Arrested for DUI on Vacation in Myrtle Beach? A Guide for Out-of-State Drivers

Before you leave town (or as soon as you're home)

• Photograph every page of your ticket, bond paperwork and any notice of suspension. Email the photos to yourself.
• Find the court name, date and time on your paperwork and put it in your calendar with reminders. Which court is my case in?
• Check for a notice of suspension. If you refused testing or tested .15 or higher, you have 30 days to request a hearing. Use the deadline calculator.
• Keep rental, tow and impound receipts with your court papers.
• Don't post about the night or recap it in the group chat. Messages can surface later.
• Get a free case review before you drive or fly home. Tell them you're from out of state.

How South Carolina reaches your home state

South Carolina is a member of the Driver License Compact. The SC DMV must report a conviction of an out-of-state driver to the licensing agency in the driver's home state (S.C. Code § 56-1-640), and member states give the report the same effect as if the conviction had happened there (S.C. Code § 56-1-650). In practice your home state applies its own law to a South Carolina DUI.

There's also a quicker notice: if your privilege to drive in South Carolina is suspended after a refusal or a .15+ test, South Carolina must notify your home state's motor vehicle agency (S.C. Code § 56-5-2951(K)).

What a conviction means for a visitor

• The same South Carolina penalties apply to you as to a resident: for a first offense, a $400 to $1,000 fine plus court assessments, or jail, with public service allowed in place of the minimum jail time (S.C. Code § 56-5-2930).
• Every SC DUI conviction requires an ignition interlock (six months for a first offense) and ADSAP (S.C. Code § 56-5-2990). How that's handled with an out-of-state license depends on your home state, so ask about it on your case review.
• A conviction can't be expunged in South Carolina (S.C. Code § 22-5-910(A)).

Do you have to come back for court?

Sometimes. It depends on the court, the charge, your bond conditions and whether an attorney can appear for you at a particular hearing. Never assume you can skip a date. Missing court can lead to a bench warrant, and in South Carolina a forfeited bond counts the same as a conviction for DUI penalties (S.C. Code § 56-5-2930(A)). Read more: do I have to come back to Myrtle Beach for court?

Rental cars, rideshares and group trips

• A rental car doesn't change the charge. Keep the rental, tow and impound paperwork with your court documents.
• If friends were involved, your facts are still your own. Get your own case review instead of relying on someone else's experience.

Where visitors are most often stopped

Ocean Boulevard and the beachfront, US-17 (Kings Highway) and US-17 Bypass, US-501 between Myrtle Beach and Conway, and holiday and event weekends. Whoever stopped you (city police, Horry County Police or the SC Highway Patrol) usually decides which court has your case.

Golf carts and mopeds count as motor vehicles under South Carolina's DUI law. See DUI on a golf cart, moped or bike.

Frequently asked questions

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