SCDNR Boats & Motors

The South Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources (SCDNR) notifies the county on a monthly basis which boats and motors are due for taxation. The county then creates tax notices which include the registration renewal fee of $10.00. Once taxes and the renewal fee are both paid, the county notifies DNR to renew and send updated registration.  

Purchasing boats and motors:

If you have purchased a boat or motor that has ever been titled and/or registered in South Carolina:

1. Bring the title or notarized bill of sale for the boat and/or motor(s) to the Georgetown County Auditor’s office. Pay your property taxes in your name.
2. If the assessed value of the boat is determined to be less than 50, an exempt letter may be provided by the Auditor. 
   1. If you would like our office to generate a tax notice for you, please send copy of the front and back of the title(s) or notarized bill of sale to: aud_boats@gtcounty.org. 

Tax notices will be generated from the purchase date of the property. 

If you have purchased a boat or motor out-of-state or from a boat dealer, contact SCDNR to register the boat and/or motor(s) with them. Once registered, SCDNR will notify the Georgetown County Auditor’s office to tax the property. Below is a link to the SCDNR Boating page for more information. 

https://www.dnr.sc.gov/boating.html

Selling a boat or motor

You must notify SCDNR that you have sold a boat and motor by filling out a BM400, which can be found on their website. Failure to do so will result in taxes to continue to be generated. 

If you sell a boat or motor that taxes have been paid on for the current year, you may qualify for a prorated refund of those taxes. Please provide the Auditor’s office with a copy of the title or bill of sale, and a copy of the completed BM400 that was sent to DNR. Request for a refund must be made to the Auditor’s office, and proper documentation must be provided.