Aug 19, 2026

Dog Parks in Myrtle Beach: 3 Fenced Options, and Only 1 Publishes Its Rules

Three fenced dog parks across two municipalities, with wildly uneven documentation. One publishes hours, rules and a rabies check at the gate. The other two publish a street address, and in July they are the only place on this coast a dog can run loose at two in the afternoon.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina11 min readThings to DoPet Care & Services

The Grand Strand has three fenced dog parks that we could confirm, spread across two municipalities, and the documentation on them is wildly uneven. One publishes its hours, its rules and its entry requirement in full. The other two are known only from the tourism board's one-paragraph description and a street address.

That gap matters, so here it is honestly. The North Myrtle Beach dog park is the one you can plan around. The two Barc Parcs in Myrtle Beach are almost certainly fine, and we cannot tell you when they open.

The three, at a glance

Park	Where	Hours	Entry requirement	Source quality
North Myrtle Beach dog park	150 Citizens Circle, Little River	6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.	Proof of current rabies vaccination	City's own page, full rules
Barc Parc South	676 Mallard Lake Drive, Market Common	Not published	Not published	Tourism board only
Barc Parc North	5000 Claire Chapin Epps Drive, off 62nd Ave	Not published	Not published	Tourism board only

The North Myrtle Beach dog park, in full

This is the well-documented one, and the city's own page covers everything you would want to know.

Where: part of the North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex, at 150 Citizens Circle, Little River, SC 29566.

Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Layout: separate fenced areas for small dogs, defined as under 25 pounds, and for large dogs.

Entry requirement: the city requires "Proof of a current rabies vaccination." That is the single most important line on the page, because it means the park has a document check and you need to have the certificate with you.

The rules, in the city's own words and paraphrase:

"Pick up the poop"
"Always keep an eye on your dog and maintain voice control"
"No dogs without owners, and no owners without dogs"
Dogs must be leashed until safely inside, and again on the way out
No food allowed in the park
Children under 16 need adult supervision
Owners are responsible for all injuries and damages caused by their dog
Dogs that are sick, aggressive, in heat, or too young to be vaccinated are excluded

Three of those are worth pausing on.

"No dogs without owners, and no owners without dogs." That second half is unusual and sensible. It rules out spectators, and it means the park stays a dog space rather than a general park.

No food. That includes your snacks and it includes training treats. If your recall depends on a treat pouch, the North Myrtle Beach park is not where you practise it.

"Maintain voice control." The city has written the expectation down rather than leaving it implied. A dog you cannot call back is not ready for this park, and the phrasing gives staff and other users something to point at.

Our dog park etiquette guide covers the rest of the unwritten side, including how to read a park before you unclip.

The rabies certificate, and why you want it anyway

South Carolina law backs the park's requirement up.

Section 47-5-60 of the South Carolina Code states: "A pet owner must have his pet inoculated against rabies at a frequency to provide continuous protection of the pet from rabies using a vaccine approved by the department and licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture." The section goes on to provide that the evidence of inoculation is a certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian, with one copy furnished to the owner.

So the certificate is the state's own designated proof, and the dog park is not the only place it comes up. The state's pet dining regulation cross-references the same rabies section for restaurants that admit pets to their patios. And the tourism board notes that the area's boarding facilities require proof of vaccinations.

Photograph it and keep the paper copy in the car. One document, three uses.

Our pet health and vaccination tracker is built for keeping the dates straight, which matters when "current" is the test.

The two Barc Parcs

Myrtle Beach runs two free dog parks under the Barc Parc name, and here is exactly what we can and cannot confirm.

What the tourism board publishes, verbatim from its pet-friendly page: "Myrtle Beach has free 'Barc Parc' playgrounds are complete with drinking fountains and fenced-in areas for dogs to run, with separate areas for large and small dogs."

The grammar there is the board's own, quoted as published.

Barc Parc South: 676 Mallard Lake Drive, in the Market Common district.

Barc Parc North: 5000 Claire Chapin Epps Drive, off 62nd Avenue near the U.S. 17 Bypass.

So four things are confirmed. They are free, they are fenced, they have drinking fountains, and they separate large dogs from small dogs.

What we could not confirm. Opening hours. Entry requirements. Whether rabies proof is checked. Surface type. Shade. Whether either has a water fountain suitable for filling a bowl as opposed to a dog-height fountain.

Why not. That is where the parks department pages live.

What to do about it. Call the city's animal control unit on (843) 918-1331, the number published on the police department's animal control page, or ask your hotel front desk. Then, sensibly, take the rabies certificate with you regardless.

Market Common, and why Barc Parc South has an advantage

Barc Parc South sits in Market Common, which is the walkable district on the site of the former air force base. The board's own restaurant round-up names 1229 Shine in Market Common as a place where dogs are welcome on the patio.

The practical point is that a dog park inside a walkable district lets you combine a run with a coffee, which a dog park in a car park does not. Our finding pet-friendly restaurants guide covers the approach, and the short version for South Carolina is that a compliant pet patio has to post a sign at the entrance, so you can read the doors as you walk.

