 at Lake Havasu and $349 at Palo Alto.

The fee does not purchase lifetime membership. Elks still pay annual dues to remain in good standing. Some qualifying long-term members receive reduced Life Member dues, but those rules and amounts are separate from the normal initiation fee.

Palo Alto’s current application page charges $349. If an application is not approved, the lodge says the application fee is refunded. After completing its membership process, the approved applicant pays prorated annual dues and receives the membership card.

This makes a national initiation range such as “$50 to $500” less useful than checking the actual lodge. At many lodges, the fee is modest. At a premium lodge such as Palo Alto, it can be several hundred dollars.

Three Membership Examples

East Providence, Rhode Island: Current dues are $83 and initiation is $25. A new member paying both would spend $83 + $25 = $108 in the first year before optional meals, drinks, events, or donations.

Lake Havasu City, Arizona: The one-time application fee is $75 and full-year dues are $120. Someone joining near the start of the lodge year would spend up to $195 for the basic first-year membership. Later applicants have their first-year dues prorated.

Palo Alto, California: The application fee is $349 and annual dues are $692. The base first-year cost is therefore $1,041. Adding the current family athletic fee of $1,349 raises that first-year total to $2,390.

The difference between $108 in East Providence and $2,390 for a new Palo Alto member with family athletics is more than 22 times. That’s why Elks membership should be priced by individual lodge rather than by one national average.

Pool and Athletic Access

Basic Elks dues do not automatically include every facility located at the lodge.

Palo Alto provides the clearest current example. Its 2026–27 dues schedule charges $692 for social membership. This includes access to social events, the bar and restaurant, and billiards, but it does not include the pool, gym, locker rooms, hot tub, or racquetball courts.

A member who wants those athletic facilities pays another $949 per year for individual access:

$692 + $949 = $1,641 per year.

Family athletic access costs $1,349 in addition to the dues:

$692 + $1,349 = $2,041 per year.

San Francisco has a similar separation. Its current 2026–27 dues and gym schedule lists regular membership at $318 and regular-member gym access at another $700.

That makes the combined annual price:

$318 + $700 = $1,018.

This is the most important extra cost to check when comparing a lodge with a private gym, swim club, or country club.

What Does Annual Membership Include?

Benefits depend on the physical facility and local lodge policies. A basic lodge may primarily offer a lounge, restaurant or bar, social events, meetings, charitable programs, and member activities. Larger facilities may also have pools, gyms, sports facilities, banquet rooms, or other recreation.

Membership also provides access to the broader Elks network. Lake Havasu, for example, states that an active Elks membership card grants access to Elks Lodges around the country, subject to each lodge’s local access rules and hours.

The national organization currently describes the BPOE as a network of around 1,900 locations and more than 800,000 members. Its current national overview highlights the organization’s charitable and veterans programs in addition to its social role.

Annual dues help support the local lodge and also incorporate applicable state and national obligations. The exact breakdown varies. San Francisco’s current regular dues, for example, incorporate Grand Lodge and state per-capita assessments into the member’s annual payment.

Are Food and Drinks Included?

Standard Elks membership should not be treated like an all-inclusive social club. Food, alcohol, special dinners, ticketed events, fundraising events, and private rentals can all create additional spending.

At the same time, a mandatory monthly food-and-beverage minimum is not a universal Elks rule. Some lodges operate restaurants or bars on a pay-as-you-go basis, while other local clubs can establish their own policies.

This means someone considering a lodge should ask:

• Are there required monthly food or beverage purchases?
• Is pool or gym access included in annual dues?
• Do members pay separately for dances, dinners, or entertainment?
• Are spouse or family access cards included?
• Are there current capital assessments or special charges?

A $100 annual membership can remain a very inexpensive social-club membership if most extras are optional. A $700 membership with another $1,000+ athletic charge is an entirely different financial product.

Who Can Join the Elks?

The national BPOE currently lists four core eligibility requirements. An applicant must be at least 21 years old, be a U.S. citizen, believe in God, and be of good character.

