Utilities

Water and Sewer
In Myrtle Beach, contact Myrtle Beach City Hall at (843) 918-1212. In North Myrtle Beach, contact the North Myrtle Beach City Hall at (843) 280-5550. In the Little River area, contact the Little River Water & Sewage Co. at (843) 249-4025. Most other areas in Horry County are serviced by Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority at (843) 448-1686. In Georgetown County, contact Georgetown Water & Sewer at (843) 546-8408.

Electricity
Santee Cooper at (843) 448-2411 services Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Garden City Beach, Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island. Horry Electric Cooperative, Inc. at (843) 248-2211 services most other rural areas such as Socastee, Aynor and Galivants Ferry.

Telephone
The area code for the Grand Strand is (843). Verizon customers may apply for phone service by calling 1-800-483-4000. Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc., customers may apply for residential phone service by calling (843) 365-2154 and for business service by calling (843) 365-2155. Call the telephone companies to learn which will service your area and what type of deposit is required.

Natural Gas
South Carolina Electric & Gas Corp. (843) 236-6413 furnishes natural gas.

Securing a S.C. License Plate

New residents need to secure a South Carolina license plate within 45 days of relocation. Vehicle registration fee is $24. License plates may be obtained from the S.C. Highway Department at:

4103 Hwy. 701 in Conway - (843) 365-4781
1200 21st Ave. N. in Myrtle Beach - (843) 448-9957
214 Ridge Road in Georgetown - (843) 546-6445
107 Hwy. 57 North in Little River - (843) 399-5567

Local Taxes

Real Estate Taxes

Horry County Tax Assessor's Office - (843) 248-1361

Georgetown County Tax Assessor's Office - (843) 546-1241

Real property (land, houses, buildings, mobile homes) tax notices are mailed in October to Horry County and Georgetown County residents and must be paid by January 15 of the following year in order to avoid penalties. Taxes are based on the following percentages of assessed value: commercial, 6%; residential, 4% or 6% (may only be 4% if you've filed with the tax assessor's office to qualify as a year-round resident); second home, 6%.

Homestead Exemption

Once you have established one-year residency and you are over the age of 65, you are eligible for a homestead exemption of $20,000. That exemption, if applied to a $100,000 home, would reduce your property tax by $173.00.

Income Tax

S.C. Department of Revenue - (843) 293-6550

South Carolina has a simplified income tax structure which follows the federal income tax laws. South Carolina accepts the adjustments, exemptions and deductions allowed on your federal return with few modifications. Your federal taxable income is the starting point in determining your state income tax liability.

Sales and Use Tax

South Carolina's sales and use tax rate is 5%. Neither Horry County nor Georgetown County has a local option sales and use tax. Prescriptions, dental prosthetics and hearing aids are exempt from the sales tax. Those over the age of 85 are exempt from 1% of the sales tax. A maximum sales tax of $300 is imposed on the purchase of motor vehicles, including recreational vehicles, boats, motorcycles and airplanes.

Each gallon of gasoline is taxed at 16 cents. This tax is included in the price per gallon at the gasoline pump.