Short-term rental regulations
Myrtle Beach short-term rental rules,
city by city.
By Devin Day, Operations Officer & licensed MLO · Reviewed by Timmy Fredrick Nash, Broker-in-Charge · Rules verified July 19, 2026
Seven jurisdictions, seven different sets of rules. Where short-term rentals are allowed, what they license, and what they tax.
The direct answer
Where short-term rentals are legal on the Grand Strand
The Grand Strand looks like one beach town. Legally it is seven jurisdictions: two cities, two towns, and two counties' unincorporated areas, each with its own short-term rental rules. Move the same house half a mile into the next jurisdiction and it can go from allowed to prohibited.
The one-paragraph map: the City of Myrtle Beach is the strictest, banning STRs in nearly all residential districts. North Myrtle Beach allows them citywide with a license, and is the market watching new rules most closely. Surfside Beach confines them to two districts. Unincorporated Horry County, which includes much of what people call Myrtle Beach, has no STR ordinance at all. Conway has no dedicated STR ordinance either. Pawleys Island allows vacation rentals everywhere and does not even require a business license. In every one of them, an HOA can still say no.
South Carolina taxes stays under 90 days; rent to one person for 90 or more continuous days and the stay is not taxed as lodging. A bill to stop cities from banning STRs statewide was introduced in 2025 and has not passed. Details per jurisdiction below, then the tax table.
Jurisdiction by jurisdiction
Short-term rental rules by city
Myrtle Beach short-term rental rules: legal in resort zones, banned in residential neighborhoods
The city defines short-term as under 90 days and prohibits STRs in every residential "R" district except RMV, with fewer than 30 grandfathered houses citywide. They operate legally in the commercial and resort districts along the oceanside corridor east of Kings Highway, which is where the city's condo and condotel inventory lives. Violations are misdemeanors at up to $500 a day. Every rental needs a city business license. In December 2024 the city went a step further and created a conversion overlay east of Kings Highway from 29th Avenue South to 82nd Avenue North: units that have operated commercially as short-term rentals there generally cannot convert to long-term leases. The city wants that stock to stay short-term, citing $7.6 million in lost revenue per 1,000 converted rooms. Area prices and rental data: our Myrtle Beach investing guide.
North Myrtle Beach short-term rental rules: allowed citywide, new ordinance pending
STRs are allowed in any district that permits residential use, roughly 5,400 of them licensed, each needing an annual city business license. No special permit beyond that today. Watch this one: since 2024 the city has been workshopping a "responsible local agent" ordinance, an annual permit with inspection, a public registry, and a 24/7 local contact able to reach the property within an hour. It has not been adopted as of July 2026, but the city did pass a nuisance party ordinance in February 2026 aimed squarely at out-of-control rentals, and a June 2026 incident renewed the pressure. If you are buying an STR in North Myrtle Beach, buy assuming a local-agent requirement is coming. Area prices and rental data: our North Myrtle Beach investing guide. The city code is on Municode.
Surfside Beach short-term rental rules: two zoning districts only
Rentals under 30 days are permitted only in the R3 and C3 zoning districts and prohibited in the R1 and R2 single-family districts. Every rental is a business in the town's eyes: the STR license runs $90 minimum plus $2.27 per $1,000 of gross income, and the minimums double for non-resident owners. Unpaid license tax becomes a lien on the property. The regime has been stable for years; the common mistake is assuming a Surfside address allows what the neighboring unincorporated Garden City street allows. Area prices and rental data: our Surfside Beach investing guide.
Unincorporated Horry County short-term rentals: no county ordinance, the HOA decides
Carolina Forest, Socastee, Little River, the north sides of Garden City and Murrells Inlet, Longs: no county STR permit, no STR zoning restrictions, no occupancy caps. What the county does expect: a county business license, a state retail license for the taxes, a county hospitality account, and a personal property return on your furnishings every April. The binding restriction out here is the HOA covenant, which can prohibit or restrict short-term rentals even though the county does not. That document gets read before you offer, not after. The biggest unincorporated rental pockets are Garden City and Little River.
Conway short-term rental rules: no dedicated ordinance
Conway has never adopted a short-term rental ordinance and has actively encouraged STR projects downtown. You need a city business license, and the district's zoning has to permit transient lodging, which we confirm with city planning parcel by parcel. Worth saying plainly: Conway is a long-term rental market. Our Conway guide covers why the investment case here is tenants, not tourists.
