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AMENDED
May 8, 2019
H. 3243
S. Printed 5/8/19--S. [SEC 5/9/19 1:20 PM]
Read the first time March 26, 2019.
TO AMEND SECTION 8-21-310, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO A SCHEDULE OF SPECIFIED FILING AND RECORDING FEES, SO AS TO REVISE AND FURTHER PROVIDE FOR VARIOUS FILING FEES, INCLUDING A FLAT FEE OF TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS FOR CERTAIN DOCUMENTS FILED OR RECORDED WITH THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OR CLERKS OF COURT, AND A FLAT FEE OF TEN DOLLARS FOR CERTAIN OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED OR RECORDED WITH THE REGISTER OF DEEDS OR CLERKS OF COURT, AS APPROPRIATE, AND TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONS.
Amend Title To Conform
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 8-21-310 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 8-21-310. Except as otherwise expressly provided, the following fees and costs must be collected on a uniform basis in each county by clerks of court and registers of deeds or county treasurers as may be determined by the governing body of the county:
(1) for recording a deed to or a mortgage on real estate, ten dollars; and an additional one dollar a page for any deed or mortgage containing more than four pages; for entry of a deed or mortgage that covers both real estate and personal property in the indexes for both real and personal property conveyances or mortgages, one dollar additional;
(2) for recording a chattel mortgage, conditional sale contract, lease or contract of sale of personal property, and any other document required to be recorded under the Uniform Commercial Code (Title 36), the fees provided in Title 36;
(3) for recording an instrument which assigns, transfers, or affects a single real estate mortgage or other instrument affecting title to real property or lien for the payment of money, unless it is part of the original instrument when initially filed, six dollars; and if the instrument assigns, transfers, or affects more than one real estate mortgage, instrument, or lien, six dollars for each mortgage, instrument, or lien assigned, transferred, or affected and referred to in the instrument and an additional one dollar for each page for any instrument exceeding one page;
(4) for recording any lease, contract of sale, trust indenture, or other document affecting title or possession of real property not otherwise provided for in this section, ten dollars, and an additional one dollar a page for a document containing more than four pages;
(5) for recording satisfaction on the record of a mortgage of real estate or a chattel mortgage or other recorded lien, and certifying the entry on the original or a copy, five dollars;
(6) for recording separate probates, affidavits, or certificates which are not part of or attached to another document to be recorded, ten dollars;
(7) for recording a plat larger than eight and one-half by fourteen inches, ten dollars; for plats of 'legal size' dimensions, or smaller, five dollars;
(8) for recording decree of foreclosure or partition of real property in mortgage book or deed book, the same fee as for recording deed or mortgage of real estate;
(9) for recording any other paper affecting title or possession of real estate or personal property and required by law to be recorded, except judicial records, ten dollars, and an additional one dollar a page for a document containing more than four pages;
(10) for filing power of attorney, trustee qualification, or other appointment, fifteen dollars, and an additional one dollar a page for a document containing more than four pages. However, upon presentation of a copy of deployment orders to a combat zone by or on behalf of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, the filing fee for a power of attorney for the person deployed is waived. In addition, the filing fee for a revocation of power of attorney filed by or on behalf of a member of the armed forces of the United States is waived if the revocation is filed: (i) within three years from the date of filing the power of attorney; and (ii) a copy of the deployment orders to a combat zone is presented. For purposes of this item, 'combat zone' has the meaning provided in Internal Revenue Service Publication 3 and includes service in a qualified hazardous duty area;
(11)(a) For filing first complaint or petition, including application for a remedial and prerogative writ and bond on attachment or other bond, in a civil action or proceeding, in a court of record, one hundred dollars. There is no further fee for filing an amended or supplemental complaint or petition nor for filing any other paper in the same action or proceeding. An original application for post conviction relief may be filed without fee upon permission of the court to which the application is addressed. There is no further fee for entering and filing a verdict, judgment, final decree, or order of dismissal, and enrolling a judgment thereon, for signing, sealing, and issuance of execution, or for entering satisfaction or partial satisfaction on a judgment:
