Yes, you can buy alcohol on Sunday in Myrtle Beach, but what’s available depends on where you shop. Grocery stores, gas stations, and convenience stores with the right permit sell beer and wine all day. Restaurants and bars serve the full menu, cocktails included, during set Sunday hours. Retail liquor stores are the holdout: state law generally prohibits Sunday bottle sales, with a local wrinkle in Horry County worth calling ahead about.
Beer and Wine at Stores
South Carolina’s default rule bans off-premises beer and wine sales from midnight Saturday through sunrise Monday. Selling during those hours is a misdemeanor that can cost a retailer its license.1South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 61 Chapter 4 – Section 61-4-120 Myrtle Beach effectively operates as if that restriction doesn’t exist, which catches visitors off guard.
The reason is a special retail beer and wine permit available in any county or municipality that passed a favorable referendum. Myrtle Beach and Horry County both did. A store that pays the $1,000 annual fee for this permit can sell beer and wine for off-premises consumption with no day-of-week or time-of-day restriction at all.2South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 61 Chapter 4 – Section 61-4-510 A qualifying grocery store or gas station in Myrtle Beach can legally sell beer and wine around the clock on Sundays.
Not every store holds the special permit. Smaller retailers operating under a standard permit still follow the Saturday-midnight-to-Monday-morning blackout. Most large grocery chains and busy convenience stores in the area carry the special permit, but if you walk into a smaller shop early on a Sunday morning and find the beer cooler locked, that’s why.
Drinks at Bars and Restaurants
Restaurants, bars, and hotel lounges in Myrtle Beach can serve cocktails, spirits, wine, and beer on Sundays if they hold a Local Option Permit from the South Carolina Department of Revenue. That permit is only available in jurisdictions where voters approved a referendum authorizing Sunday liquor-by-the-drink sales.3South Carolina Department of Revenue. Local Option Permit Myrtle Beach passed that referendum, so most sit-down restaurants and nightlife spots have it.
Permitted Sunday hours run from 10:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., with an early-morning window from 12:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. that carries over the tail of Saturday night. Between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., no establishment can serve. Brunch spots open their drink service the moment the clock hits ten.
On-premises beer and wine follow the same schedule. State law ties Sunday on-premises beer and wine sales to the same hours and referendum approval that govern liquor by the drink.4South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Laws Title 61 Chapter 4 – Section 61-4-630 There is no situation where a bar can pour you a beer on Sunday but not mix a cocktail. If the place has its permits in order, the full menu is available during those hours.
Retail Liquor Stores
This is the restrictive category. 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 offense rises to $1,000 or up to a year, a third to $2,000 or up to two years.5South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 61-6-4160 – Sunday Sales Store owners take the rule seriously.
The statute does include the phrase “except as authorized by law,” leaving room for legislative change. During the 2023–2024 session, the South Carolina House approved a bill that would have allowed liquor stores to open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays in jurisdictions where local voters approved it. As of this writing, there is no confirmed statewide authorization for routine Sunday retail liquor sales. Local reporting from the Myrtle Beach area has indicated that some Horry County liquor stores may operate on Sundays under a local licensing arrangement. If a bottle of spirits for home is part of your Sunday plan, call the specific store before driving over.
The other six days of the week, retail liquor stores operate between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. statewide. Sales outside those hours are prohibited regardless of the day.6South Carolina Department of Revenue. Liquor Licensing Even on a Saturday, you can’t grab a bottle after 7:00 p.m.
Where You Can’t Drink It
Buying is one thing. Where you can carry and open it is another, and visitors get tripped up here routinely. You cannot bring alcohol onto the beach in Myrtle Beach. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an open beer or a sealed bottle of wine in your cooler; the city treats any alcohol on the sand as a violation. Glass containers of any kind are also banned on the beach, including non-alcoholic drinks.7City of Myrtle Beach. A Quick List of Beach Rules and Regulations
The prohibition extends past the sand. Open containers of beer, wine, or liquor are illegal in any public place in Myrtle Beach, including streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and the boardwalk. Walking a drink from a bar out 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.7City of Myrtle Beach. A Quick List of Beach Rules and Regulations Police enforce actively during peak tourist season.
Unincorporated Horry County
Plenty of places that use a Myrtle Beach mailing address actually sit in unincorporated Horry County, outside the city limits. For buying alcohol, the distinction barely matters. Horry County voters passed the same referendums that enable Sunday liquor-by-the-drink service and special beer and wine permits inside the city. Restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and gas stations in unincorporated areas operate under the same Sunday framework.3South Carolina Department of Revenue. Local Option Permit
Open-container enforcement is the piece that can vary. Beach rules in unincorporated areas may differ from the city ordinance, and some Grand Strand communities have their own local regulations. Assume public drinking is prohibited unless clear signage says otherwise.