Horry County, SC Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

4(a) sets a single, countywide operating-hours rule for every county park and recreational facility, including those serving the large unincorporated growth areas of Socastee, Carolina Forest, Garden City and Little River that have no city hall or municipal parks department of their own. The code states parks "should be open generally from dawn until dusk every day unless different hours of operation are needed on certain dates," with the department of recreation and parks authorized to post different hours at individual facilities and to modify them on a permanent or seasonal basis, for instance extending hours for a lighted athletic field or a special event.

The rule sits in Division 5 of Chapter 14 (Regulation of Parks and Facilities), adopted by Ord. No. 104-2025, § 4, effective February 17, 2026, which rewrote the county's park rules. 6 states the division "does not apply to the Vereen Memorial Historical Gardens," which keeps its own separate hours. Because Chapter 14 sets no fine of its own for an after-hours violation, enforcement falls to the Code's general penalty provision, § 1-8, and county police or code enforcement officers can issue an ordinance summons under § 1-12 rather than a criminal warrant for a first violation.

The Code does not provide a separate appeal process for a park-hours citation; a recipient contests it like any other magistrate's court ordinance matter, per § 1-12(f).