Business Licensing & Operations in Horry County, SC (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Horry County, South Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Adult entertainment establishments in unincorporated Horry County need a chief-of-police-issued license, and every employee needs a separate one, under an ordinance built to control the secondary effects of the trade, with fixed hours, lighting rules and a strict no-touch policy.
Horry County Adult Entertainment Establishment License
Heavy RestrictionsHorry County Code § 12.5-143
Adult entertainment establishment license. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate an adult entertainment establishment in the county without a valid adult entertainment establishment license. Employee license. It shall be unlawful for any person to be an "employee," as defined in this article, of an adult entertainment establishment in the county without a valid adult entertainment esta...
Massage Establishments
Horry County zones therapeutic massage establishments as a conditional use across most commercial and many residential-adjacent districts, and Section 926 layers three conditions on top: state-licensed therapists only, no bathing services, and an 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. operating window.
Horry County Massage Establishment Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsHorry County Zoning Ordinance § 926; Glossary def. "Therapeutic massage"
Sec. 926. - Therapeutic massage establishments. 1.All massage therapists shall be licensed by the State of South Carolina; and2.Services offered and advertised shall not include any type of bathing services performed by an employee or agent of the establishment; and3.Hours of operation are limited to 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. ... Therapeutic massage. Any building, room, place, or establishment...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Horry County confines tattoo parlors to the OPI office/professional/institutional zoning district, and only inside a licensed health care establishment such as a medical office or clinic. Sec. 939.A sets that location rule, while Sec. 927.C separately bars tattooing and body piercing from operating as a home occupation anywhere in the county.
Tattoo Parlors Confined to OPI Zoning
Significant RestrictionsHorry County Zoning Ord. Sec. 939.A; Sec. 1420; Sec. 927.C
Sec. 939. - Tattoo parlor. A. OPI zoning district. Must be located in a licensed health care establishment engaged in the science of preventing, curing and alleviating human disease, including medical offices and clinics, but excluding health clubs, gymnasiums and associated uses. [Sec. 1420 glossary:] Tattoo parlor. Any room or space where indelibly marking or coloring the skin by subcutaneous...
Secondhand Dealers
Dealers who buy precious metals from the public, or who sell or transport nonferrous scrap like copper and aluminum to a recycler, need a state-mandated permit before Horry County will issue their business license, on top of any separate pawnbroker licensing.
Horry County Precious Metals and Scrap Dealer Permits
Significant RestrictionsHorry County Code § 12.5-99
A precious metals dealer must obtain a permit from local law enforcement to engage in the business of purchasing precious metals pursuant to S.C. Code § 40-54-20 before he can obtain a business license. A seller of transporter of nonferrous metals (e.g. copper and aluminum other than aluminum cans) to a secondary recycler must hold a valid nonferrous metals permit issued by the sheriff in his c...
Pawnbrokers
Anyone lending on pledged property or buying secondhand serialized goods from the public in unincorporated Horry County is a pawnbroker under county law and must hold a license from Horry County Public Safety, post a bond, and report every transaction electronically to police.
Horry County Pawnbroker License and Reporting Rules
Significant RestrictionsHorry County Code § 12.5-16
Any person, firm or corporation who loans money on pledge of personal property or other thing of value, other than securities or printed evidences of indebtedness, or who deals in the purchasing of personal property or other thing of value on condition of selling it back again at a stipulated price, is hereby declared and defined to be a "pawnbroker." Also any person, firm, or corporation engag...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Horry County lists Auto Repair Services among the home occupations flatly prohibited under Sec. 927.C. On tracts under one and one-half acres in agricultural-zoned districts, Sec. 927.F carves out a narrow exception: auto and body repair is allowed only if every repair happens off site and no vehicle is stored on the property.
Horry County Bars Home Auto Repair Shops
Significant RestrictionsHorry County Zoning Ord., App. B, Sec. 927.C & .F.6.b
C. The following are prohibited home occupation uses: ... Auto Repair Services ... F. Home occupations—Less than one and one-half acre tracts. ... 6. These prohibited uses are allowed provided the applicant meets the exceptions: ... b) Auto/body repair services—Exception. All work is done off site and no storage of automobiles is allowed on-site.
Towing Companies
Wrecker and towing operators in unincorporated Horry County need a county business license backed by a detailed application, $500,000 in liability insurance, marked vehicles, and a storage lot, before they can tow a single car, whether for the police rotation list or a private lot.
Horry County Towing Company License and Rules
Significant RestrictionsHorry County Code § 12.5-119
Business license. No person or business shall engage in the business of recovering, towing, removing and storing of vehicles from within unincorporated sections of Horry County without first obtaining a county business license by filing an application, upon a form provided by the county, with the county business license office, together with paying the appropriate license fee as set forth in th...
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