Registering and titling a vehicle in South Carolina: new residents, purchases and renewals

How to title and register a vehicle in South Carolina after buying it or moving from another state, the 45-day rules, county property taxes, the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee, renewal options and plates, from the SCDMV.

Guide · South Carolina · Vehicle registration · Titles · updated October 29, 2026

Vehicle titles and registration in South Carolina are handled by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). Your county is also involved: you must pay personal property tax on the vehicle to your county before the SCDMV will register it or renew the registration. This guide covers buying a vehicle, moving to South Carolina with one, renewing registration and plates.

Title and registration are separate

The SCDMV explains that a title proves you own the vehicle, while registration means putting a license plate on it so it can be driven legally. A vehicle can be titled without being registered. If you plan to drive it, you need both. You can do both at the same branch visit.

Buying from a dealer

The SCDMV says South Carolina law requires you to register a newly purchased vehicle within 45 days of the purchase date. If you buy from a dealer, the dealer will generally take care of the title and registration for you.

Buying from a private seller

Make sure the seller has the title in their own name to sign over to you. The SCDMV also suggests checking the vehicle's title history and any open recalls before you pay. To put the title in your name, you need:

1. The title, signed over to you. The back must show you as buyer and the titled owner as seller. It must include your name and address, any lienholder, the odometer reading, the sales price, the date of sale and both signatures. If there is no space for the price, add a bill of sale showing the price minus any trade-in, signed by you.
2. A completed Title Application (SCDMV Form 400).
3. The title fee. The SCDMV lists $15, or $35 for an expedited title, which is only available in person.
4. The Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF) or sales tax. The IMF is 5% of the purchase price, capped at $500. The SCDMV says most vehicles owe the IMF instead of sales tax, and it determines which applies.
5. Form TI-006C (Statement of Vehicle Operation in South Carolina), only if you do not have a South Carolina license or ID.

To register the vehicle as well, contact your county to have a property tax bill generated. You pay it to the county and bring the paid receipt in your name, plus the registration fee. Hybrids and electric vehicles owe an extra fee. If you want to put a plate you already own on the new vehicle, note it on Form 400. Plates cannot transfer from one person to another if the original person is not on the vehicle title.

You can take these documents to an SCDMV branch, or mail them by certified mail with payment made out to the SCDMV to: SCDMV, Titles and Registration, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0024. A branch can also issue a 60-day temporary plate with the title, bill of sale or lease contract and Form 60-A.

If you are the seller

Sign the title over with the odometer reading, purchase date and selling price. Notify the SCDMV with the Notice of Vehicle Sold (Form 416). If you do not move the plate to another vehicle, you must surrender it.

Moving to South Carolina with a vehicle

The SCDMV says new residents have 45 days to transfer their vehicle registration, the same period as for getting a South Carolina license. The steps are:

1. Update your insurance with your South Carolina address. The insurer must be licensed in South Carolina.
2. Contact your county auditor's office with the VIN and your most recent registration card. They generate a property tax bill, which you pay to the county treasurer.
3. Visit an SCDMV branch with the documents below.

At the branch, bring:

• A completed Form 400
• Your out-of-state title and/or registration (and the lienholder's name and address if you have a loan)
• Your license, permit or ID card
• Your insurance company information
• The original paid property tax receipt
• The fees

The SCDMV says that in most cases you will pay $305 per regular passenger vehicle. That is a one-time $250 Infrastructure Maintenance Fee for vehicles previously registered in another state, plus the $15 title fee and the $40 registration fee. County property tax comes on top. Your registration arrives before your new title. The title is mailed once your out-of-state title clears the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System.

If you have no South Carolina license or ID, you complete Form TI-006C. You state that you are on active military duty in the state, enrolled in a South Carolina school, or keep the vehicle in the state at least six months a year. For your license, see the South Carolina driver license and ID card guide.

Insurance

You must give the name of your insurance company when you first register a vehicle and every time you renew. South Carolina checks liability insurance electronically through its Automobile Liability Insurance Reporting (ALIR) system, with licensed insurers reporting policy changes to the SCDMV. If you cannot prove insurance during a traffic stop, the SCDMV warns that you may be ticketed, fined or jailed. If you are ticketed, you must show within 30 days that you were insured to avoid a license suspension.

Fees

The SCDMV's fee table lists registration for most passenger cars at $40. Reduced fees apply at age 64 ($38) and at 65 or older or with a disability ($36). Motorcycles and mopeds are $10. Hybrids pay $60 and electric vehicles $120 on top of the registration fee. The SCDMV says most registration fees are paid every two years. Late registration and late renewal carry penalties from $10 up to $75.

Renewing registration

Because property taxes are paid yearly and registration fees every two years, your county tax payment and your renewal are linked. To renew:

• Pay your property taxes to the county. The SCDMV says you can pay both the taxes and the renewal fee at the county treasurer's office, and many counties take both online. Once you pay, the SCDMV mails your decal or plate the next working day.
• Online, if your renewal was not processed (for example because the fee was not paid with the taxes, or it was late). You need your insurance company name and a Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express card.
• At an SCDMV Express kiosk, which can also print a duplicate registration and replace a lost decal.

If your decal or plate has not arrived within ten business days, you can get it at a branch with your original paid tax receipt.

Plates

Since January 1, 2026, the SCDMV has issued the "Where the Revolutionary War Was Won" regular plate. You can exchange it for the "In God We Trust" plate for $6, or choose a specialty or personalized plate. The month sticker on the left is no longer required. The month, year and plate number are printed on the color-coded sticker on the right. For branches near you, see the South Carolina office list.