Grand Strand Season, Ep. 1: Free Downtown Parking Is Back — Starting Today
Dear Sir or Madam,
GRAND STRAND SEASON · Episode 1 · Parking
The best parking news on the Grand Strand in years arrives the same day this storyline does.
What changed
As of October 1, City of Myrtle Beach metered spaces from 6th Avenue South to 21st Avenue North, from the ocean west to Kings Highway, are free through the end of February (City of Myrtle Beach).
This comes from an amendment City Council finalized on Oct. 28, 2025 (Ordinance 2025-32). Before that, downtown meters charged year-round. Last year the free period started Nov. 1. This year it starts a month earlier, on Oct. 1. The ordinance also lets the city manager declare “free parking holidays” (WMBF, Oct 28, 2025).
What didn’t change
- Paid season runs March 1 – September 30, 9 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.
- In-season rates: beach accesses and street ends cost $3/hour or $15/day. The core business district (6th–16th Ave N) is $2/hour. Secondary areas are $2/hour or $10/day.
- Ways to pay in season: coins, card, Text-2-Park (text the zone number to 25023) or the ParkMobile app.
- Tickets in season start at $30 and rise to $60 if unpaid after 30 days.
- Private lots are different. Commercial paid lots can charge all year. The city capped daily booting fees at $125 (WMBF, 2023). Read the sign before you walk away.
Who wins
Locals can get dinner downtown without feeding a meter. Fall visitors save $10–15 a day in parking. Downtown businesses lose one reason for customers to leave early. If you run a restaurant or shop between 6th Ave S and 21st Ave N, put it on your social posts this week.
Using Spot Check
Spot Check is the Boston Made parking app built for exactly this kind of change. Free doesn’t always mean easy to find.
GRAND STRAND SEASON is GrandStrand.app’s running guide to living, visiting and doing business on the Grand Strand, from Little River to Pawleys Island. Next: Ep. 2, North Myrtle Beach still charges through Oct. 31.
📚 Read the whole storyline on the Boston Made Reader → Storylines · Find parking with Spot Check.
Rules, rates and dates change. We link the official source for each fact; check it before you rely on it.