Vacohost

    South Carolina

    Horry County, South Carolina short-term rental regulation research guide

    No current city- or county-specific short-term rental ordinance text was confirmed from an official source for Horry County, South Carolina as of . This page is a research guide: it lists what is known, what is unconfirmed, and how to verify the rules yourself. It does not state this jurisdiction’s requirements.

    Overview

    Horry County requires a business license for businesses operating in unincorporated Horry County, which includes short-term rentals, and imposes a hospitality fee on businesses providing accommodations to transients in the unincorporated county. Both the license and the hospitality fee are filed and renewed through the county's online Self Service portal. The county's business-license provisions are codified in Chapter 12.5 of the Code of Ordinances. If your property sits inside an incorporated municipality, the municipal requirements apply instead of — or in addition to — the county's.

    Areas covered: Unincorporated Horry County, Areas outside the Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Surfside Beach city limits · Last verified

    Not legal advice

    VacoHost is not a law firm and does not verify compliance on an owner’s behalf. Every requirement below is quoted in plain English from the official document cited beside it, and rules change between our reviews — verify directly with the jurisdiction before acting.

    How to verify the rules for Horry County, South Carolina

    1. Confirm the jurisdiction that actually governs your parcel — a mailing address is not proof of city limits. Ask the county tax assessor or the city planning/zoning office to confirm in writing.
    2. Ask the planning and zoning department whether short-term rentals are a permitted use in your parcel's zoning district, and request the code section number.
    3. Ask the business licence / occupation tax office whether a licence, permit, or registration certificate is required before you advertise.
    4. Ask the finance or clerk's office which lodging, hotel/motel, or excise taxes apply, who remits them, and on what schedule.
    5. Ask the fire marshal or building department whether any inspection or life-safety certification is required.
    6. Confirm state-level obligations with the state revenue department.
    7. Save the written answers with the date and the name of the official who gave them, and re-check annually.

    General research checklist (not Horry County, South Carolina specific)

    These are the categories short-term rental owners check anywhere in the US. They are general prompts, not this jurisdiction’s ordinance.

    Occupancy limits
    Most jurisdictions tie maximum overnight occupancy to bedroom count, septic capacity, or a fixed cap. Confirm the current figure for your specific parcel with Horry County before advertising a sleeping capacity.
    Parking
    On-site parking counts and prohibitions on street or shoulder parking are among the most commonly enforced short-term rental provisions. Verify the required count with Horry County and state it plainly in your listing.
    Life-safety requirements
    Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, egress, and posted evacuation information are typical requirements. Some jurisdictions inspect; others self-certify. Verify which applies.
    Local responsible party
    Many ordinances require a named local contact who can respond to the property within a set time. Confirm whether a contact is required, what response window applies, and how it must be filed with Horry County.
    Renewal and enforcement
    Registrations and permits generally renew on a fixed cycle, and enforcement is usually complaint-driven with escalating penalties. Confirm the renewal date, fee, and enforcement process with Horry County.
    Lodging and sales tax
    State and local lodging or occupancy taxes may be collected by the booking platform, by you, or split. Confirm current collection responsibility with both the taxing authority and your platform — platform collection agreements change.

    Confirm these directly — we could not verify them

    We publish gaps rather than guesses. The following were not confirmable from a current official source at our last review.

    • Whether your parcel is unincorporated or inside a municipality — this changes which license you need
    • Current business license fee schedule and hospitality fee rate
    • Zoning eligibility for short-term rental at your address
    • Which taxes and fees your booking platform already remits on your behalf

    Official sources

    Government sources only. If a link has moved, go to the jurisdiction’s main site and search for short-term or vacation rentals.

    Change log

    • — Entry published. Official source links checked; no jurisdiction-specific ordinance text confirmed.

    Operating a rental here?

    Compliance is the owner’s responsibility in every model, including ours. What a co-host can do is keep the listing, messaging, and pricing consistent with the rules you confirm.

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    Found a change in Horry County, South Carolina?

    Send the official link and we'll re-verify this entry. We'd rather correct it than leave a stale requirement up.

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