How Municipal Court Warrants Work
Miss a date in a Horry County municipal court and the case can move forward with further process, though what happens next depends on the ticket, the summons, and what the judge does. Cities here handle their own ordinance cases plus certain state-law misdemeanors and traffic matters. The city court clerk is the right first call for a date, a payment, or a bench-warrant question. One caution: there is no single countywide municipal-warrant search. Each city keeps its own docket. The state municipal-court directory lists eight Horry routes. Police and the court work together, but the clerk holds the instructions. A Sheriff search will not substitute for a city docket, and a ticket result alone cannot show whether a city bench warrant was recalled.
Horry County Municipal Warrant Court Versus Magistrate
City matters and magistrate matters run on separate tracks in Horry County. A ticket inside city limits is usually municipal. A nearby case may belong to a geographic magistrate or to Central Traffic Court instead. Surfside Beach shows the split plainly, with a municipal court on U.S. 17 South and a magistrate court on Scipio Lane. The paper decides the route. Where you live does not. South Carolina Code section 14-25-45 spells out municipal jurisdiction and magistrate powers. The state directory gives each court its own address and phone number. Call the named office before you visit, and ask whether you are headed to the courtroom, the administration office, or a payment counter.
Municipal Courts Across Horry County
The South Carolina Judicial Branch directory lists eight municipal courts in Horry County: Atlantic Beach, Aynor, Briarcliffe Acres, Conway, Loris, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Surfside Beach. Briarcliffe Acres is routed through Horry Central Traffic Court. City pages sometimes publish a different clerk number or session location than the directory, so confirm any discrepancy directly with the office.
| City court | Published phone | Local routing note |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Beach | (843) 663-2284 | Municipal court directory |
| Aynor | (843) 358-6231 | City court |
| Briarcliffe Acres | (843) 238-3277 | Central Traffic arrangement |
| Conway | (843) 248-1765 | 229 Main court; 206 Laurel administration |
| Loris | (843) 756-6674 / city page (843) 756-4004 | Verify clerk number and session site |
| Myrtle Beach | (843) 918-1356 | Ted C. Collins Law Enforcement Center |
| North Myrtle Beach | (843) 280-5520 | Municipal Court |
| Surfside Beach | (843) 913-6338 / city page (843) 913-6337 | Verify current number |
The official municipal-court directory shows Horry’s separate city court contacts.
A listed court is a routing point, not a searchable countywide warrant roster.
Horry County Bench Warrant Route
A city bench-warrant question in Horry County belongs with Myrtle Beach Municipal Court at (843) 918-1356. The counter sits inside the municipal building at 1101 North Oak Street. The clerk can walk you through dates, payments, and city case procedure. Police non-emergency at (843) 918-1382 handles a different kind of call. The city page says city, county, and state tickets can all be paid online through the Horry court system. Paying online does not itself recall an FTA warrant. Ask the clerk whether you still need to appear or whether a separate order is required. This route is far more precise than starting with a broad county search.
Horry County Municipal Warrant Checks
For a city case in Horry County, begin with the city clerk. South Carolina's Traffic Ticket Search can find some citations by number, by license and state, or by name and date of birth. The ticket system does not promise a full warrant status, though. Some cities run a local case-management route, while others want you to confirm with the clerk directly. If a ticket never appears, state payment guidance says to contact the issuing municipality or county. For a policy question or an existing aggregate record, ask the city or department for its records route under South Carolina FOIA. Do not ask a police FOIA desk to certify a court's current warrant status. The clerk controls the case process.
Horry County Conway Warrant Affidavit Function
Conway Municipal Court in Horry County reports that staff prepare arrest warrants and affidavits for police. That is a workflow detail, not an online service and not a public list of names. The court holds weekly bench trials and quarterly jury trials. Its administrative office sits at 206 Laurel Street, while court is held at 229 Main Street. One phone call can save you a trip to the wrong building. Do not confuse a Conway municipal matter with Conway Magistrate Court at 1201 Third Avenue, or with Circuit and General Sessions cases through the Clerk at 1301 Second Avenue. The city posts no police warrant portal, so route a city case through the municipal clerk.
Municipal Warrants: What They Show
A city court record in Horry County can tie together a citation or summons with the court date, the ordinance or state-law charge, bond terms, and later case action. No single statewide tool shows an individual warrant result. Horry Public Index covers Circuit cases, and the traffic tool locates tickets. Neither is a complete index of city-court warrant status.
| City and court | Identifies which municipal clerk controls the case. |
|---|---|
| Citation or case number | Helps the clerk find the court file. |
| Appearance date | Shows when the person was told to appear. |
| Payment or bond | Must be checked against the court’s current instructions. |
| Warrant action | Ask whether a separate order issued and how to confirm any recall. |
Keep personal identifiers and completed court forms private.
Horry County Surfside Warrant Phone Discrepancy
Surfside Beach in Horry County lists its court office on U.S. Highway 17 South. Session notices send visitors to the civic center on Pine Drive, number 829, which is not the clerk's counter. The page describes two Wednesday bench sessions each month and three jury sessions a year, but posted dates can shift. Confirm the location before you travel. The city page lists (843) 913-6337, while the state directory lists (843) 913-6338. Ask which number currently reaches the clerk. Surfside Magistrate Court at 9630 Scipio Lane is a separate court entirely. Keep its address and phone apart from the municipal court's.
Clearing a Municipal Court Warrant
What clears a Horry County municipal warrant depends on the city court that issued it. Ask that court directly. Payment, a new date, an appearance, bond, or a judge's order may each be the required step, and every city posts its own rules. Loris takes fines at City Hall but holds monthly sessions at its Public Safety Building. Surfside lists several payment types it accepts. Paying does not guarantee the warrant is recalled, though, and county bond hours or an online receipt will not settle a city case.
Horry Sheriff says it does not collect bond by phone. Use the city or court’s official contact to confirm payment and any remaining appearance duty.
A missed date in Horry County is fixable, but go through the city clerk. That office can point you to the right hearing or the right payment desk. Counsel can advise on case decisions, and you should keep receipts plus written confirmation of any new date or order.
Horry County Loris Warrant Payment Limits
Loris publishes its payment rules in full. Cash, certified checks, money orders, and cards are accepted; personal checks are not. Monthly court meets at 5 p.m. in the Public Safety Building at 3909 Walnut Street, while fines go to City Hall at 4101 Walnut Street. Two phone numbers also circulate for the city municipal court. Its own page gives (843) 756-4004, and the state directory lists (843) 756-6674, so confirm which one answers before you go. Loris Police FOIA materials disagree on timing as well. The web page says generally 10 working days; the attached form says 15 business days. For Horry County's separate warrant and court routes, start with the Horry County overview.