Bulletin - North Myrtle Beach, SC News Today
A draft allowing 800-square-foot accessory dwelling units by special exception has stalled twice because it contains no owner-occupancy rule or short-term rental restriction
North Myrtle Beach Sends ADU Ordinance Back to Workshop Over Short-Term Rental Concerns
A draft allowing 800-square-foot accessory dwelling units by special exception has stalled twice because it contains no owner-occupancy rule or short-term rental restriction
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North Myrtle Beach City Council postponed first reading of two accessory dwelling unit ordinances to a workshop on November 2, leaving the city without a citywide approval path for backyard cottages and in-law suites. The delay matters for short-term rental owners because the draft would let qualifying single-family lots add a second dwelling with no limit on renting it to visitors, a gap that residents, planning commissioners and council members have all raised.
What the ADU draft would allow
The main ordinance, ZTX-26-9, would let the Board of Zoning Appeals approve one ADU as a special exception on a lot with a single-family detached home. Each unit would be capped at one bedroom and 800 square feet of conditioned floor area and would need one extra off-street parking space. Detached units would need a lot of at least 7,500 square feet and would have to sit at least 15 feet from the main house, stay under 25 feet in height and rest on a permanent foundation which rules out RVs and mobile homes. The ADU could not be sold separately while water and sewer impact fees would apply.
North Myrtle Beach City Council postponed a proposal on November 2 that would allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) of up to 800 square feet in residential areas through special exceptions. 📄 Read the official City Council proposal
Why rental use stalled the vote
The Planning Commission recommended approval 5 to 2 on September 22 but asked council to weigh owner occupancy and short-term rental use. Staff left both restrictions out, noting that rentals are handled through the city's general licensing rules and that an ADU-specific ban would need direction on how it applies when the main house, the ADU or both are rented. On October 5, council voted 4 to 3 to postpone it after Mayor J.O. Baldwin said the city attorney would research options to keep ADUs from becoming short-term rentals while Planning and Development Director Jim Wood noted that similar ordinances elsewhere limit ADUs to permanent residents.
A companion measure, ZTX-26-10, would delete the existing ADU allowance in the Resort Commercial district where units are capped at 600 square feet and the main home must be owner-occupied. Council postponed that measure on October 5 and again on November 2 so the Resort Commercial rules remain in effect.
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The wider short-term rental picture
North Myrtle Beach still regulates short-term rentals mainly through an annual business license and accommodations tax, and city zoning does not generally restrict where they operate.
In November 2024, the acting city manager told council that about 1,700 of the city's 5,400 short-term rentals had no local responsible party. The city has tried to tighten its rules since council rejected a four-month moratorium on rentals with eight or more sleeping areas in 2018, and workshops in 2020, 2024 and 2025 along with two listening sessions in 2025 have yet to produce a new ordinance.
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⦾ Status: Proposed; first reading postponed to a workshop on November 2, 2026
⦾ ADU approval: Board of Zoning Appeals special exception, one per single-family detached lot
⦾ Size limits: One bedroom and 800 sq ft; detached units need a 7,500 sq ft lot, 15 ft separation and a 25 ft height limit
⦾ Parking: One additional off-street space
⦾ Short-term rental restriction on ADUs: None in the current draft
⦾ Owner occupancy: Not required in the draft; still required under existing Resort Commercial ADU rules
⦾ Current STR requirements: Annual city business license (May 1 to April 30) and accommodations tax paid to city, county and state
⦾ Effective date: Not set
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Jas Albatana
Jas Albatana
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