No, you cannot drink alcohol on Myrtle Beach. City ordinance bans both drinking and possessing open containers on the sand, the boardwalk, and every adjacent public area, year-round. A violation is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both.1City of Myrtle Beach. A Quick List of Beach Rules and Regulations
What the Ban Actually Covers
The prohibition reaches further than most visitors expect. It applies to the sand itself, the boardwalk, public streets, sidewalks, parks, and any other property open to the general public. There is no summer-only window and no late-night carve-out. Holidays don’t change it. Quiet weekdays don’t change it.
Glass is banned separately. You can’t bring glass containers or bottles onto the beach even if what’s inside is water or soda, because the city is trying to keep broken glass out of the sand. Plastic and aluminum are fine for non-alcoholic drinks.
The penalty applies whether an officer sees you drinking or simply spots an open container in your hand or your cooler. Police patrol the beach and boardwalk regularly, and open-container citations are among the more common ones written on busy weekends. A conviction is a misdemeanor, which means a criminal record that follows visitors home and can appear on background checks.
Where You Can Legally Drink Instead
Licensed bars, restaurants, and hotels along the Grand Strand serve alcohol on their own premises, and many have outdoor patios or decks with an ocean view. Those are private licensed properties, which is why drinking there is legal while drinking a few feet away on the sand is not.
Private property works the same way for adults 21 and older. Your hotel room is fine. A rented condo or vacation house is fine. A private balcony or patio attached to your rental is fine. The line is the property line: once you step onto the beach, the sidewalk, or the street with an open drink, you’re in violation.
Open Containers Off the Beach
Myrtle Beach applies the open-container rule uniformly across public spaces. Walking down a sidewalk with a beer, drinking wine in a parking lot, or carrying an open bottle along a public road all violate the ordinance. There is no to-go cup allowance and no entertainment-district exception.
South Carolina state law separately prohibits open containers of beer or wine inside a motor vehicle on public roads. That charge carries a fine of up to $100 and up to 30 days in jail.2South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-4-110 – Open Containers in Motor Vehicle If you’re transporting an opened bottle, it needs to be in the trunk or a luggage compartment. A cup holder or an open seat is enough for a citation.
Buying Alcohol Nearby
Beer and wine are sold at grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations. State law restricts retail beer and wine sales between midnight Saturday and sunrise Monday, but Horry County passed a local referendum authorizing Sunday sales, so most Myrtle Beach retailers operate seven days a week.3South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-4-120 – Sunday Sales
Liquor stores follow a stricter schedule. South Carolina bans retail sales of distilled spirits on Sundays statewide, and no local vote can override that. If you want spirits for a Sunday, buy them Saturday or order at a licensed bar or restaurant.
A Note on North Myrtle Beach
North Myrtle Beach is a separate city, and visitors often mix the two up. The beach rules are essentially identical: no alcohol and no glass on the sand.4City of North Myrtle Beach. Beach Laws North Myrtle Beach does have a “festival zone” ordinance that lets certain large commercial properties apply for a permit allowing public consumption of beer and wine inside defined boundaries, but those zones are on privately owned commercial land of ten acres or more, not on the beach. Myrtle Beach proper has no equivalent citywide program.
Related Charges That Trip People Up
A few adjacent offenses catch visitors who thought they were only risking an open-container ticket.
Public intoxication. Being visibly intoxicated in public can bring a disorderly conduct charge under state law, carrying up to a $100 fine and 30 days in jail. You don’t have to be causing a scene; stumbling into traffic or passing out on a sidewalk is enough. Officers see this often on the walk back from bars near the boardwalk.
Underage possession. South Carolina treats underage possession of beer or wine as a misdemeanor with a fine of $100 to $200, up to 30 days in jail, and a mandatory alcohol prevention program of at least eight hours that can cost up to $150.5South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 63-19-2440 – Beer and Wine Myrtle Beach police do not treat tourist status as grounds for leniency.
DUI. South Carolina’s threshold is a blood alcohol concentration of .08. A first offense in the lowest tier (.08 to .09) brings up to 30 days in jail and a $400 fine; at .16 or above, that rises to up to 90 days and $1,000. Every conviction carries a six-month license suspension and a mandatory alcohol treatment program at your expense.
Boating under the influence. The same BAC standard applies on the water. Causing property damage or injury while operating a watercraft under the influence is a misdemeanor with a fine starting at $500 and up to 30 days in jail, and jet skis, pontoon boats, and kayaks all count as watercraft.6South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 50-21-113 – Operation of Moving Water Device While Under the Influence
The simplest way to keep a vacation from turning into a court date: drink on private property or at licensed venues, and leave the beach itself dry.