The official Elks membership process also calls for a sponsor who is an Elk in good standing and two additional Elks who serve as references.

Someone interested in joining but who does not already know an Elk can still submit an inquiry or contact a local lodge. Some lodges help prospective members connect with potential sponsors after they visit and learn about the organization.

Women are eligible for full membership under the same membership process. A spouse may be invited to orientation or receive certain spouse privileges depending on the lodge, but a spouse is not automatically initiated as an Elk simply because the primary applicant joins.

How the Membership Process Works

The national process involves more than paying an application fee.

1. Find a local lodge and express interest in membership.
2. Obtain a sponsor who is an Elk in good standing, plus two additional references.
3. Submit the membership application and any locally required application fee.
4. Complete the lodge investigation and interview. The Investigating Committee meets with the applicant and sponsor.
5. Wait for the lodge vote. Current national guidance says the vote occurs after the required notice period.
6. Attend orientation if approved.
7. Complete initiation and pay applicable dues.

The national process describes an investigation by a lodge committee. It does not impose one universal paid $50 to $100 criminal-background-check fee. A local lodge may have additional requirements, but prospective members should verify those directly rather than automatically budgeting for a third-party screening charge.

Regular vs Life Member Dues

Life Member status should not be confused with paying the initial initiation fee.

Qualified Life Members can receive reduced annual dues at some lodges. Waterville currently charges $50 for a Life Member compared with $100 for a regular member.

San Francisco currently charges $115.50 in annual Life Member dues compared with $318 for a regular member. Its Life Member gym fee is also lower, at $400 per year instead of $700 for a regular member.

The specific requirements for obtaining Life Member status come from Elks rules and lodge membership history. It is not an option that a new member can simply buy by paying a larger initiation fee.

When Elks Membership Is Cheap

A basic Elks membership can be dramatically less expensive than a traditional private country or social club. Annual dues under $100 to $150 are particularly unusual in the broader private-club market.

That comparison changes when a premium Elks Lodge includes costly real estate and recreation. Palo Alto’s $2,041 annual family athletic configuration, for example, begins to look more like a private swim and fitness club than a basic fraternal membership.

For comparison with more expensive private-club models, see our guides to Bellevue Club membership costs, Augusta National membership costs, and Country Club of Virginia membership costs.

What We Verified

• Checked: Current 2026–27 dues include $77 at Cynthiana, $83 at East Providence, $100 at Waterville, and $120 at Lake Havasu.
• Confirmed: Higher-end examples include $318 at San Francisco and $692 at Palo Alto before optional athletic access.
• Cross-referenced: Palo Alto currently charges $949 for individual athletic access and $1,349 for family athletic access in addition to annual dues.
• Verified: National membership rules require the applicant to be at least 21, a U.S. citizen, a believer in God, and of good character, followed by sponsorship, investigation, a lodge vote, orientation, and initiation.
• Confirmed: The Elks currently has roughly 800,000 members across about 1,900 locations.

Answers to Common Questions

How much does it cost to join the Elks?

Many ordinary lodges currently charge about $75 to $150 per year, plus a one-time application or initiation fee commonly around $25 to $100. Expensive urban lodges can charge several hundred dollars in annual dues.

Do Elks dues include the pool and gym?

Not necessarily. Palo Alto charges $692 in standard annual dues plus another $949 for individual athletic access or $1,349 for family athletic access. San Francisco similarly charges its gym fee separately.

Are Elks dues prorated if I join during the year?

Some lodges prorate first-year dues. Lake Havasu and Palo Alto both currently prorate annual dues for new members based on the lodge year, while their application fees remain separate.

Can women join the Elks?

Yes. Women can become full Elks members and go through the same membership process as other eligible applicants.

Can I visit other Elks Lodges after joining?

An active membership card generally allows an Elk to visit other lodges around the country, although each lodge controls its hours, guest rules, facility policies, and any additional amenity charges.