South Carolina · Do-it-yourself · $29

Appeal your South Carolina property taxes yourself.

Everything you need to appeal your South Carolina assessment yourself — starting with the 4% legal-residence check that is usually worth more than the appeal, then the 90-day objection, the conference, the county board, and a ready-to-edit objection letter.

Straight talk: we don’t have per-home comparable-sales data for South Carolina — South Carolina has no statewide property roll — each county assessor publishes its own records, and most do not release the building detail needed to size-adjust a comparable set. So this is a guide and templates, not a comp report, and you pull your own comps— the kit shows you exactly how. That’s the honest reason it’s $29 instead of the $49 done-for-you kit we sell in states we cover.
The South Carolina DIY Appeal Kit
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How a South Carolina appeal works

The short version, free. The kit is the long version with the forms, the filing steps, and the letter.

  1. Before anything else: check the assessment ratio on your notice. If it says 6% on the home you actually live in, apply to the assessor for the 4% legal residence ratio. That also removes ALL school operating millage from your bill and is usually worth more than any value appeal. It is a separate application, not an appeal.
  2. To appeal the value, file a written objection with your county assessor within 90 days of the date your notice was MAILED. This step is mandatory and skipping it kills every later step.
  3. The assessor either corrects the value or holds a conference. If that fails, file a written protest within 30 days of the conference; the assessor answers in writing within 30 days; you then appeal to the County Board of Assessment Appeals within 30 days of that answer. All of it is free and you can represent yourself.
  4. Still unsatisfied? Request a contested case at the SC Administrative Law Court within 30 days of the board's written decision ($75 residential, waivable).

What to check on your assessment notice

  • The ASSESSMENT RATIO. If it reads 6% and this is your primary home, stop and file a Legal Residence (4%) application with the assessor. That single fix is worth more than most value appeals.
  • The MAILING date and the printed appeal deadline. Your 90 days runs from the mailing, not from your tax bill.
  • The fair market value against the taxable (capped) value. If they differ, the 15% cap is already protecting you and a modest value win may not change your bill at all.
  • The tax map number (TMS) and the physical characteristics — square footage, acreage, bed and bath count, year built. These are the fastest and most winnable corrections.

Official lookup: SC DOR: Homeowner's Guide to Legal Residence (the 4% ratio)→

What’s inside

✓The 4% legal-residence check that is usually worth more than the appeal, and how to file for it.
✓A plain-English South Carolina appeal walkthrough: objection, conference, protest, county board, Administrative Law Court.
✓Your real deadline, counted from the notice MAILING date, plus the no-notice-year rule and which tax year a late filing actually helps.
✓The valuation-year rule under § 12-43-215 that decides which comparable sales the assessor may lawfully consider.
✓The 15% cap and the assessable-transfer-of-interest reset, explained so you know whether an appeal will move your bill at all.
✓The 80% payment rule that caps what you pay while the appeal runs.
✓Dedicated sections for Charleston, Greenville, Horry, and Richland, whose filing mechanics differ sharply.
✓A ready-to-edit objection letter meeting the § 12-60-2520(B) content requirements.

How it works

  1. Buy the kit — the PDF lands in your inbox instantly.
  2. Find the MAILING date of your assessment notice — your 90 days runs from that date, not from your tax bill. If you got no notice this year, your target is to file before January 15.
  3. Gather the evidence on the checklist and edit the appeal-letter template.
  4. File your county's written objection / Real Property Appeal form with your County Assessor (never the auditor, the treasurer, or the board) before your deadline.

Different process where you live?

South Carolina is not one system. These jurisdictions use a different agency, a different form, and an earlier deadline than the rest of the state. The kit covers each one in its own section.

