Horry County, SC Filming & Production: Street Closures (2026)

Sec. 13-36(e) of the Horry County Code makes traffic control a precondition of filming, not an afterthought: any disruption to traffic flow, including a full street closure, requires the applicant to obtain an encroachment permit before the county will issue the film permit itself. Because the general special-event rules in Sections 13-31 through 13-35 apply to filming under subsection (n) unless waived, a shoot affecting a state-maintained road must also carry a copy of the South Carolina Department of Transportation's own encroachment permit granting the right to work within its right-of-way.

Once a closure or disruption is authorized, whether public safety officers are posted to direct traffic during the shoot, and how many, is left to the discretion of the county administrator or a designee, and the production reimburses the county for that staff time under subsection (k). A companion parking plan under subsection (f) must show where equipment, support vehicles, cast and crew trailers, and large trucks will sit, including any spot intended to encroach into the public right-of-way, and that plan can never block access for residents or businesses at the location.

Separately, any physical alteration to county-owned property or a public right-of-way, such as running cable across a road or installing temporary barricades, needs the administrator's prior consent under subsection (h). A production that closes a street or blocks a right-of-way without first securing the encroachment permit is filming outside the scope of Sec. 13-36.