News and Announcements

Horry County Government offices remain closed to the public for the week of March 23, 2020. This excludes all airports. Limited court functions will continue. In addition, all state offices in County facilities will remain open, as directed by the Governor. 

We strongly urge the public to handle business online where possible. We understand that there are crucial transactions that must take place and are not available online. The public is asked to call those departments directly for information and coordination. 

Court for Horry County Magistrate Court and Circuit Court is cancelled the week of March 23. Jurors should not report to the courthouse next week. 

The Horry County Emergency phone bank will close at 5:00 p.m. today and will reopen at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 23, 2020. 

As per the state of emergency declared March 14, 2020 by Horry County, Horry County closed its facilities to the public beginning March 18, 2020. As such, the Horry County Register of Deeds Department is closed to the public. The public will not be able to come inside the Register of Deeds Office. 

The Horry County Register of Deeds Office has made many of their files remotely accessible to real estate and legal professionals for a number of years. The Horry County ROD has some files that are not digitized and are only available in microfilm and hard copy formats. The ROD will begin offering limited physical access to the Horry County microfilm and digital land records and other files next week.

In response to public demand, and strictly for the purpose of ongoing business and commerce needs, Horry County will allow limited in-person access to public records and use of public equipment for researching property records beginning March 23, 2020. In keeping with the recommended federal guidelines for this recognized public health emergency, Horry County will allow up to 10 members of the public access to its digital and microfilm records on an appointment basis only for a period of no more than 2 hours at a time. There will be no access granted to the Horry County ROD offices. Microfilm records will be made available in a temporary facility that retain the required social distancing requirements for six researchers at a time. In addition, Horry County’s digital ROD files will be accessible on four computer terminals located in a separate existing Public Access room. Only four researchers will be allowed in this room at one time to again maintain social distancing for the safety of the participants.

Members of the public who need to access county facilities for these transactions can make an appointment by calling the Register of Deeds Office at (843) 915-5430 beginning at 9:00 am on Friday March 20, 2020. Reservations will only be accepted for one day at a time to insure fairness. Appointments will be offered on a first come, first serve basis and space is limited. In addition, the Horry County Clerk of Court has also agreed to allow public access for these research needs. The Probate Court will provide records electronically as requested. 

In addition, those members of the public that make an appointment and enter the facility will be required to sign a waiver acknowledging that they could be exposing themselves or others to a potentially lethal communicable disease and releasing the county from any liability that may result from the use of the facility during this public health emergency. Those with appointments should arrive at the Government and Justice Building 15 minutes prior to their appointment and bring a photo ID.

While the ROD and other county offices are closed to the public, the ROD staff will be at work and will be continuing to record documents. The ROD, with the office closed, has suspended walk in recording and walk in customer service. We will record via e-file, mail, or overnight packages. We will accommodate requests for plat copies via email or phone requests.  Staff will print copies, take funds from escrow accounts and place copies with receipt on table outside ROD door. Customer Service document requests will still be accepted as usual via mail requests.

Horry County continues to encourage members of the public to do business online where possible and to call those departments directly for information and coordination.

There are no changes to County operations tomorrow, Thursday, March 19, 2020. County buildings and facilities remain closed to the public. We strongly urge the public to handle business online where possible. We understand that there are crucial transactions that must take place and are not available online. The public is asked to call those departments directly for information and coordination.

The Horry County Emergency Operations Center activated today. Because of the nature of this event, the EOC is virtually activated, meaning that coordination between functions is happening using phone calls and emails.

The Keep Horry County Beautiful meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 24, 2020 has been canceled.

We understand that these are trying and difficult times. We ask our community to be patient and to continue to practice good hygiene and social distancing. 

Horry County officials are actively monitoring conditions and will make ongoing adjustments as called for.

For the protection of our employees and our community, all Horry County Government offices will be closed to the public beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020 until further notice. This excludes all airports. Limited court functions will continue. All employees will still report to work at their regularly scheduled time.

We strongly urge the public to handle business online where possible. We understand that there are crucial transactions that must take place and are not available online. The public is asked to call those departments directly for information and coordination. Specifically for anyone who needs to file for office, please call 843-915-5440 and make an appointment with Voters Registration & Elections.

County staff remains available by phone and email. Please understand that we are going to be experiencing higher than usual call volumes and there may be delays. 

In addition, we have activated the phone bank for questions regarding County specific functions. It will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number is 843-915-5000. 

The County Council Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 24, 2020 will be canceled. 

We understand that these are trying and difficult times. We ask our community to be patient and to continue to practice good hygiene and social distancing. 

Horry County officials are actively monitoring conditions and will make ongoing adjustments as called for.

All Horry County Government offices will operate on a regular schedule Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

Beginning tomorrow, the following offices and facilities will be closed to the public: 

• Libraries
• Recreation Centers
• Museum & Farm
• Veterans Affairs

Staff in these offices and facilities will still report to work. 

Additional event cancellations include the Parks and Recreation Pier to Pier Beach Run. All Horry County Parks and Recreation and Library programs are canceled, including organized athletics. 

We strongly urge the public to handle business with the County online where possible. Public use of the Government & Justice Center should be limited to necessary transactions. At this time, the Treasurer’s Office is offering free e-check payments for business license and hospitality fee transactions. 

Emergency management staff and the administrators are continuing to monitor the situation with COVID-19 in our community. Please be advised that conditions may change quickly requiring new or additional closures and cancellations. Any updates will be provided as soon as possible. Please visit horrycounty.org/closings or our social media feeds for the most up-to-date information.