Myrtle Beach could bring back free downtown parking & let city staff park free

Myrtle Beach could bring back free downtown parking during part of the off-season and offer city employees free parking at any time of the year.

The proposed ordinance, which Myrtle Beach City Council amended and passed in a first reading at a Tuesday meeting, will need approval in a second reading before becoming law.

If passed, the amendment will suspend parking enforcement at city meters from Sixth Avenue South to 21st Avenue North and west to Kings Highway from Oct. 1 through the last day of February.

The ordinance would also benefit full-time city employees, which the city describes as a “retention and recruitment tool.”

Myrtle Beach allows residents with vehicles registered in city limits to obtain parking decals that exempt them from municipal parking meter fees. Under the proposed ordinance, city employees who work but don’t live in the city could get free parking decals, too.

The proposed language would allow the city manager to administer a city employee parking decal program without council action.

According to city spokesperson Meredith Denari, the ordinance previously went before council but was tabled in April. Denari said city staff have been vocal about the decal program as a perk and city employees widely support it.

City council will vote on a second reading of the ordinance in an Oct. 28 meeting.

Editor’s note: this story was corrected to accurately reflect the council’s amendment to the ordinance.

This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 4:31 PM.