Questions about this
How is South Carolina property tax calculated?
South Carolina assesses a primary residence at 4 percent of fair market value and other residential property at 6 percent, then applies the millage set by your county and town. A mill is one dollar per thousand dollars of assessed value. Because the ratio is so small, South Carolina millage rates look high, often in the hundreds, and they differ between Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties.
What is the 4 percent legal residence rate?
It is the lower assessment ratio for a home you live in as your primary residence, and it also exempts the home from the school operating millage. You have to apply to the county assessor for it; it is not automatic when you buy. Without it you are taxed at 6 percent, which is half as much again on the same house.