How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in South Carolina?

45 calendar days from the date of purchase, or for a vehicle brought in from another state the date it was first operated in South Carolina. SCDMV charges a late penalty in addition to the regular title and registration fees: $10 at 46-60 days, $25 at 61-75 days, $50 at 76-135 days and $75 once you are more than 135 days late.

How much does a title transfer cost in South Carolina?

The base title fee is $15. The certificate of title fee on its own. It excludes the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (5% of the purchase price less trade-in, capped at $500, or a flat $250 for a vehicle previously registered in another state), the $40 passenger-car registration fee, county vehicle property tax, and the $20 expedite charge for a same-day printed title. South Carolina charges an Infrastructure Maintenance Fee instead of sales tax on a vehicle titled here: 5% of the purchase price less any trade-in, capped at $500, or a flat $250 for a vehicle that was previously registered in another state.

Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in South Carolina?

Sometimes required. Nothing SCDMV itself asks for in an ordinary transfer is notarized — not the title assignment, not Form 400, not the Form 4031 bill of sale, not the Form 416 notice of sale. A notary only appears in the trust and probate routes, and on a power of attorney executed in another state.

Does the seller have to notify the title authority in South Carolina?

Yes. South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). Notify SCDMV in writing immediately upon a transfer of ownership, on the Notice of Vehicle Sold (Form 416) from the transfer of ownership. SCDMV publishes no penalty. Form 416 states the notice does not itself transfer ownership and exists for the protection of the last registered owner until the buyer completes the transfer.

Transferring a vehicle title in South Carolina

Issued by South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

Title fee: $15base title fee
Deadline: 45 daysfrom the date of purchase shown on the title assignment and bill of sale
Documents: 4incl. 400
Where: State officein person

The South Carolina title does the transferring: the seller completes the assignment on the back with the buyer's name and address, the odometer reading, the date of sale and the selling price, and signs as seller. The buyer then has 45 days from the purchase date to take that title, a completed Title and/or Registration Application (Form 400), a signed bill of sale and an original paid county property tax receipt to an SCDMV branch, and pays the $15 title fee, the 5% Infrastructure Maintenance Fee capped at $500, and the $40 registration fee. None of the SCDMV paperwork is notarized, and the seller keeps the plate and must send SCDMV a Notice of Vehicle Sold (Form 416).

11 things this answer does not settle

SCDMV publishes two live copies of Form 400 at once. The one linked from its Forms & Manuals page is stamped "Rev. 07/2025" on both pages; a second copy still on the site is stamped "Rev. 12/2025" on page 1 and "Rev. 07/2025" on page 2. The content of the two is the same. This record follows the copy linked from Forms & Manuals.
SCDMV publishes no vehicle safety inspection page and no emissions testing page anywhere in the Vehicle Owners section of its site, and neither appears in any of its title or registration document lists. This record therefore records emissions as "not published" rather than asserting that South Carolina has no such programme — the absence of a requirement in a document checklist is not the same as an official statement that none exists.
SCDMV's odometer exemption wording differs between two of its own publications. The Form 400 instruction sheet (08/2023) says vehicles of model year 2010 or earlier are exempt while those of 2010 or later must report mileage for 20 years — which puts model year 2010 in both categories. SCDMV's 2025 dealer titling course states it as "manufactured in 2011 or later and now 20 years old or older" or "manufactured before 2011 and now 10 years old or older". This record follows the dealer course, which is more recent and internally consistent.
SCDMV's 2025 dealer titling course refers to the "Affidavit & Notification of Sale of Motor Vehicle" — the dealer property tax override — as "Form-416", while the standalone Form 416 published on the SCDMV site is the Notice of Vehicle Sold. Every consumer-facing SCDMV page uses Form 416 for the Notice of Vehicle Sold, which is what this record follows.
Vehicle property tax is assessed and billed by the county where the vehicle is housed, not by SCDMV. The South Carolina Department of Revenue publishes the assessment ratio — 6% of fair market value for a personal passenger vehicle or pickup truck from the sixth property tax year onward — but the millage applied to that assessed value is set county by county, and neither agency publishes a statewide amount or estimator. No dollar figure for it therefore appears anywhere in this record; it has to come from your county auditor, and it must be paid to the county treasurer before SCDMV will issue a license plate.
SCDMV's published fee schedule has no line item for recording or releasing a lien and none for transferring a plate. The $10 plate transfer fee recorded here comes from SCDMV's own 2025 dealer titling course rather than from the public fees page; no lien fee could be established from any source.
SCDMV branches handle title and registration work on a walk-in basis. Its online appointment system books driving skills tests only, so no appointment link is recorded for title transactions.
SCDMV states the bill of sale requirement two ways: its Titles page says a signed bill of sale or buyer's order showing the total sale price is required for all title transactions, while its Buying or Selling a Car page says one must accompany the paperwork if the title assignment has no space for the sale price. Bring one either way.
County vehicle property tax is assessed by the county where the vehicle is housed and is not on SCDMV's fee schedule, so no figure can be shown for it here.
SCDMV publishes no fee for recording a lien on a South Carolina title, so a buyer financing a purchase cannot be told what that costs.
SCDMV never states in so many words that a private sale needs no notary. The answer recorded here rests on the documents themselves: the title assignment, Form 400, the Form 4031 bill of sale and the Form 416 notice of sale all lack a notary block, and the word "notary" does not appear anywhere in SCDMV's own 2025 titling course.

