SC Personal Property Tax

Ok.... I made the move to Charleston! Thanks to those who gave me advice before I got here!!!

Anyways, apparently I have 45 days to register my car in SC.

Can someone help me figure out where I go to pay the tax that they require me to have a receipt for in order to get my registration (Just for car, im renting my home). I am curently living in Hanahan if that helps.

Also, maybe if someone can also help me understand how this tax works... Im asssuming its based on the value of the car. How much is it? Is it good for a year, or just calendar year? Meaning, since im not getting it till june now, am I paying tax for June-Dec, or June-June.

To twist this again, and deepen my understanding, what if i pay my tax tomorrow, then three months from now buy a new car... is there some sort of proration or do I get completely screwed?

any other tips or things i should be aware of in regards to things to expect in terms of taxes, fees, or what have you will also be appreciated.

SC Personal Property Tax

I don%26#39;t know all the answers to your questions but go to the courthouse for your taxes. be prepared for the car insurance prices. I hear they are some of the highest in the nation.

SC Personal Property Tax

OK, I paid at the county building, which in Mt, Pleasant also houses a DMV and a small Health Department. I don%26#39;t know where it is in Hanahan. The tax is based on the value of the car, and it is good I believe for a whole calendar year. They will ask you for the mileage on your car, so be prepared for that. I don%26#39;t know the answer about buying a new car, but in logic, it would be that they would prorate it and then charge you the value tax on your new car prorated. Yes, insurance costs on your car are very high....And to get your SC license you don%26#39;t have to take a written test..at least I didn%26#39;t, but you do have to do the blinking light test. And license plates are actually affordable, and you only have then on the back of your car.

Check out www.scdmvonline.com/DMVNew/default.aspx for all sorts of info on registering your car in SC. I don%26#39;t think there%26#39;s an office in Hanahan but there is one in N. Charleston on Leeds Ave so that will probably be the closest to you. Check out the site though and it will walk you through the process which can be a bit laborious compared to other states.

The property taxes are good for one year from date you pay them (ie. June 1, 2006 - May 31, 2007). Before you can get your tags, you must show proof of paying your property taxes (which of course is done in a county building vs. the DMV). In order to get your tags, you must also have proof of insurance...the above site will also tell you what SC requires for insurance. I moved back home from Boston and my car insurance doubled (I have a perfectly clean diving record and a 5 year old car). I%26#39;ve lived in LA, DC and Chicago as well and the insurance here is among the highest in the country as previously suggested...due in part to the vast number of illegals which are uninsured and cause a large number of the accidents. Also, in order to get your drivers license, you must show proof of residency (so bring along your mortgage statement or a recent utility bill showing your address... just not a cell phone bill).

To answer your question re: purchasing a new vehicle once you%26#39;ve registered your current vehicle, you can do a tag transfer within 45 days of the purchase and will just pay the difference in the property tax.

Welcome to SC and all our lovely taxes (almost as bad as Massachusetts)!

I think most of your questions have been answered, but this may help some also. I paid my car taxes yesterday. On a 1999 Porsche Boxter I paid $175 and on a 2001 BMW 740 I paid $317. I also had to pay the insurance for both ( I don%26#39;t know what type of auto god I offended to be so unlucky as to have ALL of this due in the same month!!) annual on BMW is $1100 and Porsche is $860. I have no accidents or speeding tickets.

One of the official state hobbies is complaining about insurance!

Welcome to SC.

endosunshine, living in PA, those anual insurance costs don%26#39;t sound that unreasonable. Tacking on the property taxes for the vehicles, does start to get a little crazy.

I take it you have to also pay taxes on motorcycles? I know this is a little off topic, but what are the real estate and school taxes like? For example where I live in York, PA, for a property valued at $240,000 you would pay about $900 on real estate taxes and over $4000 in school taxes. Just curious.

Yes, you do pay taxes on motorcycles as well and also boats.

I have a small second home, inland, no resort area, no lake, river, etc. valued at about 100,000 and I pay about $2000 tax per year.

Our main home, which is on the Isle of Palms and on deep water is valued at about $1 million and we pay about $7,500 in taxes and $5,000 per year in insurance. This is not a huge, new home, it was built in 1978. The valuations have REALLY gone up in the last 15 years due to the HUGE homes being built (often by those retirees I mentioned) that are 6-10 bedrooms and 5,000 to 10,000 sq feet. There are plenty of homes for sale on the island in the $3 to $7 million range, a few even more. Of course, people who have been here a long time get slammed by the increases.

When you receive your tax bill for a vehicle, property, etc, it has a break down of the various taxes and the total amount that you pay. To be honest, I have not paid attention to how much goes for what, I have to pay it all anyway. We don%26#39;t have any kids, so the school thing does aggravate you some.

vb