Process Server in Horry County, SC, From the Conway Courthouse to the Grand Strand

01Local service landscape

An Inland County Seat and a Long Run of Beach Towns

Horry County had about 427,551 residents in 2025, and most of them live between the Conway courthouse and the beach towns. The county seat sits inland, while Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach and Atlantic Beach line the ocean. A good share of our addresses are in unincorporated growth areas such as Carolina Forest and Socastee. The Conway service page covers the county seat itself.

US 17 is the backbone. At Myrtle Beach it splits into the US 17 Bypass, opened in 1981 west of the beach, and US 17 Business along the tourist strip, before continuing north toward Little River and the North Carolina line. Summer traffic on the Business route can eat an afternoon, so we cluster beachside attempts in the morning when we can. The South Carolina service hub shows how statewide routing works.

• Conway, Aynor and the inland county seat area
• Myrtle Beach, Carolina Forest and Socastee
• North Myrtle Beach, Little River and Longs
• Surfside Beach, Garden City and the south strand

02Attorneys and law firms

For Grand Strand Firms and Lawyers With a Visitor as Defendant

Local firms in Conway and Myrtle Beach file with the Horry County Clerk of Court, which keeps its main office at 1301 Second Avenue in Conway and a second office at the Central Coast Complex on Hinson Drive. They want the summons and complaint delivered together, an affidavit that mirrors the caption and reports after each attempt. Our attorney service program for South Carolina lists the intake fields that save time.

Resort economies generate a steady stream of claims involving visitors, contractors and property managers, and many of those cases are filed elsewhere. When the issuing court is in another state, we match the Horry delivery and affidavit to that court's rule for out-of-state service, as described on our page about papers from other states. Federal summonses from the Florence division follow Federal Rule 4.

Delator Group is a Tennessee firm headquartered in Nashville with no office in Horry County. Serves may be carried out by vetted servers Delator contracts with, all working to one written documentation standard, and each assigned server is at least 18 and not a party to, or an attorney in, the case. The Delator Group overview describes how the firm is organized.

03Evasive and hard-to-serve

Condo Towers, Weekly Rentals and Seasonal Workers

Oceanfront condominiums often have front desks or controlled elevators, weekly rentals turn over constantly, and seasonal workers may move several times in a year. A Grand Strand address on a complaint can be months out of date by the time papers issue. We confirm occupancy where we can and plan attempts around front-desk policies. The page on defendants who avoid the door shows how we vary visits and record what we see.

South Carolina allows Sunday service under S.C. Code 15-9-17, except on someone going to, attending or returning from a church or other religious service, which helps reach people who work long weekday shifts in hospitality. When a defendant still cannot be found in South Carolina after due diligence, the court or clerk of common pleas can order publication on an affidavit. The service by publication guide explains the three-week newspaper requirement.

• Oceanfront condos with front desks and key-card elevators
• Weekly and monthly rentals with frequent turnover
• Hospitality and construction workers on long shifts
• Rural addresses near Loris and Aynor

04Family, landlord, claim and witness papers

The Horry Divorce Packet, Magistrate Claims and Rental Disputes

Horry County's self-help divorce packet lists four ways to serve a spouse: certified mail with restricted delivery, an Acceptance of Service form (SCCA 400.03), the sheriff's office where the defendant lives or works, and private process servers, for a fee. The summons (SCCA 400.01) gives 30 days to answer, or 35 when served by certified mail. Rules to show cause are other process, so they go to the sheriff or a court-designated person. Our family papers service explains what we handle.

Magistrates hear civil claims up to $7,500, and SCRMC 6(c) allows any adult who is not a party or attorney in the case to serve their summonses; the small claims delivery page has details. Ejectment is another matter. The rule to vacate is usually routed through the sheriff's office, and only a constable or deputy sheriff executes a writ. We serve the rule only where the magistrate court confirms private service is accepted, never post or execute a writ, and do serve rent and damage suits, as our rental dispute papers page describes.

05Documentation and challenges

Proof That Holds Up When the Address Was a Rental

Under SCRCP 4(g), a private server proves service by affidavit stating the date, time and place of service and the name and address of the person served, or a description when the name is not known. In Horry County the most common challenge is whether a rental was really the defendant's usual place of abode. We record the facts that bear on that question at the door, such as what the recipient said about who lives there.

If papers were left with a household member, the affidavit should show that the person lived in the unit and was of suitable age and discretion, not a fellow vacationer. Good notes turn a contested service into a short hearing. When time is tight, our rush and same-day tiers speed things up, and the guide to serving South Carolina papers explains how each method is proved.

06South Carolina service rules

What SCRCP 4 Allows on the Grand Strand

A South Carolina summons may be served by the sheriff, a deputy or any person at least 18 who is not a party to or an attorney in the case (SCRCP 4(c)). Other process, including orders and rules, generally requires the sheriff, another officer or a court-designated person, so we confirm what the court requires first. There is no statewide license for private process servers, and DFS claims no South Carolina license or appointment. Our page on server qualifications in South Carolina has more.

The rules allow personal delivery, abode delivery to a resident of suitable age and discretion, delivery to an authorized agent, restricted-delivery certified mail and a qualifying commercial delivery service. A default based on mail or courier delivery needs the defendant's own signature on the receipt. If the limitations period has run by filing, actual service generally must be made within 120 days (SCRCP 3(a)), and defendants generally have 30 days to answer. Your attorney can confirm the details.

