Short answer: Yes, in most cases. The City of Myrtle Beach requires a separate fence permit for any new fence, addition, alteration, or repair, and any contractor working in city limits needs a valid City of Myrtle Beach business license. Unincorporated Horry County doesn’t require a building permit for fences not over 7 feet, but a Zoning Compliance review may still apply, and other nearby towns (North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Conway) each have their own rules that differ from the city’s. Since the Grand Strand is a patchwork of city, county, and town jurisdictions, the right answer depends on exactly where your property sits.
This post is for general information only and is not legal advice. Fence rules change, and your lot may have conditions (easements, HOA covenants, flood zones, oceanfront overlays) that affect what’s allowed. Always confirm current requirements with the city, county, or town planning/zoning office before you build.
Quick comparison: fence rules by jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Permit needed? | Front yard height | Side/rear height | Other notable rules | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Myrtle Beach | Yes. Separate permit for new, added, altered, repaired, or removed fences | 4 ft (up to 5 ft if the portion above 4 ft is at least 50% see-through) | Side: 6 ft; Rear: 8 ft | Oceanfront, multifamily, and commercial fences also need Community Appearance Board approval; HOA approval, a tree statement, and a site plan are required with the application | Fence Permit Application & Requirements |
| Unincorporated Horry County | Not required under 7 ft, but a Zoning Compliance review may be required. Confirm with the county | No separate front-yard figure published; privacy fences need a 10-ft setback from front/corner-side property lines on a road right-of-way | Up to 8 ft in most districts (12 ft in AC, HC, LI, AM2, RE4, MA1, MA2, MA3, MI, HI districts) | Open, low-opacity fences (split rail, uncluttered chain link, picket under 50% opacity) are exempt from the front setback; fences can’t block sightlines at intersections and must allow emergency access | Horry County Building Permits / Zoning Ordinance Sec. 412 |
| North Myrtle Beach | Confirm with the city | Confirm with the city | Confirm with the city | As of Sept. 1, 2025, a current property survey must accompany building permit applications for work including fences within 5 ft of a property line; applications without a survey aren’t accepted | City of North Myrtle Beach news release |
| Surfside Beach | Yes. A permit is required for construction of any fence | Confirm with the town | 6 ft max | Confirm remaining details with the town | Code of Ordinances, Ch. 17, Art. IV |
| Conway | Confirm with the city | Confirm with the city | Confirm with the city | No official rule verified for this post. Confirm with City of Conway Planning | Confirm with City of Conway Planning |
Do I need a fence permit in the City of Myrtle Beach?
Yes. The city’s fence permit application and requirements documentation states plainly that “a separate permit is required for fences, pools, any separate structures and dune walkovers.” That’s on top of any other permits for the project, so a pool and its enclosure, for example, are two different permit applications working toward one project.
A few things to know before you apply:
- Work classes. The application covers five categories: New, Addition, Alteration, Repair, and Remove. Even taking an old fence out is technically a permitted action.
- What you submit. Applications go to [email protected] and typically include the fence permit application itself, HOA approval if your property is in an HOA, a Tree Statement, and a site plan drawn at a scale of at least 1 inch = 20 feet showing all existing structures on the lot.
- Contractor licensing. Whoever pulls or performs the work needs a valid City of Myrtle Beach business license to operate inside city limits.
- Trees. If removing a tree is part of clearing the fence line, a tree removal permit may also be required for certain trees.
- Height limits. Per code section 1702.A.2.f, height is measured from grade, averaged along the fence line, and doesn’t count the posts:
- Required front yards: 4 ft, or up to 5 ft if everything above the 4-ft mark is at least 50% see-through.
- Side yards: 6 ft.
- Rear yards: 8 ft.
- Posts may stick up to 12 inches above whatever height limit applies.
- Fences need to look roughly the same from both sides, and any structural framing or supports should face the interior of the property, not the neighbor or the street.
- Permits expire. If work doesn’t start within 6 months of issuance, or stops for 6 consecutive months, the permit becomes void and you’d need to start the process over.
The process is the same for every fence style, so build the permit review time into your plans.
Do I need a fence permit in unincorporated Horry County?
It depends mostly on height. Horry County’s guidance says a building permit is not required for “fences not over 7 feet,” but adds that “a Zoning Compliance may be required. Please inquire.” In other words, even a short fence might still need a quick zoning check, it’s not automatically a free pass, so it’s worth a call to the county before you buy materials.
If your fence is taller than 7 feet, you will need a building permit, and the county wants a scaled site plan showing setbacks, locations, and elevations as part of that application.
Horry County’s zoning ordinance (Section 412) also sets maximum heights by district:
- Most districts: 8 ft.
- Higher-intensity districts (AC, HC, LI, AM2, RE4, MA1, MA2, MA3, MI, HI): up to 12 ft.
For privacy fences specifically, there’s a setback rule: fences in front yards or corner side yards need to sit at least 10 feet back from the property line where it abuts a road right-of-way or a shared private drive. That setback doesn’t apply to more “open” fence styles: split rail, uncluttered chain link, and picket fences under 50% opacity are exempt from it.
A few other county rules worth knowing:
- Fences can’t obstruct visibility at street or driveway intersections. A sight-line issue more than a height issue.
- Fences have to allow for emergency access, whether that’s a gate or a breakaway section.
- If a fence is required as part of a landscape buffer for a particular use, it needs to sit inside that required buffer, not outside it.
Because unincorporated Horry County covers a huge, varied area, confirm your specific district and setbacks with the county before finalizing a design.
