Special Events Permit

Special Event Permit applications may be submitted up to one (1) year in advance but must be submitted no later than forty-five (45) days prior to the event. If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you will need to apply for a permit:

• Is your outdoor event an organized formation, parade, procession or assembly consisting of persons, and which may include animals, vehicles or any combination thereof, which is to assemble or travel in unison on any street which does not comply with normal or usual traffic regulations or controls?
   
• Is your outdoor event a musical concert, festival, fair, carnival, or rally which you may expect to have 500 or more people in attendance at any one time?
   
• Is your outdoor event a sporting event which will require the use of temporary structures, including grandstands and tents, and which may have 4,000 or more people at any one time in attendance?
   
• Is your outdoor event a public assembly involving the gathering together of persons for commercial, civic or social functions or recreation or for food or drink consumption, which may be expected to have 500 or more people at any one time in attendance? a. Example: If you own an establishment and you plan to have something "special" on your property that doesn't happen on a normal basis (i.e. bike rally outdoor vending) and you expect to have 500 or more people at any one time in attendance.
   
• Will your outdoor event host drinking contests or games, contests involving disrobing, or wet t-shirt contests, slaw/pudding/jello wrestling, bobbing or similar contests, or motorcycle/car washes (excluding those held by a church, school, or civic organizations), outdoor stunt shows, dynodrag or dyno unit or burn-out pit activities?
   
• Will your event or activity create excessive or unusually loud noise at night? Examples include the use of horns, loud speakers, drums, exhausts, construction or industrial operations, etc.
   
• Does your commercial filming activity have a cast and crew of sixteen (16) or more persons?

Please check with the Code Enforcement Department to determine if any Temporary Vendor Permits are required.

Other examples of Outdoor Special Events that will require a permit are as follows:
Concerts, parades, circuses, fairs, festivals, rallies, block parties, poker runs, community events, mass participation events, sporting competition events such as marathons and running events, bicycle races or tours, or spectator sports such as football, basketball and baseball games, golf tournaments or hydroplane or boat races.

The Submittal Process

Any applicant who desires to conduct, promote, sponsor, organize, or enable a special event must submit a complete application for a Special Event Permit no more than one (1) year and no less than forty-five days (45) prior to the scheduled start of the event. A Special Events Permit is valid for up to seven consecutive days. If you have multiple outdoor events during this time period you will only need one permit for all events, however, each event MUST be separately documented in the "Event Details" section of the application. All activities related to event set-up and take-down must be completed within the dates approved on the permit.

Complete the Horry County Government Special Events Permit application online (application on this page).

A completed application will need to include the following attachments:

1. A single site plan 8.5 x 11 inches, drawn to scale must show all necessary elements which may include the following:
   • Existing facilities/structures
   • Proposed temporary facilities/structures
   • Traffic flow and provisions
   • Security/crowd control
   • Medical provisions
   • Lighting
   • Solid waste disposal
   • Parking
   • Location of bands and or music venues
   • Sanitation facilities
   • Vendors (under separate attachment provide vendor list with Vendor Names, goods and/or services provided.)
2. A schedule of events associated with this location for the duration of the permit.

The $250.00 non-refundable application fee can be paid on this website by credit card, debit card or ACH (check). After completing the application online and submitting the appropriate attachments on line, use the link provided to pay your non-refundable application fee so that your special event permit can be processed.

Once the application fee has been paid, the application will be reviewed by Public Safety.  The applicant will be notified within 10 business days of the completeness of the application. Once the application has been deemed complete, the applicant will be notified in writing within 10 business days of the approval or denial of the application. Upon approval of the application, the applicant must contact Public Safety office at 843-915-8431 https://www.horrycounty.org/apps/specialeventspermit/ and make an appointment to obtain the permit. The Special Events Permit fee ($100 per day) must be paid before the Special Events Permit will be issued.

Fees

• Application Fee – The $250.00 non-refundable application fee can be paid on this website by credit card, debit card or ACH (check). After completing the application online and submitting the appropriate attachments on line, use the link provided to pay your non-refundable application fee so that your special event permit can be processed.
• Fee per approved dates - $100 per day
• Additional fees for county public safety services – contact the county department (Fire/Rescue, Police etc.)