Do this first

Before you hand over money, ask to see the South Carolina title itself and check that the seller's name is the one printed on it. SCDMV tells buyers to check the title before purchasing a used vehicle and to run the VIN through a free check such as the National Insurance Crime Bureau's.
Read the brand line on the title. SCDMV applies Salvage, Salvage Rebuilt, Salvage Flood, Salvage Flood Rebuilt, Salvage Fire, Salvage Fire Rebuilt and Junk brands, and a Junk-branded vehicle cannot legally be driven on South Carolina roads at all. A vehicle an insurer wrote off but the owner kept is retitled on the Application for Salvage/Branded Certificate of Title (Form 400-S), so the brand should be on the title you are being shown.

Your checklist

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The seller's checklist

Check that the title is in your name and carries no recorded lien before you advertise. SCDMV's Form 400 instructions state that a lien on the title must be satisfied before any transaction involving a change in ownership, and its Titles page says no change can be made to the people on a title without involving the lienholder.Official page
Complete the assignment on the back of the South Carolina title: the buyer's name and address, the odometer reading, the date of sale and the selling price, then sign as seller. If the title joins two owners with "AND", both owners must sign; if it joins them with "OR", either one may sign alone.Official page
Write on the title in ink and do not use correction fluid, correction tape, strikeovers or erasures — SCDMV states that none of those is acceptable, and no strikeouts or erasures at all are allowed in the VIN or odometer entries. SCDMV does not accept electronic signatures on the title itself.
Give the buyer a signed bill of sale showing the total sale price. SCDMV Form 4031 records the seller, buyer, vehicle, sale price, trade-in and taxable total, states that the vehicle is free of liens and encumbrances except those listed, and is signed and hand-printed by both of you.4031
Complete the Notice of Vehicle Sold (Form 416) with the plate number, VIN, the buyer's name and full street address and the date sold, sign it as seller, and take it to any SCDMV branch or mail it to SCDMV, Mail-in Registration, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0036. Section 56-3-1260 requires you to notify SCDMV in writing immediately upon a transfer of ownership.416
Take the license plate off the vehicle before the buyer drives away. South Carolina plates belong to the person, not the car — the buyer cannot use yours.Official page
If you are not moving the plate onto a replacement vehicle, turn it in: complete the Application to Replace or Surrender Plate, Decal, or Registration (Form 452), tick "Vehicle Sold" in Section II with the date and the buyer, and hand the plate in online, at a branch, or by post to SCDMV, Plate Turn-In, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0024. Only active plates need to be returned; an expired one does not.452
Cancel the South Carolina liability insurance on the vehicle once the plate is turned in — SCDMV lists that as one of the things you must do after selling.Official page
If you are letting the buyer pay you in instalments, complete the lien information in Section 2 of Form 400 naming yourself as the lienholder. SCDMV will mail the title to you and it stays with you until the buyer pays in full; you then sign off the lien so the buyer can obtain a clear title from a branch office.Applies when: You are financing the sale yourself.400

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Both of you, together

Complete the odometer disclosure together on the title assignment, in each other's presence: the seller enters the reading in miles with no tenths and certifies it, and the buyer's name and address go in the same assignment. Federal and state law require the mileage to be stated when ownership transfers, and SCDMV warns that the reading can never decrease.
Tick "Exempt", "Exceeds Mechanical Limits" or "Not Actual Mileage" only if it genuinely applies — SCDMV prints a caution telling you not to check any of them unless it does, and "Not Actual Mileage" is recorded on the new title as an odometer discrepancy.
Write the same sale price on both the title assignment and the bill of sale. SCDMV calculates the 5% Infrastructure Maintenance Fee from that figure, and two different numbers on the paperwork will hold the transfer up at the counter.

