Tax Related Information

Real Property Tax Bill

Motor Vehicle Tax Bill

IF YOU QUALIFY FOR THESE DISCOUNTS, YOU MAY OBTAIN
AN APPLICATION FROM THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE,
ANY CHARLESTON COUNTY SERVICE CENTER OR ONLINE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (843) 958-4100.

Agricultural

If you owned a tract of real property in Charleston County on January 1 of the current tax year and it was used "to raise, harvest, or store crops, feed, breed or manage livestock, or to produce plants, trees, fowl, or animals useful to man ..." you may qualify for a "special assessment" that will reduce your taxes. There are no residency requirements. An application must be filed with the Assessor before the first penalty date for taxes due.

Legal Residence

If you are a resident of Charleston County and the home you own and occupy is your primary legal residence, you may be eligible to file for a special assessment ratio that will reduce your taxes. Your mobile home also qualifies. An application must be filed with the Assessor before the first penalty date for taxes due.

Multiple Lot Discount

If you owned undeveloped acreage that was subdivided into 10 or more unsold lots within a homogenous area, and the conditional or final plat was recorded with the appropriate county official on before the December 31 tax control date, you may qualify for a discount in appraisal/assessment. Platted lots will not qualify for this discount unless the property owner files a written application with the Assessor on or before May 1 of the current tax year.

IF YOU QUALIFY FOR THESE DISCOUNTS, YOU MAY OBTAIN
AN APPLICATION FROM THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE OR
ANY CHARLESTON COUNTY SERVICE CENTER.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (843) 958-4200.

Homestead Exemption

The S.C. Homestead Tax-Exemption Program is for homeowners who are age 65 or older, and/or totally disabled, and/or totally blind as of December 31 preceding the tax year of the exemption. The program exempts up to $50,000 of the value of the home including up to five contiguous acres of property. The homeowner must have been a legal resident of South Carolina for at least one year, on or before December 31 of the year prior to the exemption, and have been approved for the 4 percent primary residence assessment ratio. To receive the exemption, the homeowner must file an application with the County Auditor. Proof of eligibility is required. You must have a Medicaid or Medicare card, birth certificate or driver's license if applying due to age and certification from a state or federal agency (that has the authority to make the certification) if applying because of disability or blindness.

Motor Vehicle High Mileage Discount

You may appeal for a high mileage discount if your vehicle averages over 15,000 miles annually (based on the age of the vehicle). To determine if you may qualify, divide the total mileage shown on the odometer by the age of the vehicle. If the result is at least 15,000, you can complete the MV High Mileage Discount form and submit it online or contact any of the Auditor's office locations for a form. Appeals can be made after you receive your tax bill but before the end of the month that taxes are due on the vehicle. Once the tag renewal date expires, appeals cannot be accepted for that year's taxes. If you do not receive a tax bill before your vehicle taxes are due, contact the Auditor's office. The amount of the discount is based on a table provided by the Department of Revenue.

• If you are over 65 years of age, or certified totally and permanently disabled or blind, you may qualify for the Homestead Exemption. Up to the first $50,000 of your home's appraised value could be totally exempt from taxes. Check out our Homestead FAQs or call (843) 958-4220 for further information.

• If your home qualifies as your primary residence, contact the Assessor's office at (843) 958-4100 to apply for the four percent Primary Residence assessment ratio if your property is not already classified as QR-Qualified Residential. Also, the agricultural farmland use assessment is determined by the Assessor's Office.

• Homeowners who have qualified for the four percent Primary Residence assessment are automatically eligible for state Property Tax Relief. No application is necessary.

• If you are a POW, a Medal of Honor recipient or a military veteran who is totally disabled from a service-related cause, the surviving spouse of a military person who was killed in the line of duty or totally disabled from a service-related cause, you may be qualified for exemption from property taxes on a house and up to one acre of land on which the house is located. Application should be made through the S.C. Department of Revenue (DOR). There is a local DOR Service Center at 3 Southpark Center, Suite 202, next to Citadel Mall (Phone: 843-852-3600).

• If you are a paraplegic or hemiplegic, a person with Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or their surviving spouse, you may be qualified for exemption from property taxes on a house and up to one acre of land on which the house is located. Application should be made through the S.C. Department of Revenue. There is a local DOR Service Center at 3 Southpark Center, Suite 202, next to Citadel Mall (Phone: 843-852-3600).

