Parking fees emptying your wallet? How to find the free spots in Myrtle Beach, SC area

Emalyn Muzzy
·3 min read
3

For residents in Myrtle Beach, Conway or weekend visitors, a $15-a-day parking fee can be pricey, but fortunately there are ways to get free parking.

Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach offer free parking to residents as long as they register. There also are paid parking passes available for non-residents if you apply for them soon enough.

▪ Tourists can expect to pay $4 an hour in North Myrtle Beach, except for the Seaview Lot, which is $2 an hour.

▪ Myrtle Beach is $3 an hour or $15 a day at beach access or street ends; $2 an hour in the core business district and

▪ It’s $2 an hour or $10 a day for all metered or signed parking on streets from 29th Avenue South to Sixth Avenue North, between Ocean Boulevard and Kings Highway, and from 16th Avenue North to 67th Avenue North, between Ocean Boulevard and Kings Highway.

▪ Surfside Beach parking ranges from $2 an hour to $4 an hour or $10 a day to $15 a day, depending on where you park. It is most expensive to park at the Pier Lot.

Those with a valid handicap placard, Purple Heart, disabled American veterans or Medal of Honor license tag, or a valid handicapped hang tag may park for free at any parking meter in South Carolina, according to Myrtle Beach city ordinance.

As of May 6, 2022, qualifying active-duty or prior-service military members can get “military plate” which allow them to park for free at meters.

Free resident parking

For North Myrtle Beach, residents may apply for resident parking online or at 904 2nd Ave. North. Residents’ license plates are used as a digital permit. Residents will need to get a special decal for a golf cart, which also needs to be registered. People who own property in North Myrtle Beach but don’t live there also may apply for a parking pass, too.

In Surfside Beach, residents may fill out a parking form and email you can fill out a resident parking form and email it to the city. The city allows non-residents who own property in Surfside Beach, such as people with second homes, to get free parking as well. Similar to North Myrtle Beach, only golf carts will need a placard.

Residents cannot park for free in the Pier Lot in Surfside Beach.

Myrtle Beach has a decal that may be placedyou place in the car’s windshield. New residents need to go to the Pavilion Parking Garage, 914 N. Kings Highway, to apply and pick it up. Residents need to bring a South Carolina vehicle registration card, driver’s license and current Horry County vehicle property tax receipt to apply.

Those who already have a Myrtle Beach parking decal, may reapply for one online. Having a parking pass allows residents to park in the right-of-way near the beach, meaning if the metered beach access spaces are full, parking is available near the ocean.

Parking if you’re not a city resident

Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach offer offer a limited number of annual passes for around $200. Both cities have sold out their 2024 non-resident parking passes. Check back around January 2025 to buy an annual pass for next year.

The city of Myrtle Beach offers an annual non-resident parking pass for $100 or a weekly pass for $50. Applications may be submitted at the Pavilion Parking Garage.

Free parking for everyone

Horry County Beach accesses in the Garden City area and along the Nash Street access are free to everyone.

North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach offer free parking from October 31 to March 1. Although it’s not prime beach season, it’s great for locals who enjoy the beach in the colder months.