What about North Myrtle Beach?
We weren’t able to verify North Myrtle Beach’s fence height limits, so for height and setback specifics, confirm with the city. What we do know, from the city’s own news release, is a procedural change that affects fence projects directly: starting September 1, 2025, a current property survey must accompany building permit applications, and that explicitly includes “building a fence within 5 feet of a property line.” Applications submitted without a survey aren’t being accepted.
That’s a meaningful change if you’re close to your property line, since it means budgeting for a survey as part of the permit process, not just the fence itself. For current height limits, setbacks, and anything else specific to North Myrtle Beach, call Planning & Development at (843) 280-5560 or check with the city directly.
What about Surfside Beach?
Surfside Beach’s code is direct on the permit question: “A permit must be obtained for the construction of any fence.” There’s no size exception here, unlike the county, there isn’t a “fences under X feet don’t need a permit” carve-out that we found.
On height, the town’s zoning code sets a 6-ft maximum for side and rear yard fences. We weren’t able to verify a specific front-yard height limit, so confirm that detail, along with any setback requirements, with the town before you design your fence.
What about Conway?
We didn’t find a published fence rule for Conway. If your property is in the City of Conway, confirm permit requirements, height limits, and setbacks directly with City of Conway Planning before you start.
Oceanfront lots and the Community Appearance Board
If you’re on an oceanfront lot inside Myrtle Beach city limits, your fence plans go through an extra layer of review. Residential oceanfront fences, along with multifamily and commercial fences, have to go to the Community Appearance Board (CAB) for approval, in addition to the standard fence permit.
Height rules are also different on oceanfront lots, again measured from average grade and excluding posts:
- All yards (front, side, and rear): 4 ft.
- Side and rear yards may exceed 4 ft, up to a 5-ft maximum, if everything above the 4-ft line is at least 50% see-through.
- As with other city fences, posts can extend up to 12 inches above the applicable limit.
If your lot touches the ocean or qualifies as oceanfront under the city’s definition, plan on the CAB review adding time to your project timeline, and bring your design (materials, opacity, how it reads from both sides) into that conversation early rather than after a permit application is already in process.
What about HOAs?
A city or county permit and an HOA’s approval are two separate hurdles, and clearing one doesn’t clear the other. The City of Myrtle Beach’s own fence permit application actually requires HOA approval as part of the submission “if applicable”: so if you’re in an HOA within city limits, that approval needs to happen before (or alongside) your permit application, not after.
Beyond that specific city requirement, we can’t speak to what any particular HOA allows: height, style, color, placement, and setback rules vary a lot from community to community, and HOA covenants can be stricter than the city, county, or town rule that otherwise applies to your lot. If you’re in an HOA, your covenants and any architectural review committee are worth checking before you finalize a design, regardless of which jurisdiction you’re in.
Who pulls the permit?
The City of Myrtle Beach requires whoever performs fence work inside city limits to hold a valid city business license. That part is documented. Who fills out and submits the application can vary by project.
Confirm this upfront with whoever you hire, since permit timelines can affect your overall installation schedule.
A couple of practical notes before you dig
Before any post holes go in the ground, it’s a good idea to call 811 (South Carolina’s free utility-marking service) so underground lines can be located and marked first. This applies no matter which jurisdiction your property is in.
It’s also worth remembering that a permit covers the legal side of the project. It doesn’t tell you much about layout, drainage, or how a fence will actually look and function on your specific lot. Walking the property line with whoever’s doing the installation, before any paperwork is filed, tends to catch issues (slope changes, tree roots, utility boxes, gate placement) that are much easier to solve on paper than after a permit is already approved for a specific design.
FAQs
Do I need a permit to replace an old fence in Myrtle Beach?
Yes. The City of Myrtle Beach’s fence permit application covers five work classes (New, Addition, Alteration, Repair, and Remove) so replacing an existing fence falls under the permit requirement just like installing a new one.
How tall can my fence be in my front yard in Myrtle Beach?
In the City of Myrtle Beach, front-yard fences are limited to 4 feet, measured from average grade and not counting the posts. You can go up to 5 feet if the portion of the fence above 4 feet is at least 50% see-through. On oceanfront lots, the limit is 4 feet for all yards, with the same option to exceed it up to 5 feet if the extra height is at least 50% see-through.
Do I need a fence permit before I can get my pool permit in Myrtle Beach?
Yes, in effect. The city will not release a pool permit until a fence or pool enclosure application has been received, so the fence (or enclosure) paperwork needs to be in progress alongside, or ahead of, the pool permit itself.
Does HOA approval replace the need for a city or county fence permit?
No. HOA approval and a city or county permit are separate requirements. In the City of Myrtle Beach, HOA approval is actually part of what you submit with your fence permit application when it applies, it’s an added step, not a substitute for the permit itself. If you’re in an HOA, check with your HOA and with the applicable jurisdiction.
Need a hand sorting out the right permit for your property?
Permit rules shift depending on which side of a city line your lot sits on, and getting it wrong can mean delays or a fence that has to come back down. If you’re planning a fence project near Myrtle Beach, the team at Thomas Fence Co can talk through what applies to your specific address. Check out our Myrtle Beach location page or our broader Horry County service area page to get in touch.
Near the beach, material choice matters as much as the permit, so read about the best fence materials for salt air. Storm season is the other big factor, covered in fences that hold up in hurricanes.
Our nearest office for Myrtle Beach and Horry County is in Myrtle Beach, SC. You can find Thomas Fence Co in Myrtle Beach on Google for directions, hours and reviews.