Cancellation of license plate and registration certificate upon transfer of vehicle title or upon owner of vehicle becoming legal resident of another state and registers vehicle in that state; refund or credit for property taxes paid by transferor.

S.C. Code Ann. § 12-37-2725

in effect

When the title to a licensed vehicle is transferred, or the owner of the vehicle becomes a legal resident of another state and registers the vehicle in the new state of residence, the license plate and registration certificate may be returned for cancellation. The license plate and registration certificate must be delivered to the Department of Motor Vehicles. A request for cancellation must be made in writing to the auditor upon forms approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The auditor, upon receipt of the Form 5051 and the request for cancellation, shall order and the treasurer shall issue a credit or refund of property taxes paid by the transferor on the vehicle. The amount of the refund or credit is that proportion of the tax paid that is equal to that proportion of the complete months remaining in that tax year. The auditor, within five days thereafter, shall deliver the request for cancellation to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Upon receipt, the Department of Motor Vehicles shall cancel the license plate and registration certificate and may not reissue the same. Code Commissioner's Note Pursuant to the direction to the Code Commissioner in 2003 Act No. 51, SECTION 18, "Department of Public Safety" was changed to "Department of Motor Vehicles" in three places. Effect of Amendment 2015 Act No. 87, SECTION 19, substituted "Department of Motor Vehicles" for "auditor of the county of the vehicle's registration and tax payment" in the second sentence; substituted "Form 5051" for "license plate, registration certificate," in the fourth sentence; and deleted "license plate, registration certificate, and the written" following "shall deliver the" in the second to the last sentence.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t12c037.phpFetched: 10/17/2026