Own a boat in SC? You need to know these new rules for 2020
Boat owners in South Carolina are about to see changes in how they register their property and pay the taxes, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
Starting in January, boat owners will be required to renew their boat registration every year instead of once every three years, a change that will more closely resemble how the state handles car registration.
The fee for renewal will be new as well. Instead of paying $30 every three years to renew a registration, owners will pay $10 each year, SCDNR said.
Changes to how the state collects registration fees come as part of a new law designed to help counties more accurately collect property taxes on boats.
Current three-year registrations will be valid until the year of their expiration, SCDNR said in a news release.
The new requirements also mean that property taxes will be collected for the upcoming year instead of the previous one, SCDNR said in the release. This change should not affect the tax collection process, but the release said it will make buying a used boat easier.
“Buying a boat on which back property taxes are due can cause major headaches when the new owner attempts to title and register the vessel,” the release said. The new system will make it “easier to determine if the property taxes on a potential used purchase are current.”
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SC boat registration
SCDNR’s website provides more information on the new boat registration policies.
Currently registered boats: Counties won’t begin billing current owners for the annual registration until January 2021, and only then once their current registration is due to expire, the release said. For a registration renewed in 2019, that owner’s tax bill will not reflect a charge for annual registration until 2022.
Taxes: Counties will begin issuing the new prospective tax notices for boats registered within the county beginning in 2020. Questions about a boat owner’s individual tax bills must be directed to that county’s auditor or treasurer’s office because SCDNR Boating Office assistants cannot assist owners with questions about their individual tax bills.
Month of expiration for new boats/ used boats coming from outside SC: New boat registrations will be based on the date of sale instead of when the owner applies for the registration. A tax bill for the year covered by the registration will be mailed by the county, and in subsequent years the county will mail a bill that includes the annual registration renewal.
In-state changes of ownership: After purchase, new owners must visit their county tax office first to pay the taxes due for the coming year. New owners then must apply for title and registration in their name within 30 days of purchase to avoid late fees.
