The North Myrtle Beach City Council voted 6-1 Monday night to restrict what they call shading devices on the beach.
The ordinance restricts things like tent height, space between tents, and hours for tents.
Councilwoman Doris Williams was the lone dissenting vote, saying her problem with the ordinance was the language. She was concerned about the words "all" and "et cetera" in certain items, which she thought needed to be removed to protect landowners.
Council members say the tents are a safety concern because they can block the view for lifeguards.
"We depend on the tax dollars of we receive from the tourists," Mayor Marilyn Hatley said. "So we want to make them happy every way we can, but we also want to make sure we are keeping our beaches safe."
Hatley says instead of just banning the tents, they decided on some rules.
Here is the the full list of restrictions under the new ordinance with the amended wording in bold:
- No shading devices (tents, umbrellas, pavilions, etc.) may be set up on the beach before 8am daily
- Shading devices must be removed from the beach by 7pm daily
- Shading devices left on the beach after 7pm will be collected by the City and stored for up to 30 days. Owners can reclaim their tents during that period but must pay a $40 fee, which goes to pay for the labor required to collect, tag and store tents left on the beach after 7pm.
- Shading devices, other than umbrellas, must be located landward of the City umbrella line or, if no City umbrella lines exists, the high tide mark.
- All shading devices must be located 20-25 feet seaward of dune line. This frees up a lane along the high tide beach for Rescue and Safety vehicles to use in the event of an emergency.
- No shading device may be larger than 12-feet x 12-feet or a total 144 square feet
- No shading device may be higher than 9-feet installed
- Shading devices may not be joined together in any manner
- Shading devices, other than umbrellas, must be placed at a minimum of 10 feet from any other shading device
- Shading devices may not be placed within 10 feet of any lifeguard stand
- Anchoring lines, if used, may not extend beyond the perimeter of the shading device
- Violation of the ordinance is punishable by a $250 fine.
