Metal Detecting on South Carolina's Grand Strand (Myrtle Beach)
9 locations · 7 allowed · 2 permit required
Rules last verified: · South Carolina statewide rules
The Grand Strand is the friendliest ground for detecting in South Carolina. Myrtle Beach explicitly allows it on the public beach (off the dunes and street-ends), and North Myrtle Beach, Surfside, Garden City, Pawleys Island and Litchfield follow the same pattern — work the open and wet sand, fill your holes, and don't dig past the local two-foot limit. The two beach state parks, Myrtle Beach State Park and Huntington Beach State Park, are open too, but you need a signed permit from the park manager first. This is saltwater, so bring a multi-frequency machine and a long-handled scoop.
Beaches and parks on the Grand Strand
- ✅ Myrtle Beach (City Beach) Allowed · Horry County
The City's official beach-laws page states metal detecting is allowed on the public beach but NOT in the dunes, at the street ends, or on an… - ✅ North Myrtle Beach (City Beach) Allowed · Horry County
No North Myrtle Beach ordinance bans metal detecting; the city's Beach Ordinances require that any hole you dig be filled before you leave a… - ✅ Surfside Beach Allowed · Horry County
The Town's Rules & Laws of Beach Use cap holes at two feet deep and require you to fill any hole you dig before leaving; smoking is bann… - ✅ Garden City Beach Allowed · Horry / Georgetown County
Garden City Beach is unincorporated and metal detecting is permitted, with no detecting ban on either side of the county line. Digging is li… - ✅ Horry County Unincorporated Beaches (Arcadian Shores / south of Springmaid) Allowed · Horry County
On the unincorporated Horry County oceanfront - the Arcadian Shores / Lake Arrowhead stretch between Myrtle Beach and Briarcliffe Acres, and… - 🟡 Myrtle Beach State Park Permit required · Horry County
South Carolina's statewide Metal Detection Policy requires prior approval of the Park Manager before each use and a signed permit - specifyi… - 🟡 Huntington Beach State Park Permit required · Georgetown County
Under SC State Parks' Metal Detection Policy, detecting requires prior approval of the Park Manager and a signed permit carried on you, with… - ✅ Pawleys Island Allowed · Georgetown County
The Town of Pawleys Island's beach rules do not ban metal detecting; they require you to fill any manmade holes (a sea-turtle and pedestrian… - ✅ Litchfield Beach Allowed · Georgetown County
Litchfield Beach is unincorporated Georgetown County, so the county Beach Regulations (Ch. 5.5, Ord. 22-10) govern: metal detecting is not b…
Beach detecting here? Wet salt sand needs a multi-frequency machine and a long-handled scoop. The Nokta Legend 2 is the best value that handles it. See the Nokta Legend 2 → Full buyer's guide →
Other South Carolina regions
Lowcountry · Midlands · Upstate
See also: South Carolina metal detecting laws · federal rules