2026 election
Growth, Roads and Permits: What the New Leaders Mean for Building in Horry County
By Devin Day, Chief Operating Officer, and Abdulla Hijazi, Chief Marketing Officer · Reviewed by Tim Nash, Broker-in-Charge · Updated November 4, 2026
The 2026 election changed no rule for building in Horry County. The road tax, the impact fees and the flood rules are the same as before the vote.
The short answer
Voters approved the road money, the RIDE IV sales tax, in 2024. The county council approved the current impact fee schedule before the election, and no road or growth question was on the Horry ballot.
Interstate 73 has no start date, because funding for most of its $1.6 billion cost has not been identified. The leaders who won have road plans, and none of those plans is a law yet.
Want to buy a new construction home in Horry County?
Talk to a specialized agentHow many new homes is Horry County permitting each year?
Horry County's 2025 count was 6,418 single-family homes permitted, down from 7,269 in 2024. The 2024 count is the most of any year from 2005 to 2025. Since 2021 the county has permitted between 6,356 and 7,269 a year.
In the last housing slowdown, permits dropped by about four in five from 2006 to 2010, and the county did not pass 6,000 again until 2021.
Almost all of today's building is single-family homes. Units in buildings of five or more, such as apartments and condos, were 5,132 in 2005 and 77 in the latest year. For the monthly count and the communities being built now, see what is being built on the Grand Strand.
What did the 2026 election change for building in Horry County?
Every county council seat on the ballot went to a Republican, 4 of the 7 without an opponent.
| Office | Who won | What it can change |
|---|---|---|
| Horry County Council | Who wonChair Johnny Gardner, re-elected unopposed. District seats, all Republican: 1 Jenna Dukes, 2 Bill Howard, 5 Tyler Servant, 7 Tom Anderson, 8 Michael "Mash" Masciarelli, 11 Al Allen. County results are uncertified. | What it can changeImpact fees, zoning and the county's flood building rules. State law allows counties and cities to zone. |
| Governor | Who wonAlan Wilson (R), 51.71%. Jermaine Johnson (D) conceded. | What it can changeProposes the state's executive budget, where money for I-73 could be asked for. |
| S.C. House, 124 seats | Who wonRepublicans 79, Democrats 45, down from 89 Republicans and 35 Democrats. State Senate seats were not on the ballot, except one special race in District 15. | What it can changeState law, including the law that allows impact fees. |
| U.S. Senate | Who wonAnnie Andrews (D), 51.02%. The AP called the race. | What it can changeFederal law and spending, with the House. |
| U.S. House, 7th District | Who wonRussell Fry (R), 56.75%, re-elected. The AP called the race. | What it can changeFederal law and spending, for the district that includes Horry County. |
CBS News projects that Democrats will control the U.S. Senate in January. Statewide results stay unofficial until the state certifies them. Every race is on our page on what the 2026 election means for Myrtle Beach buyers and sellers.
What is RIDE IV, the Horry County road tax?
RIDE IV is a 1% sales tax for road projects in Horry County, approved by voters in November 2024.
One item is a local match for I-73: up to half the cost of building it from SC 22 to the Horry County line. That money can be spent only after SCDOT, the state Department of Transportation, has signed contracts to finish I-73 from Horry County to I-95. The WIS report on I-73 gives the $450 million figure.
When will I-73 be built in South Carolina?
No start date has been announced. Work cannot begin until SCDOT identifies where the money comes from. The South Carolina section is estimated at $1.6 billion, and funding for most of that cost has not been identified.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| November 2024 | What happenedHorry voters approved RIDE IV. Its I-73 match can be spent only once SCDOT has signed contracts to finish the road to I-95. |
| 2024 to 2026 | What happenedGov. Henry McMaster left I-73 out of his executive budget in each of the three years. |
| February 2026 | What happenedSCDOT reported the right of way 99% bought between I-95 and US 501, and 95% between US 501 and the Little Pee Dee River. |
| August 2026 | What happenedPresident Trump said "they're going to have the funding that's necessary." He named no source for the money. |
What has to happen before building starts
- The money Funding for the rest of the $1.6 billion has to be identified.
- The contracts SCDOT signs the contracts to finish I-73 to I-95. After that, the RIDE IV match can be spent.
Governor-elect Wilson will propose the next executive budgets. Neither leader's plan names a road project.
What do the new leaders say about roads, growth and federal money?
Each plan below is in the leader's own words, from a campaign page or an interview. Each one needs other officials to act before anything changes in Horry County.
Annie Andrews (D), U.S. Senate
- Roads
- "Fix and modernize South Carolina's roads, bridges, and highways," and "make sure federal dollars actually reach our communities," from her infrastructure page.
- Building
- She would "provide tax cuts to homebuilders to incentivize more construction" and end "chaotic and unilateral tariffs." Her plan names home building materials among the goods tariffs make costlier.
- Permits
- She backs cutting "red tape that makes it harder to build new energy infrastructure."
- Growth
- A two-year national moratorium on building AI data centers.
- Who must act
- Both houses of Congress pass a bill, and the president signs it.
Alan Wilson (R), governor
- Roads
- "We need to cut down the time it takes to build a road or a bridge in South Carolina." His priorities say he will "modernize the Department of Transportation" and "streamline project timelines."
- Building
- "Make it easier for homes to be built, which lowers the cost of those homes." He tied home costs to waiting on permits.
- Growth
- Independent performance audits of state agencies, overseen by the lieutenant governor-elect, Mike Reichenbach.
