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TO AMEND SECTION 12-43-225, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE MULTIPLE LOT DISCOUNT, SO AS TO DELETE THE PROVISION THAT REMOVES THE DISCOUNTED VALUE AFTER FIVE YEARS FOR A DEVELOPER, TO DELETE THE PROVISION THAT REMOVES THE DISCOUNTED VALUE AFTER ONE YEAR FOR A HOMEBUILDER, AND TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 12-43-225 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 12-43-225. (A) For subdivision lots in a plat recorded on or after January 1, 2001, a subdivision lot discount is allowed in the valuation of the platted lots only as provided in subsection (B) of this section, and this discounted value applies for five property tax years or until the lot is sold or a certificate of occupancy is issued for the improvement on the lot, or the improvement is occupied, whichever of them elapses or occurs first. When the discount allowed by this section no longer applies, the lots must be individually valued as provided by law.
(B) To be eligible for a subdivision lot discount, the recorded plat must contain at least ten building lots. The owner shall apply for the discount by means of a written application to the assessor on or before May first of the year for which the discount is initially claimed. After initially qualifying for the discount provided in this section, no further application is required, unless ownership of the property changes. A property owner may make a late application for the discount provided in this section until the thirtieth day following the mailing of the property tax bill for the year in which his discount is claimed provided the application is in writing and accompanied by a one hundred dollar late application penalty, payable to the county treasurer for deposit to the county general fund. The value of each platted building lot is calculated by dividing the total number of platted building lots into the value of the entire parcel as undeveloped real property.
(C) If a lot allowed the discount provided by this section is sold to the holder of a residential homebuilder's license or general contractor's license, the licensee shall receive the discount through the first tax year which ends twelve months from the date of sale and if the purchaser files a written application for the discount with the county assessor within sixty days of the date of sale, then for purposes of subsection (A), the lot is deemed not to have been sold.
(D)(1) For lots which received the discount provided in subsection (B) on December 31, 2011, there is granted an additional three years of eligibility for that discount in property tax years 2012, 2013, and 2014, in addition to any remaining period provided for in subsection (B). If ten or more lots receiving the discount under this item are sold to a new owner primarily in the business of real estate development, the new owner may make written application within sixty days of the date of sale to the assessor for the remaining eligibility period under this item.
(2) For lots which received the discount provided in subsection (C) after December 31, 2008, and before January 1, 2012, upon written application to the assessor no later than thirty days after mailing of the property tax bill, there is granted an additional three years of eligibility for that discount in property tax years 2012, 2013, and 2014. If a lot receiving the additional eligibility under this item is transferred to a new owner primarily in the business of residential development or residential construction during its eligibility period, the new owner may apply to the county assessor for the discount allowed by this item for the remaining period of eligibility, which must be allowed if the new owner applied for the discount within thirty days of the mailing of the tax bill and meets the other requirements of this section."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and applies to property tax years beginning after 2013. Any lot receiving the discount on December 31, 2013, may continue to receive the discount.
This web page was last updated on March 20, 2014 at 10:18 AM