Parking rates increase in Surfside Beach

Visitors coming to Surfside Beach will need to bring more quarters to park in metered spaces.

Surfside Beach Town Council approved hourly parking rate increases of 50 cents to align with the rates of nearby towns with an amended ordinance at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Hourly rates for pier parking stations increased from $1.50 to $2. Rates at the town’s 112 13^th Avenue South value parking lot, west of Ocean Boulevard, are set at 50 cents per hour. All other parking lot meters and pay stations are set with hourly rates of $1.75 under the amended ordinance.

Daily rates for parking increased from $8 to $10 with a daily pass expiring at 7 p.m. on the day of issuance. Weekly charges for parking will remain at $40 and expire at midnight on the seventh day of issuance.

A portion of Surfside Drive from Hollywood Drive to Pinewood Drive will offer free spaces that are limited to one-hour parking. A construction project, which began in December, created 65 marked spaces along the stretch.

Parking spaces on Surfside Drive in the town’s C2 business district from U.S. 17 Business to Poplar Drive will be exempt from time limitations under the amended ordinance.

Residents with current Surfside Beach parking decals are exempt from time limitations and can park for free regardless of where they are in the town.

Surfside Beach will also be offering up to 100 non-residential parking passes for the year at the cost of $100.

This story was originally published March 9, 2016 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Parking rates increase in Surfside Beach."