The Coastal Alliance says new beach rules could be in place by this summer.

The group, made up of the Horry County Council chairman and coastal mayors in Horry County, met Wednesday to do some final work on unifying the rules.

They're discussing laws like where people can set up tents on the beach, what you're allowed to do on and near piers, and what restrictions they'll place on people with pets.

They hope making the rules similar from city to city will make the beach experience even better for tourists.

Myrtle Beach's mayor, John Rhodes, said, "We want to be able to make them have a very enjoyable stay without having any kind of misunderstanding or harrassment."

There are some areas where rules will continue to differ.

Surfside Beach doesn't allow pets on the beach at all during the summer, while some other cities do.

Also, Surfside does allow fireworks on the beach on the 4th of July while Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach do not.

Each municipality will have to vote to adopt the new rules.

In Myrtle Beach, that should happen in the next month or two.