govt.fyi
Back to H 3841
South Carolina General Assembly· H 3841Act No. 140

Property tax, the official text

Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official page posted by the South Carolina General Assembly, fetched 2026-08-29. This is the enrolled version. The official bill page.
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A140, R183, H3841)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 12-43-220, RELATING TO ASSESSMENT RATIOS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, PROPERTY RECEIVING THE FOUR PERCENT ASSESSMENT RATIO SHALL CONTINUE AT FOUR PERCENT WHEN THE OWNER DIES; AND BY ADDING SECTION 12-37-460 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS SHALL CONTINUE TO APPLY WHEN THE OWNER DIES.

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

Assessment rate for decedent's estate

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

(9) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when an owner receiving the special assessment rate pursuant to this item (c) dies, the property shall continue to receive the special assessment rate until the decedent's estate is closed, upon the recording of a deed or deed of distribution out of the estate, or after December thirty-first of the year following the date of death, whichever occurs first. This subitem does not apply if the property is rented for more than seventy-two days in or following the calendar year of the decedent's death or if a change of use occurs.

Exemptions for decedents estate

SECTION 2. Article 3, Chapter 37, Title 12 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

Section 12-37-460. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when an owner of real property dies, the property shall continue to receive any property tax exemption it was receiving at the time of death until the decedent's estate is closed, upon the recording of a deed or deed of distribution out of the estate, or after December thirty-first of the year following the date of death, whichever occurs first. This section does not apply if the property becomes ineligible for the exemption for a reason other than the death.

Time effective

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and applies to property tax years beginning after 2025.

Ratified the 14th day of May, 2026.

Approved the 15th day of May, 2026.

__________
Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.