- Who must act
- The governor's office for the audits. A change in state law needs the General Assembly. Home permits are issued by counties and cities.
Rep. Russell Fry (R) was re-elected in the 7th District, which includes Horry County. Any federal road money for I-73 would need votes in both the House and the Senate.
What are Horry County impact fees on a new home?
A single-family home of about 1,500 square feet pays $1,615 in total in Horry County impact fees. The fee depends on the kind of building and its size. The county council approved this schedule unanimously in July 2026, as Ordinance 30-2026. Horry County has charged impact fees since 2021.
Impact fees are a county power under the state's Development Impact Fee Act. Before charging them on homes, a county must estimate the effect on affordable housing, and the ordinance needs a positive majority of the council. Any change to the fee is a vote of the county council, including the members elected this year.
On a new home, we ask the builder whether the fee is already in the price, so you compare homes on the same terms. Our guide to buying new construction covers the rest of the process.
What are the flood building rules for a new home in Horry County?
In a flood zone, the lowest floor of a new home must be built above the expected flood level. The extra height is called freeboard. In June 2021 the county council advanced an ordinance raising the freeboard for new homes in flood zones from 1 foot to 3 feet. Its final vote was scheduled for July 13, 2021.
We confirm the current height rule with the county for any lot in a flood zone before you buy, because it changes the cost of the build. What a flood zone means for insurance is on our page on flood insurance after the election and our coastal insurance guide.
What could happen to new home and land prices in Horry County, short and long term?
In the next year or two, we expect the pattern of the last five years to continue unless the national market turns. Over five years or more, Horry prices have fallen about 26% (2008 to 2012) and risen to about 2.4 times the low (2012 to 2026).
| Period | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 to 2010 | What happenedSingle-family permits fell from 6,484 to 1,388, about four in five fewer. | SourceCensus permits |
| 2008 to 2012 | What happenedPrices fell about 26%, end of year to end of year. | SourceFHFA index |
| 2012 to mid-2026 | What happenedPrices rose to about 2.4 times the 2012 low. | SourceFHFA index |
| The year after each election, 2016 to 2024 | What happenedPrices rose every time, by 3% to 22%. | SourceFHFA index |
| 2021 to 2025 | What happenedPermits stayed between 6,356 and 7,269 a year. | SourceCensus permits |
The next one to two years
Local prices rose in the year after each of the last five elections, whichever party won. The latest yearly change, 0.8%, is inside the index's error of about 2%, so it reads as flat. If the national market holds, we expect permits to stay in the 2021 to 2025 range in the table. If it turns as it did from 2006 to 2010, plan for that slowdown, the first row of the table.
Five years and longer
We have no verified past example of what a new interstate did to Horry land prices, so we make no estimate for I-73.
| Plan | Who must act | Past Horry example |
|---|---|---|
| Faster road building (Wilson) | Who must actThe governor's office and the General Assembly | Past Horry exampleNone in our data |
| Faster home permits (Wilson) | Who must actThe General Assembly, and county and city councils | Past Horry exampleNone in our data |
| Homebuilder tax cuts and a tariff change (Andrews) | Who must actBoth houses of Congress and the president | Past Horry exampleNone in our data |
| Less red tape for energy projects (Andrews) | Who must actBoth houses of Congress and the president | Past Horry exampleNone in our data |
| A pause on AI data centers (Andrews) | Who must actBoth houses of Congress and the president | Past Horry exampleNone in our data |
With no past Horry example for any of these plans, we make no estimate for any of them.
Want to buy a new construction home?
See new homes across Horry County with an agent who knows the road plans.
Talk to a specialized agentWhat does Chapter3 check before you buy land or a new home in Horry County?
Our agents check four things for the lot you want, from the county's own records and the road plans:
- Permits around the lot We pull the building permits near it, so you see what is being built around it before you buy.
- The flood height We confirm the county's current floor-height rule for the lot's flood zone, and what it means for the build.
- Road plans We check the RIDE IV project list and the I-73 route for work near the lot.
- The fees We ask the builder whether the impact fee is in the price.
Chapter3's clients from North Carolina bought land in Longs and built a new house there with a builder. They also expanded their cleaning business here.
Common questions
Horry County growth and roads questions
When will I-73 be complete in South Carolina?
No date has been announced. SCDOT has not identified the money for most of the estimated 1.6 billion dollar cost, and work cannot begin until it does.
How much are Horry County impact fees?
A single-family home of about 1,500 square feet pays 1,615 dollars in total under the county's current schedule. A larger home or another type of building pays a different amount.
Was a road tax on the Horry County ballot in 2026?
No. The 2026 Horry County ballot had no ballot question. Voters approved the RIDE IV sales tax in 2024, with 56.78 percent voting yes.
Who can change impact fees in Horry County?
The county council, by ordinance with a positive majority, after a report on the effect on affordable housing. The state Development Impact Fee Act allows the fees.
Is Horry County still building as many homes?
Yes. The county's 2025 count was 6,418 single-family homes, after 7,269 in 2024, the most of any year from 2005 to 2025.
Sources: Census permits, FHFA index, SC election results, WMBF, Horry results, WIS, I-73, WMBF, right of way, WMBF, impact fees, WMBF, flood rules, S.C. Code 6-1-930, S.C. Code 6-29-720, Andrews, infrastructure, Andrews, plan, Wilson, WIS interview, Wilson, WMBF. Election results are unofficial. RIDE IV terms are from the ballot text. Not legal or investment advice.
Buying land or a new home in Horry County?
Tell us where you want to build or buy. An agent helps you choose the lot or the home and buy it.
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