No Horry County or Grand Strand ordinance requires the host to be present during a stay; unhosted whole-home rentals are legal. North Myrtle Beach is moving toward a Responsible Local Agent rule — owners living within 30 miles may self-serve, otherwise a licensed property manager must be designated.
Neither unincorporated Horry County nor Myrtle Beach requires an owner or manager to stay on-site during a short-term rental; guests may occupy the whole home unhosted. The practical requirement is a reachable local contact for complaints. North Myrtle Beach in 2025 advanced a Responsible Local Agent (RLA) framework under which an owner residing within a 30-mile radius may act as their own agent, while owners farther away must appoint a licensed property manager or brokerage to respond to issues. This is a contact/accountability rule, not an on-premises-presence mandate. Because noise and trash complaints drive enforcement, a 24/7 local contact is strongly advisable everywhere on the Grand Strand.
No penalty flows from the host's absence itself. Failing to designate a required responsible agent (where a city mandates one) is a municipal violation; unaddressed nuisance complaints can lead to license action.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Horry County, SC
Horry County has no standalone animal-hoarding ordinance, but its care standards and South Carolina's cruelty law reach hoarding conditions. Depriving animal...
Horry County, SC
Horry County bans feeding domestic or migratory waterfowl in residential areas because large flocks contaminate ponds and cause erosion. You also may not cre...
Horry County, SC
Horry County allows backyard composting and offers residents subsidized compost bins and rain barrels through the Solid Waste Authority. A home compost pile ...
Horry County, SC
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Horry County, SC
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Horry County, SC
Rainwater harvesting is legal in Horry County. Neither the county nor South Carolina restricts capturing rooftop rainwater in barrels or cisterns for landsca...
See how Horry County's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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