07Local angle

Two Clerk Offices and a Federal Court in Florence

The Horry County Clerk of Court runs two offices, the main one in Conway and the Central Coast Complex in Myrtle Beach. Filers can choose the more convenient counter, and we return the affidavit to whichever office counsel names. Federal cases are different: Horry County belongs to the Florence division, so federal filings go to the McMillan Federal Building in Florence rather than anywhere on the coast. Our Florence division coordination helps when a federal case also names an inland defendant, and the multistate starting rate map compares other states.

Many Grand Strand defendants have ties to inland counties, and some cases reach down US 17 toward Georgetown and Charleston. A single file can easily name a Conway landlord, a Loris contractor and a property manager who lives two counties away. When a co-defendant lives outside Horry, we coordinate through Florence County service or Charleston County papers under the same written quote, and the statewide price finder shows each county's starting rate.

• Main clerk: 1301 Second Ave., Conway
• Second clerk office: 332 Hinson Dr., Myrtle Beach
• Federal court: 401 W. Evans St., Florence
• US 17 Bypass and Business split at Myrtle Beach

Services

Process Serving Services in Horry County

• Personal serviceThe summons and complaint handed directly to the named defendant in Conway, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach or rural Horry.Learn more
• Abode serviceCopies left at the defendant's usual place of abode with a resident of suitable age and discretion, with notes on why the unit is their home.Learn more
• Business and registered agent serviceDelivery to registered agents, officers and managing agents of resorts, rental management companies, contractors and retailers along the length of the Strand.Learn more
• SubpoenasTrial, hearing and deposition subpoenas served under SCRCP 45, with witness fee and county-of-residence questions flagged for counsel in advance.Learn more
• Family law papersDivorce, custody and support summonses, including the county self-help packet forms, served discreetly or presented with an Acceptance of Service.Learn more
• Landlord-related papersOwner suits over unpaid rent or unit damage, plus subpoenas for hearing witnesses, served and documented. Rules to vacate and writs remain with officers.Learn more
• Evasive defendantsMorning, evening, weekend and permitted Sunday attempts at condos, rentals and homes, logged visit by visit to support a later diligence affidavit.Learn more
• Affidavit of serviceA signed affidavit with the date, time, place and person served under SCRCP 4(g), returned to the Conway or Myrtle Beach clerk office counsel chooses.Learn more
• Out-of-county coordinationA single written quote when defendants live in Horry, Georgetown, Marion, Florence or Charleston counties, each serve documented the same way.Learn more

Documentation

What Every Serve Includes

The same record comes back on every serve in Horry County, routine or rush.

• Logged attempts

  Date, time and location of every attempt, with notes on who answered and what was observed.

• Field notes

  Detailed notes from the serving agent that support a diligent-search showing if one is needed.

• Return of service

  Completed for the issuing court and identifying the person served and the manner of service.

• Affidavit of service

  Signed by the serving agent, ready for filing with the clerk of the issuing court.

• Written quote first

  County, tier and price confirmed in writing before the first attempt is made.

• Diligent attempts

  Attempts at varied times of day and on different days, documented so the court can see what was tried.

How it works

How a Horry County Serve Works

1. 01

   Send the papers

   Upload the filed summons and complaint, the case number, every residence, rental or workplace address, condo access notes, known work shifts and the deadline you are tracking.

2. 02

   Court check and price in writing

   We confirm the paper can be served privately in that Horry court and send the tier, price and assigned server in writing. Routine starts at $125.

3. 03

   Attempts around the season

   The server times beachside attempts to avoid peak traffic, varies days and hours, adds weekends when approved and logs the date, time, place and observations each visit.

4. 04

   Signed affidavit returned

   You get a signed affidavit of service naming the recipient and stating the date, time, place and method, ready to file in Conway or Myrtle Beach.

Courts

Courts Issuing Papers Served in Horry County

• Horry County Court of Common Pleas and Clerk of Court (15th Judicial Circuit)

  1301 Second Ave., Conway 29526 (P.O. Box 677); (843) 915-5080; weekdays 8 to 5. Georgetown County completes the 15th Circuit.

• Clerk of Court, Central Coast Complex

  332 Hinson Dr., Myrtle Beach 29579; (843) 915-5082. A second clerk's office serving the coastal side of the county.

• Horry County Family Court

  Family court line 843-915-5081. Divorce, custody, support and adoption cases; the county's self-help divorce packet lists private process servers among the service options.

• Horry County Magistrate Courts

  Jurisdiction over money claims to $7,500 plus possession and landlord-tenant matters under Title 27. A qualifying private adult may serve a magistrate summons (SCRMC 6(c)).

• U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, Florence Division

  J. L. McMillan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 401 W. Evans St., Florence 29501; Court Services (843) 676-3820. Horry County is in the Florence division.

Common situations

Common Horry County Papers and General South Carolina Rules

Local coverage

Horry County Cities and Communities We Cover

• Conway (county seat)
• Myrtle Beach
• North Myrtle Beach
• Surfside Beach
• Atlantic Beach
• Briarcliffe Acres
• Loris
• Aynor
• Little River
• Socastee
• Carolina Forest
• Longs
• Garden City (Horry County portion)
• Rural western and northern Horry County

Nearby

Process Servers Near Horry County

Grand Strand cases often reach inland or down the coast. Florence County sits farther inland, Marion County lies to the west, and Georgetown County shares the 15th Circuit to the south. Our Florence city service covers the county seat that also hosts Horry's federal court, while Berkeley County deliveries reach the Lowcountry north of Charleston. Midlands papers go to Lexington County service, and Upstate defendants are handled through Spartanburg County service. All of them work from the same written quote, attempt log and signed affidavit.

• Myrtle Beach
• Conway
• Florence County
• Florence
• Charleston County
• Berkeley County

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Service areas

Process servers across South Carolina