North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Airbnb Rules & Investment Guide (2026)

A City business license is required for every short-term rental. Confirm the address, approved dwelling, legal capacity, parking, taxes, safety, insurance, and private restrictions before advertising.

• Verify that the parcel is inside North Myrtle Beach city limits.
• Confirm the proposed use and dwelling records with City staff.
• Obtain the City business license before the first stay.
• Match the listing to documented bedrooms, parking, and safety conditions.
• Review association, deed, lender, and insurance restrictions separately.
• Keep written approvals and current licenses in the property file.

The City states that all short-term rentals need a business license, renewed each year. Rental Accommodations Tax and business-license tax are separate obligations.

• Contact the Business License Division before taking reservations.
• Submit the property and operator information requested by the City.
• Use the City management form to clarify accommodations-tax reporting.
• Calendar annual business-license renewal and tax deadlines.
• Update City records when ownership or management changes.
• Do not treat platform registration as a City license.

The City requires owners to report compliant on-site parking spaces at license application or renewal. That reported number is the maximum number of vehicles allowed on site.

• Measure spaces against current City parking standards.
• Report the compliant on-site count to the City and guests.
• Prevent vehicles from overhanging sidewalks, rights-of-way, or property lines.
• Do not reserve or block legal right-of-way parking.
• Include parking limits in the listing and rental agreement.
• Give guests an overflow plan that uses lawful parking.

North Myrtle Beach quiet hours run from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. City materials also set short-term-rental trash instructions and a seasonal collection schedule.

• State quiet hours before booking and again at check-in.
• Provide a local contact who can respond to complaints promptly.
• Keep waste inside approved receptacles.
• Post the current pickup and recycling instructions at the property.
• Recheck the City seasonal trash dates each year.
• Use Police Dispatch at 843-280-5511 for active noise, parking, trash, or fireworks complaints.

The City directs rentals to comply with occupancy ordinances but does not publish a universal STR guest formula on its current overview. Use dwelling, fire, building, and private records for the exact address.

• Confirm legal bedrooms and sleeping areas in property records.
• Check building and fire-safety requirements for the dwelling.
• Maintain smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms and usable exits.
• Do not derive capacity from bed count or competing listings.
• Confirm pool, deck, elevator, and accessibility work is permitted.
• State only the capacity that current records support.

Transient accommodations can trigger state sales and accommodations taxes, Horry County hospitality fees, and City reporting. Marketplace collection does not prove that every owner duty is covered.

• Review SCDOR registration and filing requirements.
• Confirm the state-administered taxes for stays under 90 days.
• Verify Horry County hospitality-fee treatment for property inside city limits.
• Complete City Rental Accommodations Tax registration when required.
• Map collection and filing responsibility for each booking channel.
• Retain returns, platform statements, exemptions, and reconciliations.

Coastal weather, flood exposure, pools, balconies, parking, guest turnover, and emergency response require address-specific controls and insurance review.

• Obtain written confirmation that the policy covers short-term rentals.
• Price wind, flood, liability, and property coverage with current quotes.
• Maintain inspection, repair, incident, and corrective-action records.
• Give guests emergency, evacuation, parking, and trash instructions.
• Use licensed contractors and required permits for regulated work.
• Maintain a reachable local manager and vendor escalation plan.

Marketwide revenue, occupancy, nightly-rate, appreciation, and return figures do not establish results for a specific property. Model the verified legal operation and all owner-paid costs.

• Use property-specific comparable bookings with documented filters.
• Model only supported bedrooms, capacity, amenities, and parking.
• Include taxes, licenses, insurance, utilities, cleaning, maintenance, and management.
• Include platform fees, furnishings, safety work, reserves, and local response.
• Stress-test fewer booked nights and higher insurance or repair costs.
• Keep financing, resale, appreciation, and tax-benefit assumptions separate.

The business license, approved dwelling, parking, tax accounts, safety controls, insurance, private restrictions, listing, and guest process should agree before the first reservation.

• City jurisdiction and property records are confirmed.
• The annual business license is active.
• Legal capacity and compliant parking limits are documented.
• State, County, and City tax duties are configured.
• Insurance and private restrictions permit the operation.
• Noise, trash, safety, evacuation, and contact procedures are ready.

Use the agency responsible for each decision and preserve written answers with the property file.

• Call City Business License at 843-280-5585 for licensing and City tax questions.
• Call City Zoning at 843-280-5560 for address-specific land-use questions.
• Use the City short-term-rental hub for current operating rules.
• Use Horry County hospitality-fee guidance for County filing questions.
• Use SCDOR accommodations guidance for state tax duties.
• Use STR Search property-review support to organize address-level due diligence. Public agencies remain the legal authorities.