Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday signed into law a bill clarifying that beach towns can’t eliminate free beach parking along state roads without permission from South Carolina officials.
The new law is the latest faceoff in the longtime struggle between people in South Carolina who can afford to live at the beach and people who want to visit.
The law requires state permission to change parking along a state road. It also requires that any fees charged by beach towns for parking only offset the amount spent to provide services to visitors.
WHICH GRAND STRAND CITIES HAVE STATE OWNED BEACH ROADS?
We reached out to Pete Poore, SCDOT Director of Communications, to determine which Oceanfront roads along the Grand Strand are state owned.
He reported: “S-26-155 in Surfside Beach is a state owned road. The S means it is a state owned road. S stands for secondary. From Highway 9 in North Myrtle Beach to 27th Avenue South along the ocean is also a state owned road.”
The City of Myrtle Beach owns all of ocean boulevard from 17th Avenue South to the Dunes Club.
CITY OF MYRTLE BEACH
The City of Myrtle Beach will not be affected by this new law. Ocean Boulevard is privately owned by the City of Myrtle Beach and all current beach parking rules will remain in effect.
NORTH MYRTLE BEACH – SURFSIDE
Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach and S-26-155 in Surfside Beach are state owned roads.
State Law in South Carolina says once public access is allowed to the beach it must always be maintained.
“Although I appreciate the significant, legitimate concerns of interested parties on both sides of these important issues, I believe that this legislation represents a reasonable effort to clarify existing law,” McMaster wrote in his signing statement about the bill.
The bill passed the Senate unanimously and passed the House 102-10.
Governor’s Statement On Free Beach Parking
