Property tax in South Carolina: 4% ratio, rates, appeals

How is a home’s taxable value set?

The county assessor sets the fair market value. The county auditor applies the assessment ratio and the millage. The tax is:

Fair market value × assessment ratio × millage ÷ 1,000

One mill is $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value. The ratios come from § 12-43-220:

• 4% for the legal residence and up to five contiguous acres, when the owner lives in it (item (c)(1));
• 6% for all other real property, including rentals and second homes (item (e)).

The 4% ratio is not automatic. The owner or the owner’s agent must apply to the county before the first penalty date for the tax year in which the owner first claims it (§ 12-43-220(c)(2)(ii)). The owner certifies under penalty of perjury that the home is their legal residence and that no one in the household claims the ratio on another home. Once the owner has certified, the law deems the burden of proof met if the home is not rented for more than 72 days in a calendar year. A residence that qualified for any part of the year gets the 4% ratio for the entire year. A new owner must apply again: the previous owner’s approval does not carry over (§ 12-43-220(c)(2)(vi)). Greenville County Real Property Services provides a Legal Residence Special Assessment Application.

What is the school tax exemption?

Owner-occupied homes that receive the 4% ratio are exempt from all property taxes imposed for school operating purposes, but not from millage that repays school debt (§ 12-37-220(B)(47)). In Greenville County that matters a lot: the 2025 school millage of 189.7 is made of 141.2 mills for operations and 48.5 for debt. Only the 48.5 applies to your home.

Does buying a home reset its value?

Yes. The assessed value is not the price, but a sale triggers a new appraisal. A conveyance by deed is an “assessable transfer of interest” (§ 12-37-3150(A)(1)), and the home is reappraised at fair market value as of December 31 of the year of the transfer, without the 15% cap described below (§ 12-37-3140(A), (B)). The new value is first taxed the following tax year (§ 12-37-3140(E)). Expect the bill after your first full year to reflect your purchase price more than the seller’s bill did.

How much can the value rise?

Counties must reappraise every fifth year (§ 12-43-217). Greenville County’s Real Property page says its 2025 countywide reassessment has been completed and lists 2030 as the next one. The county says values reflect the market as of December 31 of the year before the reassessment year.

State law limits any increase in value that comes from a countywide reappraisal to 15% within a five-year period, for the land and improvements as a whole (§ 12-37-3140(B)). The limit does not apply to new additions and improvements, or in the year of a sale. The cap applies to value, not to the tax bill: a rise in millage can still raise your tax.

What does the homestead exemption do?

South Carolina’s homestead exemption is for older and disabled owners. The first $50,000 of fair market value of the dwelling is exempt from county, municipal, school and special assessment real estate taxes when the owner:

• has lived in South Carolina at least one year and is 65 or older by December 31;
• is classified totally and permanently disabled by a state or federal agency; or
• is legally blind.

The owner must hold fee simple title or a life estate and apply to the county auditor before July 16 of the tax year. An application after July 15 but before the first penalty date reduces that year’s taxes, according to the statute (§ 12-37-250).

What does it cost? A worked example in the City of Greenville

This is an example, not a quote. Assume a $400,000 fair market value in the City of Greenville (the district 500 series on the county’s sheet) with 2025 millage:

The first case equals about 0.76% of the $400,000 value. Look up the district for your own address on the county sheet; the county also offers a tax estimator.

When are taxes due, and what are the penalties?

Taxes are due and payable between September 30 and January 15 (§ 12-45-70). If unpaid by the sixteenth of January, or 30 days after the notice is mailed if that is later, a 3% penalty is added. Another 7% is added after February 1, and another 5% after March 16, before the treasurer issues an execution for collection (§ 12-45-180). If the home was sold during the year, the county’s records show the notice went to the prior owner and the new owner got no timely notice, the treasurer must waive the penalties.

How do I appeal an assessment?

The county mails an assessment notice when it raises the value by $1,000 or more, and in a reassessment year by October 1. You have 90 days from the mailing to give the assessor written notice of objection (§ 12-60-2510). In years without a notice, you may object in writing at any time, and an objection filed before the first penalty date applies to that year’s bill.

If the assessor does not agree, there is a conference within 30 days of your request. If it fails, you have 30 days after it to file a written protest, the assessor answers within 30 days, and you then have 30 days to appeal to the county board of assessment appeals (§§ 12-60-2520, 12-60-2530). Greenville County’s Real Property page says the proper way to appeal fair market value is the online appeal form it provides. See also our Greenville guide and homeowners insurance for other yearly costs, and escrow accounts for how lenders collect the tax.