• If you are a former law enforcement officer, who is permanently and totally disabled as a result of a law enforcement service connected disability you may qualify for exemption from property taxes. Application should be made through the S.C. Department of Revenue. There is a local DOR Service Center at 3 Southpark Center, Suite 202, next to Citadel Mall (Phone: 843-852-3600).

• If you are a former firefighter, including a volunteer firefighter, who is permanently and totally disabled as a result of a firefighting service connected disability you may qualify for exemption from property taxes. Application should be made through the S.C. Department of Revenue. There is a local DOR Service Center at 3 Southpark Center, Suite 202, next to Citadel Mall (Phone: 843-852-3600).

• If you are over 64 years of age, the cost of your motor vehicle license decal fee can be reduced. Apply in person at a S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or mail a copy of your paid tax receipt and your decal fee to: Division of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 1498, Columbia, S.C. 29216.

• Does your vehicle odometer average, over 15,000 miles annually based on its age? If so, you may qualify for the high-mileage discount. During the renewal month of your vehicle tax bill, but before you make your tax payment, file the Motor Vehicle High-Mileage Discount Appeal form online or at the Auditor's office.

• If you sell your motor vehicle you can transfer your license tag to your new car and not be billed for the new vehicle until your tags expiration date; or you can turn-in your license tag at the Auditor's office to receive a tax refund for any remaining unused months. Bring the bill of sale for the sold vehicle nd the license tag and registration to any of our offices.

• If you move to another state, you can also receive a refund of your taxes for the unused months. Mail or bring your S.C. (Charleston County) license tag, your S.C. registration card and proof of registration in the new state to any of the Auditor's offices.

• If you were a POW, a Medal of Honor recipient or a veteran who has received a service-connected total disability, you may qualify for an exemption from property tax on up to two motor vehicles. Application should be made through the S.C. Department of Revenue. There is a DOR Service Center at 3 Southpark Center, Suite 202, next to Citadel Mall (Phone: 843-852-3600).

• If you are the vehicle's registered owner and you are required to use a wheelchair you may qualify for an exemption from property tax on up to two motor vehicles. Application should be made through the S.C. Department of Revenue. There is a DOR Service Center at 3 Southpark Center, Suite 202, next to Citadel Mall (Phone: 843-852-3600).

• If you are the vehicle's registered owner and the legal guardian of a minor child who is blind or who is required to use a wheelchair you may qualify for an exemption on one personal motor vehicle if it is used to transport the minor. Application should be made through the S.C. Department of Revenue. There is a DOR Service Center at 3 Southpark Center, Suite 202, next to Citadel Mall (Phone: 843-852-3600).

Before you can register your vehicle with the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), you must first pay the property taxes that are required in the county in which you reside. If you are a resident of Charleston County, you can file your vehicle with the Charleston County Auditor's Office (to get a tax bill) and pay your vehicle's taxes to the Charleston County Treasurer at the same time by visiting one of our convenient service center locations.

Locations

• East Cooper Service Center
  1189 Sweetgrass Basket Pkwy - Suite 400
  Mount Pleasant, SC 29466
  (843) 856-1203
  (843) 856-1204 (Fax)

• North Area Service Center
  Lonnie Hamilton, III Public Services Building
  4045 Bridge View Drive
  North Charleston, SC 29405
  (843) 202-6691
  (843) 202-6698 (Fax)

You can also visit the Auditor and Treasurer's main offices in downtown Charleston:

What to bring

If you are registering a vehicle for the first time in South Carolina, you will need to bring one of the following documents to the Auditor's Office:

• Registration; or
• Title; or
• Bill of Sale

* Note: If your vehicle has been previously registered in South Carolina, contact the Auditor's Office at (843)958-4200 to determine what documentation you need to bring.

Paying your tax bill

You can pay your property tax bill to the Treasurer's Office with cash or check. You can also pay by credit card online at http://sc-charleston-county.governmax.com/svc under "Tax Records Search and Payment".

Registering your vehicle with the S.C. DMV

After you have paid your tax bill, you can register your vehicle with the S.C. DMV. For more information about what you must bring to the DMV to register your vehicle and for DMV office locations, visit http://www.scdmvonline.com or call 1 (800) 442-1DMV.