Anderson County, SC Tax Map: TMS Lookup, Parcels, and Appeals

The Anderson County SC tax map is available free online through the county’s Property Viewer at propertyviewer.andersoncountysc.org, where you can look up any parcel by its Tax Map Number (TMS), the owner’s name, or the street address.¹ The Assessor’s Office Mapping Department maintains the maps in ArcGIS and can also produce paper copies on request.

How to Search the Property Viewer

Open propertyviewer.andersoncountysc.org and accept the disclaimer before the search tools become active.² From there, three search paths work:

By TMS number, if you have it from a deed or tax bill.
By the owner’s legal name.
By the property’s physical (situs) address.¹

Entering a search pulls up the parcel outlined on an aerial photo base. The viewer includes on-screen tools for measuring distances, which help with rough estimates of road frontage or setback space.

What the TMS Number Is and Where to Find It

Every parcel in Anderson County carries a unique Tax Map Number, usually called a TMS number. It’s at least ten digits long and breaks into four parts: a three-digit map number, a two-digit sub-map number, a two-digit block number, and a three-digit parcel number.³ The format is set by state regulation and is the same in every South Carolina county.

You can find the TMS on your recorded deed, your annual property tax bill, or any prior-year tax receipt. Searching by TMS is the fastest route if you have it; name and address searches work when you don’t.

What You’ll See on a Parcel Record

Clicking a parcel brings up the tax record for that lot. The record typically includes:

The TMS number and physical address.
A property description.
The deed reference by book and page number, matching the Register of Deeds filing system.
Recent sale prices on the parcel.

The viewer also has toggleable layers that overlay other data on top of the parcel map, including zoning designations, school district boundaries, flood zone areas, and topographic information. The flood zone layer is worth checking before you buy or build. A flood designation affects insurance costs and what you can put on the lot, and it’s a common surprise at closing.

Data in the viewer reflects what the Assessor’s Office has on file, so recent sales, splits, or combinations may not yet appear. Changes recorded this year generally take effect the following tax year.¹

Limits of the Map Data

The disclaimer you accept to use the viewer isn’t a formality. Anderson County states plainly that the map is not a land survey, cannot be used to prepare a legal description, and that the county “disclaim any and all responsibility for errors which may be disclosed by an accurate land survey.”² GIS lines are approximations drawn from deed descriptions and prior mapping work. If a fence line, driveway, or planned structure depends on knowing where the boundary actually sits, you need a licensed survey, not the viewer.

Boundary disputes that touch on where a county line falls are a separate matter, since those lines can be set by state action rather than by individual surveys.

Getting a Paper Copy

For a closing, a bank, or a court filing, you can request a printed map from the Assessor’s Office. The office is at 401 E. River Street, Anderson, SC 29624. Phone is (864) 260-4028 and email is Assessor@andersoncountysc.org; mail requests are also accepted.¹ Fees depend on the size of the printout, and staff can pull historical map revisions during business hours.

When the Map Is Wrong

Errors show up on tax maps for a lot of reasons: a boundary drawn from an old deed that a newer survey contradicts, rounded acreage, or a split that was never properly recorded. The Mapping Department updates the map and the tax record when a new deed or plat for a portion of a lot is recorded at the Register of Deeds, with the change taking effect the next tax year.¹

If you think your parcel’s boundaries or acreage are wrong on the map, start by calling the Mapping Department at (864) 260-4028 or emailing Assessor@andersoncountysc.org. Bring a recent recorded survey if you have one. A licensed survey carries legal weight that GIS data does not, as the county’s own disclaimer makes clear. If the department can’t resolve the issue through that channel, the next step is a formal letter from an attorney with the survey attached.

Appealing an Assessment Tied to Map Data

Map errors matter because they feed into your assessed value. Wrong acreage, a boundary that captures part of a neighbor’s lot, or a misclassification can inflate your tax bill year after year. South Carolina law gives you 90 days from the date the assessor mails your assessment notice to file a written objection. In years when you don’t receive a notice, you can appeal at any time, but the filing date controls which tax year is affected: appeals filed before the January 15 penalty date apply to that tax year, and appeals filed on or after January 15 apply to the next.⁴

File the appeal in writing with the Assessor’s Office at 401 E. River Street, Anderson, SC 29624, by fax at (864) 260-4099, or by email at assessor@andersoncountysc.org. Use a separate form for each parcel and attach supporting documentation such as comparable sales, a recent appraisal, or photos of the property’s condition. Late, incomplete, unsigned, or unsupported applications won’t be processed. While an appeal is pending, you can ask in writing that your assessment be reduced to no less than 80% of the disputed amount, but that request must be submitted before December 31 of the tax year at issue.⁵

1
Anderson County South Carolina. Assessor and Real Property
2
Anderson County, South Carolina. Anderson County Geographic Information Systems Online Mapping
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code of Regulations Chapter 117 – Section 117-1740.2 Cadastral Maps and Parcel Identifiers
4
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-60-2510 – Property Tax Assessment, Objection and Appeal
5
Anderson County South Carolina. Anderson County Appeal Form