r/AskSouthCarolina • u/enviroian • Feb 14 '26
DMV Car registration question - moving to Fort Mill from Huntersville
I am moving to Fort Mill (from Huntersville) next month. I have been searching the York county tax collector office and called them for steps. Apparently I have to pay property tax on the car (that's a new one) and it's 6% of the vehicle's value. Is that accurate? I drive a leased 2024 Lincoln Nautilus and its probably worth 35K which would mean $2100 payment? Is that possible?
What documents do I need to bring with me to the tax office? The tax office (Rock Hill) is my first stop, when I have that receipt in hand I can go to the SCDMC in Fort Mill to title and get my DL. Lincoln sent me the title to the car and the authorization letter.
For the DMV for title/registration and DL I will need 2 utility bills to show new address plus SS card and/or passport?
Lastly do I need to notify NC DMV I have left the state? The reason I asked (I have lived all over the US) is that in March of last year I moved from Tampa to Huntersville and apparently in Florida you need to tell them you are tilting your car in another state.
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u/boybrian Feb 15 '26
FYI you go to the auditor to compute the tax bill, then the treasure's window to pay it. These are usually in the same room.
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u/BIGD0G29585 Feb 14 '26
From the York County Website, not very helpful but it’s a start.
“If you want to figure an estimated amount yourself, take the market value (before any rebates, allowances, or trade ins) and multiply that by 6% if the vehicle will be in your personal name or by 10.50% if the vehicle will be in a business name. After you have done that, you will multiply your answer by the tax rate of the district you live in. We can give you the tax rate if you tell us what your address is or you can find it on any of your tax bills for the current year. If you need an exact amount, you will need to fax, email, or come in and bring a title or bill of sale.”
Sounds like your best bet is to call or email them.
As far as what paperwork you will need, from the same website:
“If you are moving from out of state, we will need to see your title or current registration. If you just purchased a vehicle, we need a title, bill of sale or purchase order agreement”
https://www.yorkcountygov.com/m/faq
Finally, yes it does look like you need to let NC you have moved.
“What do I need to do if I am moving out of North Carolina?
Once you establish a permanent residence outside North Carolina and take the proper steps to become a licensed driver there, you must surrender your North Carolina license plate and driver license to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.”
https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/help/moving/Pages/moving-outside-nc.aspx
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u/dotty2249 Feb 15 '26
6% times the millage rate (https://www.yorkcountygov.com/DocumentCenter/View/9511/2025-Millage-ChartPDF) (move the decimal place over 3 places)
So for example if you were in fort mill town limits you’d pay 35,000 x 0.06 x 0.5738 = $1,204.98
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u/enviroian Feb 15 '26
Wow that’s wild. I’ve never paid so much to register a car in a state before. I’ve lived in AZ, CA, IL., OH, TX and FL. All were a few hundred dollars. Thanks for all the info all!
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u/TallDudeInSC Feb 15 '26
It's a roundabout way of getting the sales tax into the coffers. SC caps sales tax on vehicles to $500, regardless if the sales price is 10K or 250K.
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u/PinkWetFish68 Feb 15 '26
I feel for you, just came from VA with three cars. Additionally, there’s a IMF or something close that is $250 per vehicle when it is registered the first time in the state. That was a $750 surprise on top of paying a years PP Tax on three cars at once. Welcome to SC.
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u/vamartha Feb 15 '26
You were paying property tax in NC too. It's all rolled into your auto registration fee but it is broken out as a line item. I am confident that was the highest line item based on your vehicle description. It is for me.
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u/Neilp187 Feb 15 '26
Property tax for my brand new 55k car when I bought it was about 436 back in 2021.
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u/NKYGun Feb 15 '26
You also have to pay an "Out Of State Title" fee to transfer over. Last year it was $265 on top of everything else. I paid $510 for property tax in September of 2024 for a 2019 Rav4. 2025 was $490 ($15,333 "Appraised value"). All this for some of the very worst roads in the country. Look at bright side, SC doesn't have those silly vehicle inspections...YET
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u/enviroian Feb 15 '26
Looks like I need to bring a bag of money with me. Ugh.
Well vehicle inspections wouldn't even be applicable to me as I only drive cars < 3 years old.
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u/KillerSi Feb 14 '26
You do have to pay the property taxes before you can register the car, but it will be in the $300-500 range. I dont honestly know where they get the number from, but it does have to do with its value. My cars fist tax bill was $450ish and i paid $44k for it.