Dorchester County Property Tax Records: Search, Pay, Appeal

Dorchester County property tax records are available free through two county websites: the CAMA Property Lookup on dorchestercountysc.gov for parcel and valuation details, and dorchestercountysctaxes.org for tax bills and payment history. You can search by Tax Map Sequence (TMS) number, owner name, or property address, then view or download the current bill as a PDF.

Searching the Records Online

The CAMA Property Lookup on the county website shows appraised value, building characteristics, and ownership. The separate portal at dorchestercountysctaxes.org handles tax bill searches and online payments.¹

A few things to know before you type:

TMS numbers use a 13-digit format with no dashes or decimals (like 1112233444555), not the hyphenated version on older documents.
Searching by last name alone pulls up every matching parcel. Add a first name to narrow it.
Address searches work if you don’t have the owner name or TMS.

Click the TMS link in your results to open the full record. From that screen you can download the tax bill as a PDF, which mortgage lenders and title companies often request.

What’s on the Record

Every record has two value figures at the top. The appraised value is what the county believes the property would sell for. The assessed value is a percentage of that appraised value, and it’s the number your tax is actually calculated from.

Below the values, the bill breaks charges into line items: county operations, school district funding, debt service, and any municipal taxes that apply. A Bill Detail section shows the current year’s total, including penalties if the account is late. A Payment History section logs previous payments with dates and receipt numbers. If you’re closing on a sale or applying for a mortgage, this is the section the other side will check.

How the Numbers Get Built

South Carolina applies a state-wide assessment ratio to fair market value. For most residential records you’ll pull up, one of two ratios is in play:²

4% for an owner-occupied primary residence
6% for commercial, rental, and non-owner-occupied real property

The gap matters. A $300,000 home at 4% has a $12,000 assessed value; the same home at 6% has an $18,000 assessed value.

The county multiplies assessed value by a millage rate. A mill is $1 per $1,000 of assessed value.³ Your total millage combines county, school district, and municipal levies. In 2025, the base county millage was 79.4 mills. Dorchester School District 2 added 260.2 mills total; District 4 added 271.6 mills. Municipal rates ranged from 56.7 mills in Ridgeville to 108 mills in Harleyville.⁴ Rates adjust each year with the budget.

Getting Records In Person or by Mail

The Dorchester County Assessor keeps a main office at 201 Johnston St. in St. George and a satellite at 500 N. Main St. in Summerville.⁵ Staff at either location can look up records, walk through a valuation, and process exemption paperwork.

For a mail request, include the TMS number or address and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Under the state Freedom of Information Act, the county can charge for search and retrieval, but fees can’t exceed actual cost, and copy charges must stay at or below prevailing commercial rates. The county has 10 business days to respond to a written request, or 20 business days if the record is more than two years old. Once approved, the county has up to 30 calendar days to deliver the documents.⁶

Paying From the Record

Property taxes are due by January 15. If the county mailed notices late, the deadline extends to 30 days after the mailing date, whichever comes later.⁷ Pay online at dorchestercountysctaxes.org (which handles real estate, vehicle, watercraft, and aircraft bills) or in person at the Treasurer’s offices in St. George and Summerville.⁵

If your mortgage includes escrow, your servicer collects the tax with your monthly payment and pays the county. Federal law requires the servicer to analyze the escrow account each year and send you a statement within 30 days of the end of the computation year showing what was collected, what was disbursed, and any shortage or surplus.⁸ Even so, spot-check the county record yourself. Servicer errors happen, and the county holds the owner responsible for unpaid taxes.

What Late Records Look Like

South Carolina’s late-payment penalty schedule is set by statute, and the county cannot waive it:⁷

After January 15: 3% penalty added
After February 1: an additional 7% (10% cumulative)
After March 16: an additional 5% (15% cumulative)

If taxes stay unpaid, the treasurer mails a delinquent notice around April 1. If the bill still isn’t paid 30 days after that notice, the county can seize the property. After three consecutive weeks of newspaper advertisement, the property goes to a public tax sale. The original owner then has 12 months to redeem it by paying the full amount plus interest.⁹

Fixing What’s on the Record

Claim the 4% Legal Residence Rate

The 4% rate for a primary home isn’t automatic. Apply through the Assessor before the first penalty date in the year you first claim eligibility, or you’ll pay 6% for the year.² You certify under penalty of perjury that the property is your legal residence and that no household member claims residency in another state, and you provide your most recent South Carolina income tax return and vehicle registrations showing the same address.

Once approved, the rate carries year to year while you live there. If you sell, move out, or rent the home for more than 72 days in a calendar year, you must notify the Assessor within six months. The rate does not transfer to a new owner; buyers who assume it does end up on a 6% bill their first year. A new owner has to submit their own application.

Apply for the Homestead Exemption

South Carolina exempts the first $50,000 of fair market value from all property taxes for qualifying homeowners.¹⁰ You must meet all three conditions:

South Carolina resident for at least one year as of December 31 of the prior year
Hold fee simple title, a life estate, or beneficial interest through a trust in your primary residence
Be at least 65, classified as totally and permanently disabled by a state or federal agency, or legally blind, as of December 31 of the prior year

For a jointly owned home, only one spouse needs to meet the age or disability requirement. Your 4% legal residence application must be approved first.¹¹ Applications go through the Assessor’s office.¹²

Appeal the Appraised Value

If the appraised value on your record looks too high, the Assessor provides an appeal form.¹³ Attach recent comparable sales, an independent appraisal, or documentation of conditions that affect value. South Carolina counties reassess on a five-year cycle with a possible one-year extension, and most disputes surface in reassessment years, when values are refreshed. Between cycles, values generally hold steady unless you improve the property or it changes hands.

1
Dorchester County, SC website. CAMA Property Lookup
2
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 12 Chapter 43 – Section 12-43-220
3
Dorchester County, SC website. Definitions and Frequently Asked Questions
4
South Carolina Association of Counties. 2025 South Carolina Property Tax Rates by County
5
Dorchester County, SC website. Assessor
6
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 30-4-30 – Right to Inspect or Copy Public Records
7
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 12 Chapter 45 – Section 12-45-180
8
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Section 1024.17 Escrow Accounts
9
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 12 Chapter 51 – Sections 12-51-40 through 12-51-90
10
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 12 Chapter 37 – Section 12-37-250
11
South Carolina Department of Revenue. Exempt Property
12
Dorchester County, SC website. Homestead Exemption
13
Dorchester County, SC website. Assessor’s Office Forms and Documents