The North Myrtle Beach park's other advantage

It is part of a sports complex, which means parking, restrooms and a large open site rather than a fenced square behind a strip mall. Combined with published hours and a published rule set, that makes it the one to choose if you are deciding between them and have a car.

The trade is distance. Little River is at the northern end of the strand, so from a Myrtle Beach base it is a drive rather than a walk.

What a dog park gives you here that the beach does not

This is the real reason the three parks matter on this particular coast.

Off-leash time. Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach both impose a seven-foot maximum leash at all times on the beach. North Myrtle Beach's beach ordinances put it plainly: "Leash law is in effect at all times; maximum leash length is 7 feet." So the beach is never an off-leash space in either city.

Midday access in summer. From 1 May through Labor Day, dogs are barred from Myrtle Beach sand between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. under ordinance section 5-13, and from North Myrtle Beach sand between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. from 15 May. The dog parks have no such seasonal restriction, which makes them the answer to the summer midday gap.

That reframes the whole thing. In July, a dog park is not a nice extra. It is the only place on this coast where a dog can run loose at two in the afternoon.

Boarding, if the park is not the answer

The tourism board publishes four facilities and states that they require proof of vaccinations and provide grooming:

Facility	Address	Phone
A Dog's Way Inn	5225 Berkeley Court, Murrells Inlet	(843) 357-4545
Camp Bow Wow Myrtle Beach	305 Bush Drive, Myrtle Beach	(843) 796-9499
k9 Cabana Dog Resort & Training Center	3949 Dick Pond Road, Myrtle Beach	(843) 748-0351
Tamroc Kennels	201 Bush Road off Fantasy Harbor Blvd., Myrtle Beach	(843) 236-1313

A Dog's Way Inn is independently corroborated. Brookgreen Gardens, which does not allow pets and does not allow them to be left in cars, names it among local day-cares it lists "for your convenience" while noting "We do not have a relationship with these businesses." Two unrelated sources naming the same place is worth something.

Before you go to any of them

Have the vet numbers saved. The Grand Strand's emergency hospital is closed on weekday daytimes, which is when you would be at a dog park. Animal Emergency Hospital of the Strand on (843) 445-9797 covers 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weeknights, the full weekend from Friday evening, and 24 hours on major holidays. Veterinary Clinic of Myrtle Beach on (843) 444-1234 covers 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Know which animal control to call. The board publishes three numbers, and the right one depends on the town: Myrtle Beach (843) 918-1382, Horry County and Conway (843) 248-1520, North Myrtle Beach (843) 280-5511. The North Myrtle Beach dog park is in North Myrtle Beach, so that is the third number, not the first.

Check the surface temperature. A fenced park with an artificial or compacted surface in July is hotter than sand. Our summer heat safety for pets guide has the test.

Where to stay

Market Common puts you next to Barc Parc South and inside a walkable district. North Myrtle Beach puts you closer to the best-documented park and gives you the later 4 p.m. beach reopening. Central Myrtle Beach puts you on the boardwalk with its early-morning dog window.

The board's pet-friendly directory holds 75 listings across hotels, rentals, restaurants and attractions, without a policy attached to each, so confirm directly. The PetCompass hotel directory covers the region and our questions to ask before booking a pet-friendly hotel list is the one to use on the phone.

Conclusion

Three fenced parks, one of them properly documented. Go to 150 Citizens Circle in Little River if you want certainty: 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., under-25-pound dogs separated from the rest, rabies proof at the gate, no food inside, voice control expected.

The two Barc Parcs are free, fenced, split by size and have drinking fountains, and their hours are not published anywhere we could reach. Call (843) 918-1331 or ask at your hotel.

And carry the rabies certificate. In South Carolina it is the state's designated proof, and it is the difference between getting through the gate and driving home.

Frequently asked questions

How many dog parks are there in Myrtle Beach?

Two in the city of Myrtle Beach, Barc Parc South and Barc Parc North, plus a third in North Myrtle Beach at the North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex. All three are fenced with separate areas for large and small dogs.

Where are the Barc Parc dog parks?

Barc Parc South is at 676 Mallard Lake Drive in Market Common. Barc Parc North is at 5000 Claire Chapin Epps Drive, off 62nd Avenue near the U.S. 17 Bypass. Both are free, according to Visit Myrtle Beach.

What are the Barc Parc opening hours?

Not published anywhere we could reach. Call the animal control unit on (843) 918-1331 or ask your hotel.

What are the North Myrtle Beach dog park hours?

6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the city's own page. It is at 150 Citizens Circle, Little River, SC 29566, within the North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex.

Do I need proof of vaccination for the North Myrtle Beach dog park?

Yes. The city requires proof of a current rabies vaccination. South Carolina Code section 47-5-60 makes a certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian the designated evidence, with a copy furnished to the owner.

Can I bring treats into the North Myrtle Beach dog park?

No. The city's rules state no food is allowed in the park, which covers training treats as well as your own snacks.

Sources

Rules, hours and facilities change. Confirm with the managing agency before you rely on any of it.