VEHICLES
Taxes on all motor vehicles are paid one year in advance. Taxes are calculated based on multiplying the assessed value time the millage rate. On personal vehicles the assessment is base on 6% of the fair market value; on vehicles that are used in a business the assessment is base on 10.5% fair market value.

Trucks with empty weight of 9000 pounds or gross weight that is 11000 pound would be assessed at 10.5% depending on the usage of the truck. For more information please call the Auditor’s Office.

On a truck with the gross weight over 26,000 pounds contact the Motor Carrier Division at the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR). The Auditor’s Office will bill you for road fee only.

If you are registering your vehicle for the first time in South Carolina, if you are moving here form out of state or if you purchased a vehicle you have 45 days to register your vehicle. To have a bill created you must provide the Auditor’s Office with a title or a Bill of Sale. You can fax it, scan it to rcauditor@rcgov.us or take it into the Auditor’s Office. If you purchased your vehicle from a dealer the dealer will register the vehicle for you, and the Auditor’s Office will send you a bill in the mail and you will have 120 days to pay your tax bill.

If you moved to Richland County from another county in South Carolina you must change your address at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) . If you have changed your address at DMV within 90 days of your tag's expiration date you need to send the Richland County Auditor's Office a copy of your registration with the correct address by mail, fax, e-mail or in person so that a tax notice can be created for your tag renewal.

If you sold your vehicle, moved out of state or if your insurance was canceled you are required to turn your tag in immediately to the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) or you will be charged a fee per day by DMV.

Refund- If you sold your vehicle or moved out of state before your tag expires, you may qualify for a refund. To qualify for the refund the following documents are required.

Out of State Refund
Copy of out of state registration card and S.C. license plate or Form 5051 verifying the S.C. license plate had been turned in to the DMV. Mail to: P.O. Box 192, Columbia, SC 29202.

In State Refund
Copy of the Bill of Sale or the front and back of title and, Form 5051 verifying vehicle license plate has been turned into the DMV. If the license plate had been transferred no refund applies.

For more information please call (803) 576-2600.