Charleston County
All real property in Charleston County, roughly 190,000 parcels. Reassessment years have run 2005, 2010/11, 2015, 2020, 2025, so the next cycle is 2030.
Deadline
90 days after notices are mailed. In the 2025 reassessment the notices went out August 20 and the printed deadline was November 18, which shows how far the real date can sit from any calendar rule of thumb.
Filed with
The Charleston County Assessor, then the Charleston County Board of Assessment Appeals.
Form
The Objection Form enclosed with the reassessment notice; separately, the 4% Legal Residence Exemption application.
Greenville County
All real property in Greenville County.
Deadline
90 days from the mailing of the assessment notice; in a no-notice year, before the first penalty date. Legal Residence applications must be hand delivered or postmarked no later than January 15.
Filed with
Greenville County Real Property Services (the Assessor), then the Greenville County Board of Assessment Appeals.
Form
Appeal Form – Residential Property (with Vacant Land and Mobile Home variants); Legal Residence Special Assessment Application.
Horry County
All real property in Horry County.
Deadline
90 days from the assessment notice. In a no-notice year Horry publishes January 15 as an absolute cutoff and states that the Assessor may not review any request filed after it — stricter than the statutory text, so treat it as hard.
Filed with
The Horry County Assessor, then the Horry County Board of Assessment Appeals.
Form
Real Property Appeal; Legal Residence Application (both filed as county e-forms).
Richland County
All real property in Richland County.
Deadline
The statewide rule applies: 90 days from the notice mailing, and before the first penalty date in a no-notice year. Confirm the current year's dates with the assessor's office.
Filed with
The Richland County Assessor, then the Richland County Board of Assessment Appeals.
Form
Online Appeal Application; separate online Legal Residence application.
Deadline: In a year when you receive an assessment notice, § 12-60-2510(A)(3) gives you 90 days after the assessor MAILS it to give written notice of objection. The clock runs from the mailing, not from your tax bill and not from the date on the bill. A notice is required only when the assessor raises fair market value or special use value by $1,000 or more, or on a first assessment. Notices go out by July 1 in an ordinary year and by October 1 in a countywide reassessment implementation year. In a year with NO notice, § 12-60-2510(A)(4) lets you appeal in writing at any time — but which tax year you get relief for turns on the first penalty date, which is January 16 under § 12-45-180(A). An appeal submitted before that date applies to the current property tax year; one submitted on or after it applies to the SUCCEEDING year. So January 15 is the practical target, and some counties (Horry, for one) publish it as an absolute cutoff. After that, every escalation runs on a 30-day clock: the assessor schedules a conference within 30 days of your request, you file a written protest within 30 days after the conference, the assessor responds in writing within 30 days, you appeal to the County Board within 30 days of that response, and you request an Administrative Law Court contested case within 30 days of the board's written decision. A deadline falling on a weekend or legal holiday rolls to the next business day (§ 12-60-50(A)).

What South Carolina charges to file

These are your county or state’s fees, not ours. Listed so there are no surprises.

  • Written objection to the county assessor — free. No statute authorizes a fee and no county reviewed charges one.
  • Conference with the assessor — free.
  • County Board of Assessment Appeals — free. Section 12-60-3350 bars costs or disbursements to either party except service of process and witness attendance.
  • SC Administrative Law Court, county tax case (residential) — $75. Commercial county tax cases are $350.
  • ALC motion fees — $50 for summary judgment, dismissal, motion to compel, reconsideration, a second or later continuance, intervention, or injunctive relief; $25 for other motions; plus an electronic processing fee of up to $10.
  • ALC fees can be WAIVED on a Request for Waiver with an affidavit and financial statement filed alongside the request.
  • Counties may charge nominal copying fees for records. A private appraisal, if you choose to commission one, typically runs several hundred dollars and is never required.

Questions

Why is this $29 and not $49?
The $49 kit includes a comparable-sales analysis pulled from county records. We don't have that data for South Carolina yet, so this kit is the guide, the deadline rules, the exact form, an evidence checklist, and an appeal-letter template — you gather the comps yourself, and we show you how. Honest work, honest price.
When is the South Carolina property tax appeal deadline?
In a year when you receive an assessment notice, § 12-60-2510(A)(3) gives you 90 days after the assessor MAILS it to give written notice of objection. The clock runs from the mailing, not from your tax bill and not from the date on the bill. A notice is required only when the assessor raises fair market value or special use value by $1,000 or more, or on a first assessment. Notices go out by July 1 in an ordinary year and by October 1 in a countywide reassessment implementation year. In a year with NO notice, § 12-60-2510(A)(4) lets you appeal in writing at any time — but which tax year you get relief for turns on the first penalty date, which is January 16 under § 12-45-180(A). An appeal submitted before that date applies to the current property tax year; one submitted on or after it applies to the SUCCEEDING year. So January 15 is the practical target, and some counties (Horry, for one) publish it as an absolute cutoff. After that, every escalation runs on a 30-day clock: the assessor schedules a conference within 30 days of your request, you file a written protest within 30 days after the conference, the assessor responds in writing within 30 days, you appeal to the County Board within 30 days of that response, and you request an Administrative Law Court contested case within 30 days of the board's written decision. A deadline falling on a weekend or legal holiday rolls to the next business day (§ 12-60-50(A)).
What form do I file to appeal my South Carolina property assessment?
your county's written objection / Real Property Appeal form (Objection to Property Tax Assessment), filed with your County Assessor (never the auditor, the treasurer, or the board). The kit walks you through completing it line by line and includes a ready-to-edit appeal letter to attach.
Do you file the appeal for me?
No — this is a do-it-yourself kit. You file your county's written objection / Real Property Appeal form yourself with your County Assessor (never the auditor, the treasurer, or the board). The kit makes that straightforward with step-by-step instructions and a ready-to-edit letter.
What if it doesn't help?
30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. If the kit isn't useful, reply to your delivery email and we'll refund you.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. It's general information to help you file your own appeal. Always rely on the date and instructions printed on your own assessment notice and confirm current requirements with your county.
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