UPDATE: Folly Beach, Isle of Palms, & Sullivan’s Island City Councils Vote to Restrict Access

March 20, 2020

10:12 PM

Folly Beach, Sullivan’s Island, and the Isle of Palms’ city councils on Friday unanimously voted to restrict public access to their respective beaches in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Beginning at 2 pm today (Friday, March 20th), Folly Beach will restrict access to the island. Each day, access will be restricted between the hours of 6 am and 8 pm. The restricted access will run through March 31st, 2020.

The checkpoint will be set up immediately prior to Little Oak Island Drive (on the James Island side). The following list details who has access the island:

Residents and property owners: Please bring two forms of identification showing residency or ownership (driver's license, utility bill, deed, tax bill, lease, etc).
Caretakers: Resident may pick up a pass to give to caretakers (child care, family members, medical care takers) from in front of City Hall, 21 Center Street
- Pick up hours: 2pm-5pm Friday 3/20; 12pm-5pm Saturday 3/21; and 9am-5pm Monday.
- Outside of those hours,residents and property owners may call843-588-7006for caretaker access. You may be required to leave a message, so please be patient as our staff handles a very high call volume.
Guests of Residents: Residents may bring guests onto the island in the same vehicle through the check point. We cannot issue passes or maintain a list of guests.
Short-term renters: Holders of a short-term rental contract or hotel booking must show a booking confirmation or rental contract at the checkpoint.
Employees of local businesses must have previously-issued red or yellow reentry pass issued by the City and employee credentials.
Contractors or businesses with Folly Beach Business License vehicle sticker
Property managers, realtors, and brokers must have proof of state license and City of Folly Beach business license and related industry
Delivery persons who can demonstrate business on the island at the checkpoint (including pharmacy, FedEx, UPS, Amazon and food delivery) by showing delivery address and goods at the checkpoint

You can see the full Folly Beach ordinance here.

The Isle of Palms ordinance states access to the island will be restricted for the next fourteen days beginning on March 21, 2020 between 7 am and 7 pm to the following:

Residents and property owners of the island with a current parking decal or any other proof of residency or ownership.
- 2019 and 2020 resident parking decals, hurricane re-entry stickers, Wild Dunes resident sticker
- Residents may apply online for a residential parking decal here.
Relatives and/or friends of residents only in presence of a current resident in a vehicle with a current parking decal or proof of residency readily visible on or near the vehicle
Caretakers.
Service workers with current decals.
Short-term renters with a short term rental contract or hotel guest pass or Wild Dunes QR code
Delivery personnel, including but not limited to pharmacy, Fedex, UPS, Amazon, USPS
Any delivery of essential medical services, including caregivers.
Employees of local business, including but not limited to, grocery stores, restaurants, contractors, Short Term Rentals and property managers

Click here to see the full Isle of Palms ordinance.

Later in the day, Sullivan’s Island voted to restrict beach access to all residents and visitors between 8 am and 6 pm. Enforcement begins on Saturday, March 21st.

In an effort to avoid delays, Sullivan’s Island residents should consider ingress and egress to/from the Island via SC703 and the Ben Sawyer Bridge.

You can see the Sullivan’s Island announcement here.