South Carolina H 4608: Property Tax Classification

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4608 Text of Previous Version (Jan. 30, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4608

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING 
SECTION 12-43-220, RELATING TO PROPERTY TAX CLASSIFICATIONS AND ASSESSMENT 
RATIOS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT LEGAL RESIDENCES INCLUDE CERTAIN DWELLINGS 
LOCATED ON THE SAME PROPERTY AND INCLUDING THOSE OCCUPIED BY IMMEDIATE FAMILY 
MEMBERS OF THE OWNER OF THE INTEREST.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 12-43-220(c)(1) of the S.C. Code is amended to 
read:

 (1) The legal residence and not more 
than five acres contiguous thereto, when owned totally or in part in fee or by 
life estate and occupied by the owner of the interest, and additional dwellings 
located on the same property and, including those occupied by immediate family members of 
the owner of the interest, are taxed on an assessment equal to four percent of 
the fair market value of the property. If residential real property is held in 
trust and the income beneficiary of the trust occupies the property as a 
residence, then the assessment ratio allowed by this item applies if the 
trustee certifies to the assessor that the property is occupied as a residence 
by the income beneficiary of the trust. When the legal residence is located on 
leased or rented property and the residence is owned and occupied by the owner 
of a residence on leased property, even though at the end of the lease period 
the lessor becomes the owner of the residence, the assessment for the residence 
is at the same ratio as provided in this item. If the lessee of property upon 
which he has located his legal residence is liable for taxes on the leased 
property, then the property upon which he is liable for taxes, not to exceed 
five acres contiguous to his legal residence, must be assessed at the same 
ratio provided in this item. If this property has located on it any rented 
mobile homes or residences which are rented or any business for profit, this 
four percent value does not apply to those businesses or rental properties. 
However, if the person claiming the four percent assessment ratio resides in 
the mobile home or single family residence and only rents a portion of the 
mobile home or single family residence to another individual as a residence, 
the foregoing provision does not apply and the four percent assessment ratio 
must be applied to the entire mobile home or single family residence. For 
purposes of the assessment ratio allowed pursuant to this item, a residence 
does not qualify as a legal residence unless the residence is determined to be 
the domicile of the owner-applicant.

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on January 30, 2026 at 01:58 PM