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Documents and official forms

The South Carolina certificate of title, with the assignment on the back completed and signed by the sellerMust show the buyer's name and address, the odometer reading, the date of sale and the selling price.
400Title and/or Registration Application (SCDMV Form 400)Sections 1, 2 and 4 for a title; add Section 3 if you also want a license plate.
4031A signed bill of sale or buyer's order showing the total sale price
Acceptable identification for every owner going on the titleA valid South Carolina driver's license, beginner's permit or ID card. Without one, an out-of-state credential, passport, employment authorization document or permanent resident card, plus Form TI-006.

Also required in some cases

You are also getting a license plate. SCDMV cannot register the vehicle without it.

Original paid vehicle property tax receipt from your county treasurer

The person the title will be issued to has no South Carolina driver's license, beginner's permit or ID card.

TI-006Statement of Vehicle Operation in South Carolina (SCDMV Form TI-006)

You are the seller — it is your notice to SCDMV, filed separately from the buyer's application.

416Notice of Vehicle Sold (SCDMV Form 416)

You are the seller and are turning an active plate in rather than moving it to a replacement vehicle.

452Application to Replace or Surrender Plate, Decal, or Registration (SCDMV Form 452)

Someone other than the owner signs Form 400.

Power of attorney

Deadlines

Deadline45 calendar days from the date of purchase shown on the title assignment and bill of sale — Buyer: Register the newly purchased vehicle with SCDMV within 45 days of the purchase dateSCDMV adds a late penalty on top of the regular title and registration fees, rising to $75 once you are more than 135 days late.
DeadlineNotify SCDMV in writing immediately upon the transfer of ownership, using the Notice of Vehicle Sold (Form 416) from the transfer of ownership — SellerSCDMV publishes no penalty. The form states that the notice exists for the protection of the last registered owner until the buyer completes the transfer.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	$15The certificate of title fee on its own. It excludes the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (5% of the purchase price less trade-in, capped at $500, or a flat $250 for a vehicle previously registered in another state), the $40 passenger-car registration fee, county vehicle property tax, and the $20 expedite charge for a same-day printed title.	Buyer
Certificate of title	$15The title fee on its own. It does not include the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee, the registration fee, county vehicle property tax, or the $20 expedite charge for same-day counter service.	Buyer
Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF)	5%Varies by the purchase price of the vehicle less any trade-in, capped at $500.South Carolina charges this instead of sales tax on a vehicle titled here. A purchase of $10,000 or more reaches the $500 cap.Official calculator	Buyer
Registration and license plate	$40Standard passenger car rate. SCDMV charges $38 at age 64 and $36 at 65 or over or with a documented disability, $10 for motorcycles and mopeds, and adds a $60 hybrid or $120 electric-vehicle road use fee. Trucks and cargo vans are charged on declared gross vehicle weight instead.	Buyer
License plate transfer	$10Charged when you move a plate already registered in your name onto the vehicle instead of buying a new one. Additional weight fees may apply on trucks and cargo vans.	Buyer
Expedite (same-day printed title)	$20Charged on top of the $15 title fee, so $35 in total. SCDMV only offers it over the counter at a branch office, and its dealer titling course states it is not available for out-of-state titles.	Buyer
County vehicle property tax	VariesVaries by the fair market value of the vehicle, the 6% assessment ratio for a personal motor vehicle, and the millage rate of the county where the vehicle is housed.Billed by the county auditor and paid to the county treasurer, not to SCDMV, and you must bring the original paid receipt before SCDMV will issue a license plate. The South Carolina Department of Revenue sets the assessment ratio for a personal passenger vehicle or pickup truck at 6% of fair market value from the sixth property tax year onward; the county then applies its own millage rate to that assessed value. Neither SCDMV nor the Department of Revenue publishes a dollar figure or a statewide estimator, so the amount can only come from your county auditor.	Buyer

