Kershaw County Tax Map: Parcel Search and Assessed Values

The Kershaw County tax map lives on a free online GIS portal run by qPublic, where you can pull up any parcel in the county by tax map number, owner name, or street address and see its boundaries, acreage, zoning, and assessed values.¹

Where to Find the Portal

The direct address is qpublic.schneidercorp.com, which opens the Kershaw County search page.¹ If you’d rather come in through the county website, the Assessor’s Department page links to the mapping site, and so does the GIS & 911 Addressing page under “Doing Business.”²

How to Search

The portal gives you three ways in: parcel number, owner name, and street address.¹ Parcel number is the most precise. In South Carolina it’s called the Tax Map Sequence, or TMS, number, and you’ll find it on the annual property tax notice the Treasurer mails and on your recorded deed.

No TMS handy? Search by owner name as it appears on the deed, or by street address. One thing to watch: the owner name on file follows the last recorded deed, which can lag a recent sale by weeks or months. If you closed recently and the seller’s name still shows, try the address search.

What the Record Shows

Selecting a parcel opens an interactive map of the boundaries with tools to zoom, measure distances, and switch between aerial photography, street-level views, and topographic overlays. Zoning layers cover Camden, Elgin, and unincorporated Kershaw County, so you can check the land-use classification before assuming a site can be built on.¹

The data pane beside the map lists total acreage and the assessed value of the land and any structures on it. South Carolina law requires county assessors to keep a continuous record of deed sales, building permits, and tax maps as part of an ongoing reassessment program.³ The parcel record often links out to the Register of Deeds, where recorded plats and historical deeds are filed.⁴

What the Map Isn’t

When the portal loads, a disclaimer states that the data comes with no warranties and should not be used as a legal description, plat, title search, or property appraisal.¹ That matters. If you’re buying, closing, or working out a boundary line with a neighbor, you still need a licensed surveyor or a certified title search. The GIS map is a research tool, not a legal document.

Reading the Assessed Values

The values on the parcel record aren’t the property’s full market value. South Carolina applies an assessment ratio that depends on how the property is used. Owner-occupied legal residences are taxed at 4% of fair market value. Everything else, including rental homes, vacant land, and commercial buildings, is taxed at 6%.⁵

The gap is meaningful. On a home valued at $250,000, the 4% ratio produces an assessed value of $10,000; the 6% ratio produces $15,000. At a Kershaw County millage in the range of 341 mills, that difference works out to roughly $1,700 a year. To qualify for the 4% rate you have to apply through the Assessor’s Office and confirm the property is your primary residence. If you already have the 4% rate and nothing has changed, no reapplication is needed, but new owners should file promptly after closing.

If the Value on the Map Looks Wrong

If the assessed value shown for your parcel doesn’t match what you believe the property is worth, you can challenge it. File a written objection with the Kershaw County Assessor’s Office within 90 days of the date the assessment notice was mailed. The office is in Room 100 of the Government Center; the phone number is (803) 425-1523.⁶

If the Assessor’s response doesn’t resolve things, you have 30 days to escalate to the Kershaw County Board of Assessment Appeals by sending the Assessor written notice of your intent. The board then sets a hearing with at least 30 days’ notice to both sides, and at least 15 days before the hearing you and the Assessor must exchange copies of all evidence you plan to present, including appraisals and comparable sales.⁷

The burden is on you to show the Assessor’s value is wrong. Saying it’s too high isn’t enough. A recent independent appraisal or a set of comparable sales showing similar properties selling below the assessed figure is the evidence that carries weight. Skip the hearing and the board enters a default decision for the Assessor’s value; if the Assessor is the one who doesn’t appear, the board can adopt the value you proposed.⁷

1
qPublic. Kershaw County, SC – Search
2
Kershaw County, SC. GIS and 911 Addressing
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-37 – Assessment of Property Taxes
4
Kershaw County, SC. Register of Deeds
5
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-43-220 – Classification of Property and Assessment Ratios
6
Kershaw County, SC. Assessor
7
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 12-60-2530 – County Board of Assessment Appeals