Yes, short-term rentals are legal in Myrtle Beach — but only in the right zoning district, and that is the whole game here. Myrtle Beach deliberately keeps short-term rentals out of its traditional residential neighborhoods: any zoning district whose name starts with “R” (residential) prohibits short-term rentals — with the single exception of the RMV (Residential Multifamily Visitor) zone. Most legal short-term rentals sit inside the commercial and tourist-accommodations overlay that runs east of Kings Highway toward the ocean. There is no owner-occupancy rule and no night cap, but you must hold a city business license and collect local accommodations and hospitality taxes. Before you buy, confirm the property’s zoning — it decides everything.
| Key fact | Myrtle Beach, SC |
|---|---|
| License required | Yes — city business license + tax registration |
| Primary residence required | No — but zoning is the gatekeeper |
| Night cap | None (rentals must be under 90 continuous days) |
| License fee | Revenue-tiered on gross rental receipts (no flat fee) |
| Lodging tax | ≈10% (7% state + 1.5% city + 1.5% county) |
| Investor whole-home allowed? | Yes — but only in the overlay / RMV zone |
| Last verified | 2026-07-20 |
This page is general information, not legal advice. Short-term rental rules change frequently — confirm current requirements directly with the City of Myrtle Beach before operating.
Do you need a permit?
Yes. Myrtle Beach requires every rental operator — short-term, long-term, residential, and commercial — to hold a city business license. Short-term rental operators must also register to collect and remit the city’s local accommodations tax and hospitality fee, and separately set up a Horry County hospitality fee account. Unlike cities that issue a dedicated “STR permit,” Myrtle Beach controls short-term rentals mainly through zoning plus the business-license and tax system. Source: City of Myrtle Beach business-license and hospitality-tax pages (verified 2026-07-20).
Zoning is the real gatekeeper
This is the rule that catches investors off guard. In Myrtle Beach, any residential (“R”) zoning district prohibits short-term rentals — except the RMV (Residential Multifamily Visitor) zone. That means a typical single-family home in an R-1 or similar neighborhood cannot legally be short-term rented, no matter how many taxes you are willing to pay. Roughly 30 short-term rentals in traditional residential zones were grandfathered in and can continue, but new ones are not permitted there. The large majority of legal short-term rentals operate inside the ~114-block commercial and accommodations overlay east of Kings Highway to the ocean. A 2025 zoning overlay also restricts converting overlay short-term rentals to long-term rentals, a move designed to protect the city’s lodging-tax revenue. Homeowners’ associations and condo boards may add their own rules on top. Source: City of Myrtle Beach zoning ordinance (verified 2026-07-20).
Primary-residence requirement
None. Myrtle Beach does not require you to live in the property. You can own and short-term rent as a pure investment — but only if the unit sits in a zone that allows it (the overlay or RMV). Host presence is irrelevant here; zoning, not residency, controls where you can operate. That is a very different model from owner-occupancy cities such as Denver, which restricts short-term rentals to a host’s primary residence.
Night caps and the 90-day definition
There is no annual night cap on how much you can rent. One definitional quirk matters, though: Myrtle Beach defines a “short-term” rental as one of less than 90 continuous days — stricter than South Carolina’s statewide 30-day accommodations threshold. In practice this means most vacation stays are clearly short-term rentals under the city’s rules. Source: City of Myrtle Beach ordinance (verified 2026-07-20).
License fee
Myrtle Beach does not charge a flat short-term-rental permit fee. The business-license fee is calculated on your gross rental revenue, using the city’s tiered class-rate schedule, and is renewed annually by April 30. Because it scales with revenue, there is no single dollar figure — pull the current class rate for the rental/accommodations category from the city’s business-license schedule when you apply. Source: City of Myrtle Beach Business License FAQ (verified 2026-07-20).
Lodging taxes (the component stack)
Guests pay a stack of state, city, and county taxes that combine to roughly 10%. Presenting the components matters here, because the city’s rates changed after a legal settlement:
| Level | Tax | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina (state) | Sales + accommodations tax on transient rentals | 7% total |
| City of Myrtle Beach | Local Accommodations Tax | 0.5% |
| City of Myrtle Beach | Hospitality Fee | 1% |
| Horry County | Hospitality Fee (inside city limits) | 1.5% |
| Approximate combined | ≈10% | |
Watch the current city rate. Older city forms showed a 3% local accommodations tax and 2% hospitality fee; those were a temporary period. Following a South Carolina Supreme Court ruling and a city–county settlement, the city rates reverted to 0.5% and 1% effective July 1, 2021, and Horry County’s 1.5% hospitality fee applies inside city limits. Always confirm the current rate on your reporting form. Source: City of Myrtle Beach Monthly Hospitality & Local Accommodations Tax Reporting Form (eff. 7/1/2021), Horry County Treasurer, and SC Department of Revenue (verified 2026-07-20).
Whole-home vs. hosted
Myrtle Beach draws no legal distinction between hosted and whole-home rentals. Whether you rent a room while living there or rent an entire unit as an absentee owner, the same rule applies: it must be in a zone that permits short-term rentals (the overlay or RMV), and you must hold a business license and collect the taxes above.
Enforcement and penalties
Operating without a business license, or running a short-term rental in a prohibited residential zone, is a code violation. The city has actively defended its zoning boundaries — the 2025 overlay rules were adopted specifically to protect lodging-tax revenue and prevent conversions. The city’s pages reviewed do not publish a fixed per-day fine schedule, so we do not list a dollar figure; contact the city’s business-license or code-enforcement office for current penalties. Source: City of Myrtle Beach (verified 2026-07-20).
Primary sources
- City of Myrtle Beach — Hospitality Tax & Local Accommodations Tax
- City of Myrtle Beach — Business License FAQ
- Horry County Hospitality Fee
Compare short-term rental rules in other cities
Short-term rental laws vary widely from one city to the next — compare Myrtle Beach with other markets in our database:
- Short-term rental laws by city (database hub)
- Gatlinburg short-term rental rules
- Scottsdale short-term rental license
- Nashville short-term rental permit
Frequently asked questions
Can I short-term rent a house in a Myrtle Beach residential neighborhood?
Usually no. Every “R” (residential) zone prohibits short-term rentals except the RMV zone. Only about 30 rentals in traditional residential zones were grandfathered. Most legal short-term rentals are in the commercial/accommodations overlay east of Kings Highway. Confirm a specific property’s zoning before you buy.
Do I need to live in the property?
No. Myrtle Beach has no primary-residence requirement — investor-owned whole-home rentals are allowed, but only in a zone that permits short-term rentals.
What taxes and fees do I collect from guests?
Roughly 10% combined: 7% South Carolina state tax, 0.5% city local accommodations tax, 1% city hospitality fee, and 1.5% Horry County hospitality fee. You also need a city business license (fee based on gross revenue) and a Horry County hospitality fee account.
Last verified: 2026-07-20. Rules change — confirm current requirements with the City of Myrtle Beach before operating.