South Carolina charges an Infrastructure Maintenance Fee instead of sales tax on a vehicle titled here: 5% of the purchase price less any trade-in, capped at $500, or a flat $250 for a vehicle that was previously registered in another state.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: Not publishedThe only vehicle inspection SCDMV publishes for a title transaction is the identification check on Form TI-021B, required when you apply for a title on a vehicle that has no previous certificate of title. SCDMV publishes no periodic safety inspection requirement anywhere in the Vehicle Owners section of its site, and none of its title or registration document lists asks for an inspection certificate.
Emissions: Not publishedSCDMV publishes no emissions testing requirement. There is no emissions page anywhere in the Vehicle Owners section of its site, and no emissions certificate appears in any of its title or registration document lists — including the checklists on the Titles, Buying or Selling a Car and Moving To SC pages, and its own 2025 dealer titling course.
Notarization: Not requiredNothing SCDMV itself asks for in an ordinary transfer is notarized — not the title assignment, not Form 400, not the Form 4031 bill of sale, not the Form 416 notice of sale. A notary only appears in the trust and probate routes, and on a power of attorney executed in another state.
Odometer disclosure: Required, unless you are exempt
The vehicle was manufactured in 2011 or later and is now 20 years old or older.
The vehicle was manufactured before 2011 and is now 10 years old or older.
The vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 lbs.
The vehicle is not self-propelled.
The vehicle is a low-speed vehicle with no odometer.
The previous title already states "exempt".
The mileage must be stated whenever ownership transfers — on the title assignment and again in Section 2 of Form 400 — unless the vehicle falls into one of SCDMV's published exemption categories. SCDMV warns that the reading can never decrease.

What happens to the plates

South Carolina plates belong to the person, not the vehicle: the seller takes the plate off and either moves it to a replacement vehicle or turns it in on Form 452, and the buyer gets a new plate or moves across one already registered in their own name for $10.

The seller surrenders the plates
The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle
The buyer gets new plates
The buyer supplies a plate registered in their own name

SCDMV requires at least one owner listed on a plate to match the new owners before it can be transferred, plate types cannot change on a transfer, and a plate must have at least three months left on its registration to be moved — if it is within three months of expiring, renew it first. Only active plates need to be returned; an expired plate does not. Selling a vehicle means doing all of: filing Form 416, filing Form 452, handing the plate back, and cancelling the South Carolina liability insurance.

How to submit

In person at a state title office
By mail

One form does both. Form 400 is headed "Title and/or Registration Application", and you tick TITLE, REGISTRATION NEW or both — most people do them together in a single visit, but SCDMV states that "a registration cannot be issued without a title first being issued".

Official state links

Source: South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). Checked July 31, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about South Carolina

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in South Carolina?: 45 calendar days from the date of purchase, or for a vehicle brought in from another state the date it was first operated in South Carolina. SCDMV charges a late penalty in addition to the regular title and registration fees: $10 at 46-60 days, $25 at 61-75 days, $50 at 76-135 days and $75 once you are more than 135 days late.
How much does a title transfer cost in South Carolina?: The base title fee is $15. The certificate of title fee on its own. It excludes the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (5% of the purchase price less trade-in, capped at $500, or a flat $250 for a vehicle previously registered in another state), the $40 passenger-car registration fee, county vehicle property tax, and the $20 expedite charge for a same-day printed title. South Carolina charges an Infrastructure Maintenance Fee instead of sales tax on a vehicle titled here: 5% of the purchase price less any trade-in, capped at $500, or a flat $250 for a vehicle that was previously registered in another state.
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in South Carolina?: Sometimes required. Nothing SCDMV itself asks for in an ordinary transfer is notarized — not the title assignment, not Form 400, not the Form 4031 bill of sale, not the Form 416 notice of sale. A notary only appears in the trust and probate routes, and on a power of attorney executed in another state.
Does the seller have to notify the title authority in South Carolina?: Yes. South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). Notify SCDMV in writing immediately upon a transfer of ownership, on the Notice of Vehicle Sold (Form 416) from the transfer of ownership. SCDMV publishes no penalty. Form 416 states the notice does not itself transfer ownership and exists for the protection of the last registered owner until the buyer completes the transfer.
What happens to the license plates in South Carolina?: South Carolina plates belong to the person, not the vehicle: the seller takes the plate off and either moves it to a replacement vehicle or turns it in on Form 452, and the buyer gets a new plate or moves across one already registered in their own name for $10.

About this page

Everything here is a summary of procedures published by official state title authorities, with a link to the source for each answer.

Unusual ownership, probate, lien, salvage, court-order or identity situations commonly require steps beyond those listed here.

We do not file anything with any agency, and we cannot submit, expedite, or check the status of a transfer. Ticking a box on this site records your own progress in your browser and nothing more.

35 official sources · last checked July 31, 2026 · How this was compiled · Report a correction