(b) for filing, recording, and indexing lis pendens when not accompanied by summons and complaint, ten dollars;
(c) for receiving and enrolling transcripts of judgment from magistrate's courts and federal district courts, ten dollars;
(d) for filing and enrolling a judgment by confession, ten dollars;
(12) no fee may be charged to a defendant or respondent for filing an answer, return, or other papers in any civil action or proceeding, in a court of record;
(13) for taking and filing an order for bail with or without bond, one dollar; with bond when surety must be justified, ten dollars;
(14) for taking and filing bond or security costs, one dollar; with bond when surety must be justified, ten dollars;
(15) for filing or recording any commission of notary public or other public office, license or permit to practice any profession or trade, notice of formation or dissolution of any partnership, five dollars;
(16) for filing the charter of any public or private corporation or association required by law to be recorded, ten dollars, and an additional one dollar a page for any such document containing more than four pages;
(17) for issuing an official certificate under seal of court not otherwise specified in this section, one dollar;
(18) for holding a hearing for condemnation proceedings, twenty-five dollars a day;
(19) for filing notice of discharge in bankruptcy, fifteen dollars;
(20) for filing and enrolling and satisfaction of South Carolina and United States Government tax liens:
(a) for filing and enrolling and satisfying executions or warrants for distraint for the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, the South Carolina Department of Revenue, or any other state agency, where costs of the executions or warrants for distraint are chargeable to the persons against whom such executions or warrants for distraint are issued, ten dollars;
(b) for filing and enrolling and satisfying any tax lien of any agency of the United States Government, where the costs of the executions are chargeable to the persons against whom such executions are issued, ten dollars;
The clerk shall mark 'satisfied' upon receipt of the fees provided in this item for any tax lien or warrant for distraint issued by any agency of this State or of the United States upon receipt of a certificate duly signed by an authorized officer of any agency of this State or the United States to the effect that the execution or warrant for distraint has been paid and satisfied.
(21) for filing and processing an order for the Destruction of Arrest Records, thirty-five dollars, which fee must be for each order regardless of the number of cases contained in the order. The fee under the provisions of this item does not apply to cases where the defendant is found not guilty or where the underlying charge is dismissed or nol prossed unless that dismissal or nol prosse is the result of successful completion of a pretrial intervention program;
(22) for filing, indexing, enrolling, and entering a foreign judgment and an affidavit pursuant to Article 11, Chapter 35, Title 15 of the 1976 Code, one hundred dollars.
(23) for filing a notice of meter conservation charge as permitted by Section 58-37-50, ten dollars.
(24) for filing court documents by electronic means from an integrated electronic filing (e-filing) system owned and operated by the South Carolina Judicial Department in an amount set by the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court and all fees must be remitted to the South Carolina Judicial Department to be dedicated to the support of court technology.
(A) Except as otherwise provided, as determined by the governing body of a county, the clerks of court, registers of deeds, or county treasurers shall collect the following uniform filing fees:
(1) ten dollars for a deed to real estate; and
(2) fifteen dollars for the following documents:
(a) a mortgage;
(b) a land sale installment contract;
(c) a real estate sales contract;
(d) any document required to be recorded pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code;
(e) a plat or survey not part of or attached to another document to be recorded;
(f) a lease for real estate;
(g) an easement agreement or other document affecting title or possession of real property not otherwise provided for in this section;
(h) a power of attorney, provided, however, that upon presentation of a copy of deployment orders to a combat zone by or on behalf of a member of the armed forces of the United States, the filing fee for a power of attorney for the person deployed is waived;
(i) a notice of a mechanic's lien; or
(j) any other document affecting a title or the possession of real estate that is required by law to be recorded or filed, except judicial records, including restrictive covenants, bylaws, and amendments to restrictive covenants and bylaws.
