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A Guide to Going into Business in the Myrtle Beach Area

If you are thinking of starting a business of your own in the Myrtle Beach area, there are a few things to consider as you move forward.  The Myrtle Beach area has no single business license that will ensure compliance with the numerous state licenses, permits, and regulatory requirements. Additionally, your business may be subject to local and/or federal requirements. Simply knowing which agencies to contact for all of these permits can be a very confusing task for a new entrepreneur.

Click on the links below for more information.

What type of business organization are you going to be or are you?
  1. You can find a list of different types including Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation and Limited Liability Company at http://www.sctax.org/Publications/startbusns.htm
  2. If you are not sure what type of business you will have OR not sure of how to register your business visit https://www.scbos.sc.gov/SCBOS_Library/Frequently_Asked_
    Questions.aspx     that will give you all the information needed to get started.


Once you have your type of business - where is your office going to be located AND where are you going to be doing business?
  1. In the Myrtle Beach Area there are several municipalities that each have their own business licenses and some have a different tax rate. Before you apply you will need to find out what municipality your office is located in AND if you will be doing work outside of your office, i.e., plumber, carpet cleaner, etc. then you will also need a business license for the areas where you will be doing business. (show me an example, look at example 1)
  2. To find out if your business is located within the city/town limits of the following municipalities you can view the maps below. *Note, just because your address is Myrtle Beach, does NOT mean you are located within the city limits (same with other municipalities). Maps are for general purposes only. Please check with each municipality on specific municipalities limits.


I know where my business is located/where I am doing business, where do I go to get my business license?
  1. If you are located in Horry County, but NOT in any other municipality (see example)
  2. http://www.horrycounty.org/depts/finance/business.asp
  3. If you are located within the city limits of Myrtle Beach http://www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/businessinfo.html
  4. If you are located within the city limits of North Myrtle Beach http://www.nmb.us/Page.aspx?ID=3&LinkID=62&SubID=62
  5. If you are located within the city limits of Conway http://www.cityofconway.com/index.html and click on “Forms”
  6. If you are located within the town limits of Surfside Beach http://www.surfsidebeach.org/buildingzoning.html
  7. If you are located within the limits of Loris http://www.cityofloris.com/production/index.cfm?nextpage=buildingDepartment


Do you need any other types of licenses or permits?
  1. If you are in a certain profession, you may need additional professional license, i.e., cosmetology, accountancy, real estate etc. You can visit the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulations to see which professions need additional licenses and how to acquire them. http://www.llr.state.sc.us/pol.asp
  2. You may need to apply for a retail license. Every person who engages in business in this state as a retailer must obtain a retail license before making any sales. The retail license must be obtained by all retailers, including those making infrequent sales in this state. To find out information on retail sales licenses and to apply visit South Carolina Department of Revenue http://www.sctax.org/Tax+Information/Sales+and+ Use+Tax/saleinfo.htm
  3. If you are in the hospitality sector, there is a Hospitality fee imposed on sectors of the hospitality industry within the geographic confines of Horry County that meet one or more of the conditions below.

    • Provide accommodations to transients
    • Collect admissions to places of amusement
    • Sell prepared or modified food or beverages (including alcoholic beverages)
    • Provide short-term rental of private passenger motor vehicles For more information visit http://www.horrycounty.org/depts /finance/hosp_fee.asp
  4. Depending on the business you may need other special licenses. To see if your business requires any of these visit https://www.scbos.sc.gov/Start_Your_Business/Business_Licenses_
    and_Permits_.aspx     and open up the section titled "Common Special Licenses"
  5. If your business plans on selling or distributing alcohol, you will need an alcohol beverage license. Visit http://www.sctax.org/Tax+Information/abl/default.htmto download forms and for more information.
  6. The Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC) requires some businesses to have food service permits. To see if your business needs one and to apply visit http://www.scdhec.gov/health/envhlth/food-safety/permit-types.htm
  7. For any other licensing or permit questions click on the links below.


Specific tax liability for each type of business is different.
  1. For information from Internal Revenue Services including forms and kits that apply to federal taxes only, visit http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/
  2. For information on taxes collected for the state of South Carolina visit http://www.sctax.org/default.htm
  3. For information on what percentage of sales tax to collect depending on what municipality your business is in see the tax charts below.


Local Resources Available for New Business Development

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