This Myrtle Beach, SC program offers free city parking. Who qualifies and how to sign up
If you’ve ever visited one of the city’s many beach accesses or walked the Oceanfront Boardwalk and Promenade, chances are you’ve paid to park in Myrtle Beach.
The city’s municipal meters charge between $2 and $3 per hour and citations can run you anywhere from $30 to $60, depending on how promptly you pay.
But for residents with vehicles registered in city limits, Myrtle Beach offers a resident parking decal program for free parking at public, city-owned spaces. City residents can apply for the program to get a decal for their windshield that exempts them from municipal parking meter fees.
“The city counts property taxes paid on vehicles as a parking payment, whether or not the owner uses public parking,” the city’s website says. “Everyone pays for parking, just in different ways.”
On Tuesday, the city of Myrtle Beach announced that residents can start applying for two-year decals for 2025 and 2026. Although 2025 is still more than a month away, the new decals will exempt residents from municipal parking fees for the remainder of 2024, as well.
Which vehicles qualify
City residents can register personal vehicles that “live” in the city like cars, motorcycles and low-speed vehicles, or LSVs. This means that, even if the owner is only in Myrtle Beach part of the year, the vehicle is eligible for the residential parking program if it’s registered with an address in city limits.
Under South Carolina state law, LSVs are defined as a non-all terrain vehicle under 3,000 pounds with four wheels that reaches between 20 and 25 mph within a mile on a paved level surface.
Because these LSVs are registered and their owners pay city taxes, the vehicles qualify for the residential parking decal program. For golf carts which aren’t considered LSVs, the owner must have another vehicle registered in the residential parking program to get a residential decal for the golf cart.
If the owner doesn’t have a vehicle to register in the residential parking program, they can get a non-resident golf cart decal for $100. The city also offers non-resident vehicle decals for $100 and non-resident employee decals for $50, but all three of these programs have additional limitations and expire on Dec. 31 every year, regardless of when the decal was purchased.
While commercial-use vehicles aren’t eligible for the residential program, an owner of a business in Myrtle Beach who also lives in the city can submit a company-registered vehicle for the program if they use it as their sole personal vehicle.
How to register
If you’ve never gotten a residential parking decal before, you’ll have to visit the Reef Parking Office in the Pavilion Parking Garage at 914 N. Kings Highway in person to register. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Even if it’s your first time registering the vehicle in the program, this late in the year the office will give you a 2025-2026 decal so you won’t have to renew the decal for next year.
To get a decal, you’ll need:
Your driver’s license
The up-to-date South Carolina vehicle registration card
The Horry County vehicle property tax receipt
It’s all right if you don’t have your vehicle tax receipt, you can find it on Horry County’s Tax Payments and Receipts portal.
If you’ve received a decal before and want to renew your registration, you’ll need the same materials but can complete the process online here. Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive your new decal in the mail.
Even with a registered vehicle, it’s important to be mindful of parking limits. While you’ll be able to park without paying city meters, Myrtle Beach still enforces the hourly parking restrictions posted at spots and lots.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 1:00 AM.