Fireworks ban set to be enacted by the county after receiving complaints from veterans, dog owners

By Ruben Lowman

Horry County may soon be following in North Myrtle Beach’s footsteps in instilling their own fireworks “crackdown”.

An ordinance that will make it easier for councilmembers to ban shooting off fireworks in the unincorporated areas of the county passed second reading at the Horry County Council meeting held last week on Tuesday, March 15. It is now expected to come before council for a final vote at their next scheduled meeting on April 5. 

If passed on third reading, the ordinance would set out a new policy for dealing with fireworks complaints throughout the county.

Councilmembers who receive complaints will be able to designate certain areas within their district where a fireworks ban is necessary. They would then bring that in front of council, where they would have the opportunity to pass the ban for their delineated area. 

Penalties for illegally caught shooting fireworks would see the person potentially face a $50 fine, with the penalties increasing up to a maximum of $200 if the fine goes unpaid, Horry County attorney Arrigo Carotti said. Any violation would be a civil infraction and not a criminal misdemeanor.

Councilmember Bill Howard, who represents District 2 which includes Briarcliffe Acres and Arcadian Shores, said that most of the problem is coming from that part of the county, which prompted him to bring the ordinance before the rest of council. 

Howard said that because surrounding municipalities such as North Myrtle Beach have mostly passed their own bans already, more people are venturing into the unincorporated areas of Horry County to let off fireworks, creating issues for residents. The stretch of beach between NMB and Myrtle Beach that is under county jurisdiction has become the unofficial go-to place for late-night fireworks. 

“So the people come out there and come into our areas to do their fun, and then it causes grief at two and three in the mornings for the people who live in those neighborhoods,” Howard explained. “And if we can deter it a little bit, that’s our job.”

Currently, Horry County does not have an available database where residents can search to see if their community has an active fireworks ban, making it difficult for many of them to know whether their local area is covered under an existing ordinance or not. 

A map provided by the county showed that a few areas of the county surrounding North Myrtle Beach already have fireworks bans currently. Those include the Rivergate neighborhood in Little River, Aberdeen Country Club in Longs, the Briarcliffe Forest and Myrtle Beach Travel Park in Arcadian Shores.

Residents who live in the unincorporated areas of the county have complained that loud, aggressive fireworks are routinely shot off at all times of the night. Howard said the vast majority of the complaints are for fireworks shot off after 2 a.m. 

Veterans and dog owners have been some of those most affected by the issue, Howard said, with veterans with PTSD having a particularly difficult time living with the noise. He said campers at several of the RV parks in the area routinely shoot off fireworks all throughout the night on a daily basis. 

As a result, councilmembers are moving forward with the ordinance, which will go into effect upon third reading.