Pawleys Island and Georgetown County short-term rentals: no regulation
Vacation rentals are the Town of Pawleys Island's main economy, and it is the only coastal town here with no business license at all; its 3 percent accommodations tax pays for beach renourishment. Unincorporated Georgetown County, which includes Litchfield and the south side of Murrells Inlet, treats short-term and long-term rentals as the same residential use and has chosen not to regulate them, with one exception: accessory dwelling units cannot be rented for less than 90 days. Neither is on Airbnb's automatic tax collection list, so owners remit the local 3 percent themselves. Area prices and rental data: our Pawleys Island investing guide.
The taxes
Short-term rental taxes by jurisdiction, mid-2026
Every short-term stay carries South Carolina's 5 percent sales tax and 2 percent accommodations tax, plus county and city add-ons that differ by line on the map. What guests pay in total: State accommodations tax rules: SC Department of Revenue.
| Jurisdiction | Total lodging tax |
|---|---|
| City of Myrtle Beach (includes its 1% tourism fee) | 13% |
| North Myrtle Beach | 12% |
| Surfside Beach | 12% |
| Unincorporated Horry County | 12% |
| Conway | 12% |
| Town of Pawleys Island | 11% |
| Unincorporated Georgetown County | 11% |
Airbnb automatically collects the state-administered taxes and several local ones, including Horry County's hospitality fee and the Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Surfside city taxes. It collects nothing for Pawleys Island or Georgetown County. Most owners still owe at least one direct monthly filing, due the 20th, and guests do not pay these taxes on stays of 90 days or more. Renting your own legal residence more than 72 days a year also costs you the 4 percent property tax rate; the full property tax math is on our Horry County property taxes page.
Before you buy
Our pre-offer short-term rental checklist
- 1.Confirm the jurisdiction and the zoning district, parcel by parcel, not by mailing address. "Myrtle Beach" on the envelope often means unincorporated Horry County on the map, and the rules above flip accordingly.
- 2.Read the HOA covenants and master deed for rental minimums, rental caps, or required rental programs. The HOA's rules override the city's permission everywhere.
- 3.Price the licenses and tax filings: local business license, state retail license, county hospitality account, and the furnishings return in Horry County.
- 4.Insure it as a short-term rental, not a home. Coverage and flood pricing both change with rental use; the details are on our coastal insurance page.
- 5.Run the revenue honestly. Whether the numbers work as a short-term rental at all, versus a long-term lease, is its own analysis: STR vs LTR, our STR data tools, and the Grand Investor Tool do that math.
Rules verified July 19, 2026 against city, county, and state sources. Ordinances change, North Myrtle Beach's likely will, and we update this page when they do. If you are reading this months later, ask us what changed.
Buying a short-term rental in Myrtle Beach?
Send us the address. We confirm the jurisdiction, the zoning, the HOA's rental rules, and the full tax stack before you spend a dollar.
Common questions
Grand Strand short-term rental FAQ
Are Airbnbs legal in Myrtle Beach?
Depends which Myrtle Beach. Inside the city, short-term rentals are prohibited in every residential zoning district except one (RMV), with fewer than 30 grandfathered houses; they operate legally in the commercial and resort districts along the oceanside corridor. Most of what people call Myrtle Beach is actually unincorporated Horry County, where there is no county STR ordinance at all and the HOA is usually the only restriction. The parcel's jurisdiction is the first thing we check.
Do I need a license to run a short-term rental on the Grand Strand?
In every jurisdiction except the Town of Pawleys Island, yes: a local business license (city or county), plus a South Carolina retail license from the Department of Revenue to remit accommodations taxes. Surfside Beach doubles its license rates for non-resident owners. Horry County also expects a personal property return on your furnishings each April.
What taxes does a short-term rental collect in Myrtle Beach?
Total lodging tax runs 11 to 13 percent depending on jurisdiction. City of Myrtle Beach is highest at 13 percent, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Conway, and unincorporated Horry County are 12, and Pawleys Island and unincorporated Georgetown County are 11. The tax applies to stays under 90 days; rentals of 90 or more continuous days to the same person are exempt.
Does Airbnb collect the taxes for me?
Only some of them. Airbnb automatically collects the state-administered taxes and several local ones, including Horry County's hospitality fee and the Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Surfside city taxes. It does not collect for Pawleys Island or Georgetown County, and platform coverage differs by tax line, so most owners still owe at least one direct filing. We map the exact filings for the specific address before you buy.
Can an HOA ban short-term rentals even where the city allows them?
Yes. Covenants and master deeds override what zoning permits, and in unincorporated Horry County, where the county imposes no STR rules, the HOA document is usually the only thing that decides the question. Reading it is part of the building and neighborhood review we run before any offer.