You can buy alcohol on Sunday in Myrtle Beach, with one real limit: beer and wine are widely available at grocery stores, gas stations, and convenience stores that hold the right permit, and restaurants and bars with a Local Option Permit pour the full menu, including cocktails and spirits. Retail liquor stores are the catch. South Carolina law generally bans Sunday bottle sales, though a handful of Horry County stores reportedly operate under local arrangements. And wherever you buy it, you cannot drink it on the beach or in any public space in the city.
Beer and Wine at Stores
Most large grocery chains and busy convenience stores in Myrtle Beach sell beer and wine on Sundays with no time restriction. They can do that because they hold a special retail permit, available in counties and cities that passed a favorable referendum under Section 61-6-2010. Myrtle Beach and Horry County both passed it. A store that pays the $1,000 annual fee for the special permit can sell beer and wine for off-premises consumption around the clock, any day of the week.1South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 61 Chapter 4 – Section 61-4-510
Without that special permit, the statewide default kicks in: off-premises beer and wine sales are prohibited from midnight Saturday until sunrise Monday, and selling during the blackout is a misdemeanor that can cost a retailer its license.2South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 61 Chapter 4 – Section 61-4-120 If you walk into a smaller store on Sunday morning and the beer cooler is locked, that’s why. Try a larger retailer nearby.
Cocktails, Beer, and Wine at Restaurants and Bars
Sit-down restaurants, hotel lounges, and bars in Myrtle Beach can serve cocktails, spirits, wine, and beer on Sundays under a Local Option Permit issued by the South Carolina Department of Revenue. The permit is only available in jurisdictions where voters approved it, and Myrtle Beach is one of them.3South Carolina Department of Revenue. Local Option Permit
Permitted Sunday hours run from 10:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., plus a tail from midnight to 2:00 a.m. carrying over from Saturday night. Nothing can be served between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Brunch spots usually start pouring the moment the window opens.
On-premises beer and wine follow the same clock, because state law ties them to the same hours and the same referendum approval that governs liquor by the drink.4South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 61 Chapter 4 – Section 61-4-630 If a bar is open and serving on Sunday, the whole menu is available.
This all applies the same way in unincorporated Horry County, which includes a lot of the area that uses a Myrtle Beach address. Horry County passed the same referendum, so restaurants and stores just outside the city limits operate under the same Sunday framework.3South Carolina Department of Revenue. Local Option Permit
Buying a Bottle at a Liquor Store on Sunday
Retail liquor stores are the hard case. South Carolina law makes it a misdemeanor to sell bottled liquor on Sundays, on Christmas Day, or during any period the governor declares off-limits. A first offense carries a $200 fine or up to 60 days in jail; a second, $1,000 or up to a year; a third, $2,000 or up to two years.5South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-6-4160 – Sunday Sales Store owners take the rule seriously.
Local reporting from the Myrtle Beach area has indicated that some Horry County liquor stores may operate on Sundays under a local licensing arrangement, and the statute itself includes the phrase “except as authorized by law.” There is no confirmed statewide authorization for routine Sunday retail liquor sales. If a bottle of spirits for home is central to your Sunday plans, call a specific store before driving over.
The rest of the week, liquor stores statewide operate between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. only. Even on a Saturday, you cannot buy a bottle after 7:00 p.m.6South Carolina Department of Revenue. Liquor Licensing
Where You Cannot Drink It
You cannot bring alcohol onto the beach in Myrtle Beach. Not an open can, not a sealed bottle in a cooler. The city treats any alcohol on the sand as a violation of its beach ordinances, and glass containers of any kind are banned on the beach too, even for non-alcoholic drinks.7City of Myrtle Beach. A Quick List of Beach Rules and Regulations
The ban extends to any public place in the city: streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and the boardwalk. Walking a drink out of a bar onto the sidewalk is enough to draw a citation. Violations are misdemeanors punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both. Police enforce the rules actively during peak season.7City of Myrtle Beach. A Quick List of Beach Rules and Regulations
Beach rules in unincorporated stretches of the Grand Strand may differ, but assume drinking on the sand or in public is prohibited unless signage clearly says otherwise.
ID and the Age Rule
Expect to be asked for a valid photo ID at any store or bar. A driver’s license, state ID, military ID, or passport works. Anyone under 21 cannot buy, attempt to buy, possess, or consume alcohol in South Carolina; a first offense is a misdemeanor with a fine of $100 to $200, up to 30 days in jail, or both. If an officer has probable cause to believe someone under 21 has been drinking, the officer can request an on-the-spot alcohol screening test using a device approved by the State Law Enforcement Division.8South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 63-19-2440 – Beer and Wine Using a fake ID is a separate misdemeanor with its own fines, jail exposure, and a record that lasts well past the vacation.