(B) Except as otherwise expressly provided, as may be determined by the governing body of a county, the clerks of court, registers of deeds, or county treasurers shall collect a uniform filing fee of ten dollars, unless otherwise stated, for the following documents or actions:
(1) a revocation of power of attorney, provided, however, that the filing fee is waived if it is filed by or on behalf of a member of the armed forces of the United States if the revocation is filed within three years from the date of filing the power of attorney and a copy of the deployment orders to a combat zone is presented. For the purposes of this item, 'combat zone' has the meaning provided in Internal Revenue Service Publication 3 and includes service in a qualified hazardous duty area;
(2) an assignment of leases and rents or the cancellation or release of an assignment of leases and rents;
(3) separate probates, acknowledgements, affidavits, or certificates that are not part of or attached to another document to be recorded;
(4) a mortgage satisfaction or release, including a partial release or entry in a public record;
(5) the recording of an instrument that assigns, transfers, or affects a single real estate mortgage or other instrument affecting a title to real property or a lien for the payment of money, unless it is part of the original instrument when initially filed, except if the instrument assigns, transfers, or affects more than one real estate mortgage, instrument, or lien, in which case the filing fee is seven dollars for each mortgage, instrument, or lien assigned, transferred, or affected and referred to in the instrument;
(6) taking and filing bond or security costs;
(7) filing a trustee qualification, memorandum of trust, or certification of trust;
(8) filing a notice of meter conservation charge as permitted by Section 58-37-50;
(9) the filing, enrolling, satisfaction, or expungement of state or federal liens. The clerk shall mark 'satisfied' upon receipt of the fees provided in this item for any lien or warrant for distraint issued by any agency of this State or of the United States upon receipt of a certificate duly signed by an authorized officer of any agency of this State or of the United States to the effect that the lien or warrant of distraint has been paid;
(10) the filing or recording of any commission of a notary public or other public office or any license or permit to practice a profession or trade required to be filed in the county where the individual permanently resides;
(11) the filing of the charter of any public or private corporation or association required by law to be recorded;
(12) the filing or recording of the dissolution of any partnership or corporate document required to be filed in the county;
(13) the filing and enrolling of a judgment by confession;
(14) the taking and filing of an order for bail with or without bond;
(15) the filing of a notice of discharge in bankruptcy;
(16) the filing, recording, and indexing of a lis pendens if not accompanied by a summons and complaint. For cancellation of a lis pendens, a fee may be required as provided in Section 15-11-40;
(17) the recording of a release or discharge of a mechanic's lien, or notice of pendency of an action of suit to enforce a mechanic's lien in accordance with Chapter 5, Title 29; or
(18) the filing of a document relating to a title of an interest in a vacation time sharing plan organized under Chapter 32, Title 27, provided, however, that the document must include clear notice on the first page and be titled "Vacation Time-Sharing Ownership Deed," indicating that the document relates to a deeded interest in a vacation time-share plan.
(C) Except as otherwise provided, as may be determined by the governing body of the county, the clerks of court or county treasurers shall:
(1) in addition to the fee imposed by Section 14-1-204(B)(1), collect one hundred dollars for filing a first complaint or petition, including an application for a remedial and prerogative writ and bond in a civil action or proceeding. There is no further fee for filing an amended or supplemental complaint or petition or for filing any other paper in the same action of the proceeding, with the exception of motions. An original application for post-conviction relief may be filed without a fee, upon the permission of the court to which the application is addressed. There is no further fee for entering and filing a verdict, judgment, final decree, or order of dismissal and enrolling judgment thereon; for the signing, sealing, and issuance of execution; or for entering satisfaction or partial satisfaction on a judgment;
(2) collect one hundred dollars for filing, indexing, enrolling, and entering a foreign judgment and an affidavit pursuant to Article 11, Chapter 35, Title 15;
(3) collect an amount set by the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court for filing court documents by electronic means from an integrated electronic filing, or e-filing, system owned and operated by the South Carolina Judicial Department. All fees must be remitted to the South Carolina Judicial Department to be dedicated to the support of court technology;
(4) collect thirty-five dollars for filing and processing an order for the Destruction of Arrest Records, and the fee must be for each order, regardless of the number of cases contained in the order. The fee under the provisions of this item does not apply to cases in which the defendant is found not guilty or in which the underlying charge is dismissed or nol prossed unless that dismissal or nol prosse is the result of the successful completion of a pretrial intervention program;
(5) collect thirty-five dollars for receiving and enrolling transcripts of judgment from magistrate courts and federal district courts;
(6) collect ten dollars for taking and filing an order for bail, whether or not surety must be justified;
(7) collect ten dollars for taking and filing bond or security costs, whether or not surety must be justified;
(8) collect ten dollars for issuing an official certificate under the seal of the court not otherwise specified in this section; or
(9) collect fifteen dollars as set forth in Section 29-5-23 for a Notice of Project Commencement.
(D) No fee may be charged to a defendant or respondent for filing an answer, return, or other papers in any civil action or proceeding in a court of record."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect August 1, 2019.
This web page was last updated on May 9, 2019 at 1:20 PM