Skip to content
/STAY · LOCAL RULES · MYRTLE BEACH, SC

Myrtle Beach short-term rental rules

Myrtle Beach has no separate short-term rental permit. Zoning decides where stays of less than 90 days are allowed, every rental needs a city business license, and a rented house needs a small sign by the front door.

Checked on Nov 11 2026 against the official pages below

The three things to know

PERMIT

Zoning first: "Zoning districts that begin with R do not allow short-term rentals," except the RMV zone; only 24 houses in residential zones are grandfathered. Where it's allowed, a city business license is required, priced on gross receipts, running June 1 to May 31. Breaking zoning: up to $500 and/or 30 days per occurrence.

DOOR NOTICE

A house: a weatherproof sign near the front door with the business license holder's name and address. Condos and buildings: post each unit's license in the main office or on a public bulletin board, or a sign that the licenses are on file and can be shown on request.

TAX

South Carolina 5% sales + 2% accommodations (the state lists Myrtle Beach at 10% on lodging with local add-ons), plus the city's 0.5% accommodations tax and 1% hospitality fee and Horry County's 1.5% hospitality fee. Platforms that book and take payment pay the state tax; the city and county fees are filed to them directly.

Print the door notice

For a house, Myrtle Beach asks for a weatherproof sign near the front door with the license holder's name and address (City Code sec. 11-28(c)). This prints it. Put it in a sheet protector or laminate it.

Type what you know. Anything left empty prints as a line to write on, so it works as a blank form too. What you type stays on this phone.

CITY OF MYRTLE BEACH BUSINESS LICENSE

Licensed short-term rental

Posted as required by Myrtle Beach City Code sec. 11-28(c).

    Myrtle Beach City Code sec. 11-28(c). Sign made free at headedin.com/stay/rules/myrtle-beach/

    Prints one letter page. Laminate it or use a sheet protector, and fix it near the front door, where it stays dry.

    What the rules say

    Where short-term rentals are allowed
    "Zoning districts that begin with R do not allow short-term rentals"City of Myrtle Beach, Planning and Zoning
    • The exception is the RMV (Residential Multifamily Visitor) zone. "Short-term" is "anything less than 90 days, according to both city and state law."
    • A property in a zone that doesn't allow it "cannot be converted to or approved for that use." The city says only 24 houses in traditional residential zones are grandfathered (a city news page says fewer than 30).
    • Penalties: misdemeanors, "fines of up to $500 and/or 30 days per occurrence."
    • Check your zone on the city's zoning map or call Planning and Zoning, 843-918-1050.
    The business license
    • The city "requires a business license for ALL rental properties... short-term, long-term, residential and commercial."
    • Priced on gross receipts; not prorated or refunded; owners outside the city pay double. The license year runs June 1 to May 31. One city page says renewals are due April 30 with a 5% penalty from May 1, another says June 1, so renew by April 30 to be safe.
    • Apply or renew online, or at the City Services Building, 921 Oak St. Questions: 843-918-1200.
    • The city's forms page has a "Short/Long Term Rental Affidavit and Ordinance Packet."
    What has to be posted
    "A single-family dwelling being lawfully rented on a short-term basis shall provide the name and address of the business license holder on a weatherproof sign affixed near the front door."City Code sec. 11-28(c)

    Condos and other buildings "shall post the license for each unit in the main office of the building or upon a bulletin-type board in an area viewable to the public, or shall post a sign informing the public that the business license for each unit is maintained in a file located on the premises, and can be produced upon demand for inspection."

    Taxes
    • South Carolina: 5% sales tax plus 2% accommodations tax on stays under 90 days. The state's local rate chart lists Myrtle Beach lodging at 10% in all. "If you use an online travel company... they are responsible for the tax"; book directly and you need a retail license.
    • City: 0.5% local accommodations tax and 1% hospitality fee, filed with the city monthly by the 20th, not with the state.
    • Horry County: 1.5% hospitality fee inside city limits, monthly by the 20th.
    • No official page we read says platforms pay the city or county fees.

    House rules go in your listing

    For bookings made from Nov 20 2026, Airbnb wants every house rule in the listing itself; signs in the house can only repeat them. This notice only carries what Myrtle Beach requires, so it adds no new rules. Put quiet hours, parking and the rest in your listing first.

    Official sources, read Nov 11 2026

    Plain-words summary, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, and the official page always wins. Checked Nov 11 2026.

    Help us get it right

    Host in Myrtle Beach? If a rule, fee or form here has changed, or we missed something, tell us. We check every note against the official source before we change a page, and we put the new checked date on it.

    Email us
    More free tools for hosts

    All free, no account. What you type stays on your phone.