Tax Related Information for Charleston County, SC (2024)

IF YOU QUALIFY FOR THESE DISCOUNTS, YOU MAY OBTAIN
AN APPLICATION FROM THEASSESSOR'S OFFICE,
ANY CHARLESTON COUNTY SERVICE CENTER ORONLINE.
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 hom*ogenous 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 THEAUDITOR'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 theMV High Mileage Discount form and submit it online or contact any of theAuditor'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.

Do you own and reside in your home?

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 ourHomestead 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).

Do you own a motor vehicle?