Beaufort County, SC Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Sec. 90-62 defines "public beach" as the area between the Atlantic Ocean's low-water mark and the easternmost property line of adjoining private land, or, where a street runs toward the ocean, the area between the street's easternmost edge and the ocean. Sec. 90-63 lists 23 numbered prohibitions for that area, and item (20) bars consuming or possessing alcohol outright, excepting only federal, state, or county-sanctioned wildlife-rescue agencies performing official duties rescuing or aiding wildlife. The same section separately bans glass containers on the beach (item 16), so bringing a bottled or canned drink onto the sand carries two overlapping risks.

Enforcement authority runs to deputies, constables, and county law enforcement officers who are empowered under Sec. 90-64(a) to supervise and regulate conduct on the beaches, strand, and adjoining Atlantic waters within county jurisdiction. The ordinance applies only to public beaches in the unincorporated county; Hilton Head Island, Bluffton, Port Royal, and the City of Beaufort administer their own municipal beach rules and are not covered by this county article. The public-beach article traces to Ord. No. 2018/41, which amended the article in its entirety in 2018.