Myrtle Beach Beach Rules in 2024

Almost ready for your Myrtle Beach vacation? The warm energy of Southern hospitality paired with sweet sunshine and pristine beaches are enough to get through even the longest workdays.

Plus, the comfort of The Caravelle Resort’s many amenities like pools, dining options, and oh-so-comfortable rooms offer a peaceful refuge after the day’s activities.

You’ll likely find yourself drawn to our world class beaches, which come with some common sense rules. We’ve put together this list to help keep our visitors up to date on Myrtle Beach’s most recent guidelines.

There are updates and changes to these rules every so often. So, while our roundup includes rules from the latest City of Myrtle Beach updates, always double-check the website to ensure you’re reading the most updated information. Keep in mind each jurisdictionhas their own rules and specific requirements of their own.

Here’s what you need to know to enjoy your surfside beach vacation to the City of Myrtle Beach without any hiccups.

 

Beach Flags for Swimmers

Photo Credit: Chad Hutchinson

Myrtle Beach lies across the blue, blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. While the water is warm yet refreshing most times of the year, harsh waves and currents sometimes make the water unsafe for beachgoers. Lifeguards can advise when they’re on site, but usually? You’ll have to rely on the flag system, which you can see on the lifeguard stands:

• Green flag: Swimmers can enjoy the water without any risk


• Blue flag: Beware of potentially unsafe marine life.


• One red flag: Unsafe water conditions like strong currents


• Double red flag: No swimming allowed


• Yellow flag: Slightly unsafe water conditions like wind, but still safe to swim

 

Rules for Golf Carts

Photo Credit: Thaninee Chuensomchit

Plenty of vacationers like to get around the Myrtle Beach area via a golf cart. But even though these aren’t considered as much a motorized vehicle as a car, you’ll still have to abide by these rules:

• No golf carts on the beach at all


• Golf carts must be registered with the SC Department of Motor Vehicles


• DMV and insurance are required to drive golf carts


• Golf carts can’t be driven after dark, on bike paths, on the Kings Highway, US 501, or US 17

 

Fishing Rules

Photo Credit: Ken Schulze

Ready to catch your mackerel lunch? Not without a fishing license! That is, if you plan to go surf fishing. Otherwise, you’re good to go if you just fish from a public pier. Just remember that swimmers always take priority, and you’ll need to fish 50 feet away from swimmers and not at all in front of the chairs and umbrella line.

 

Year-Round Beach Rules

Common sense might tell you not to leave litter around or limit parties to reasonable noise levels at late hours. Still, some beach rules can be more obscure, and you might not think of them automatically, like:

• No alcohol: You can’t bring any alcohol on the beach, whether it’s in a personal cup, can, or bottle.


• Glass: No glass containers are permitted.


• Sand dunes and sand fencing: Stay on the paths and don’t interfere with sea grass, sea oats, dunes, or sand fencing.


• No littering: The beach has plenty of receptacles for your garbage


• Metal detecting: Only permissible on the beach, but not on the dunes


• No fireworks on the beach: Fines reach up to $250.


• No holes: If you dig a hole, you must refill it, and even then, the hole can’t be more than 2 feet deep.


• No fires: This includes barbecues and bonfires


• Umbrella times: Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, keep circular umbrellas behind the designated line. The diameter can’t exceed 7.5 feet; tents are not permitted. From the day after Labor Day until Memorial Day, tents and shading devices up to 12-by-12 square feet are permitted.


• No commercial activity: You can’t sell things on the beach. Additionally, only weddings without anyone getting paid are permitted.

 

Parking Rules on Myrtle Beach

Photo Credit: StacieStauffSmith Photos

Most of the time, you’ll have to pay for parking at Myrtle Beach. You’ll see signs anywhere parking payments are required. If caught parking without payment, you’ll have to pay a $30 ticket and an extra $30 if you forget to pay that ticket after 30 days.

 

Kayak and Surfboard Rules

Photo Credit: Dudarev Mikhail

Watersports are a quintessential part of a Myrtle Beach vacation — but there are seasons and certain hours that should be noted.

The City of Myrtle Beach only allows kayaking and surfing at specific times of year and during the day:

• May 1 through Labor Day


• 10 am to 5 pm

Additionally, surfers and kayakers can only do these water activities at these specific locations from:

• 710 feet of the Center Line of the 29th Avenue South Street-End to the Southernmost End of City Limits


• 34th Avenue North to 47th Avenue North


• 78th Avenue North to 81st Avenue North


• 87th Avenue North to the Northernmost End of City Limits


• 62nd Avenue North to 68th Avenue North


• Nowhere within 75 yards of a pier

That last bullet also rings true for other aquatic activities in the Myrtle Beach area, including skimboards, watercraft, boats, jet skis, and more.

 

Enjoy Myrtle Beach with The Caravelle Resort

Nobody wants extra stress on their vacation. That’s why we rounded up these rules for you to refer to during your time in Myrtle Beach. Remember, public property means small children and families will be enjoying the beach alongside you, so it’s necessary to be considerate.

Now that the rules are out of the way, it’s time to enjoy your vacation. Book your stay with The Caravelle Resort today!