South Carolina License Plates: Fees, Display, and Renewal

South Carolina license plates are issued by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) after you title the vehicle, pay your county vehicle property tax, and show proof of liability insurance. Most passenger vehicles need only one plate, mounted on the rear, and registration renews every two years starting at $40.¹ The rest is detail: what the state requires up front, what the plate must look like on your car, and what it costs if you fall behind.

How to Get a Plate

A registration cannot be processed until a title has been issued in your name.² If you bought from a dealer, the dealer usually files the title paperwork. If you bought from a private seller, you file Form 400 yourself at an SCDMV branch or by mail.³

Before the SCDMV will register the vehicle, you also need to pay vehicle property tax to your county. Contact your county auditor with the VIN, receive a tax bill, pay it at the county treasurer, and bring the original paid receipt to the SCDMV.⁴

You have 45 days from the date of purchase, or from the date you start operating the vehicle in South Carolina, to finish titling and registration. After that, late penalties escalate:⁵

46 to 60 days late: $10
61 to 75 days late: $25
76 to 135 days late: $50
More than 135 days late: $75

New residents follow the same path with one addition: update your auto insurance to a company licensed in South Carolina before you visit the SCDMV. The 45-day clock still applies.

Insurance You Must Carry

South Carolina requires liability coverage of at least $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage, with proof on file with the SCDMV at all times.⁶

There is one alternative. You can pay a $550 uninsured motorist fee at registration or renewal. That fee is not insurance and gives you no coverage in a crash; it only buys the legal right to drive uninsured.⁷

If your insurance lapses, the SCDMV suspends your driving privilege, registration, and plate within 15 days of receiving the cancellation notice. Surrender the plate before the suspension takes effect and you avoid the reinstatement fee. Wait, and you owe $200 to reinstate. Refusing to return a suspended plate is a misdemeanor with a fine of $100 to $200 and up to 30 days in jail for a first offense.⁸

The One-Time Infrastructure Maintenance Fee

When a vehicle is first registered in South Carolina, you owe an Infrastructure Maintenance Fee equal to 5% of the purchase price, capped at $500. This is separate from property tax and registration fees, and it applies to both dealer and private-party purchases.⁹

Active-duty military members are exempt, and the exemption extends to vehicles owned by their spouse or dependents.⁹

Plate Options and What They Cost

The standard South Carolina plate is issued automatically. The biennial registration fee is $40 for most drivers, $38 at age 64, and $36 for drivers 65 or older or with a permanent disability.¹

Specialty plates support military branches, universities, and charitable organizations. Eligibility varies: military plates generally require a DD-214 or comparable proof, and some plates require a connection to the sponsoring group. The base specialty fee is $15 on top of registration, but individual plates cost more and some include a built-in donation.¹⁰ If you no longer qualify for a specialty plate, return it and switch to another.

Personalized plates let you pick a combination, subject to SCDMV approval; offensive, misleading, or inappropriate combinations are rejected. Cars and trucks get up to seven characters, motorcycles and specialty personalized plates up to six. The fee is $30 above your standard registration.¹¹ If you let a personalized plate lapse, the combination returns to the available pool.

How the Plate Must Be Displayed

South Carolina is a one-plate state. On most passenger vehicles the plate goes on the rear, mounted horizontally and upright, fastened so it does not swing, and kept in plain view.¹²

A few exceptions apply. Truck tractors and road tractors display the plate on the front. Single-unit commercial vehicles with a gross weight over 26,000 pounds can mount it front or rear. Motorcycles with vertical brackets may display the plate vertically, but the bottom edge must sit at least 12 inches off the ground and remain clearly visible.¹²

Decorative frames and decals are fine as long as they do not cover any letters or numbers. Tinted covers are not allowed. A trailer hitch cannot obscure more than two inches of the plate.¹²

Temporary Plates from a Dealer

A dealer temporary plate is valid for up to 45 days, must show its printed expiration date, and must be fastened securely to the rear of the vehicle. It is tied to the specific vehicle it was issued for. Keep the bill of sale, title, or lease contract in the car while the temp plate is in use. Dealers cannot issue a temp plate until the sale is complete and the plate has been entered into the state’s electronic database, and they cannot use temp plates on demos, employee cars, or vehicles moving between locations.¹³

Renewing Every Two Years

Registration renews every two years and expires on the last day of the month. The SCDMV mails a renewal notice, but the deadline is yours to track whether or not the notice arrives.¹

Property tax has to be paid to the county before renewal will process. The county treasurer can take both the tax payment and the renewal fee in one visit.¹⁴ You can also renew online with a credit or debit card, in person at an SCDMV branch, or by mail with the notice, proof of tax payment, and a check or money order. Senior discount corrections and adjusted tax bills need to be handled at a branch.

Miss the date and the fee ladder starts immediately:¹⁵

1 to 14 days late: $10
15 to 29 days late: $25
30 to 89 days late: $50
90 or more days late: $75

Campers and travel trailers are exempt from these late fees.¹⁵

Replacing or Transferring a Plate

Lost, stolen, or damaged plates can be replaced by submitting Form 452 online, by mail, or in person for a $6 fee.¹⁶ If the plate was stolen, file a police report so it is not used against you fraudulently.

You can also move a valid plate from one vehicle to another you own, provided both vehicles are the same general type. The transfer costs $10, and the first transfer to a given vehicle can be processed without a paid property tax receipt. Any later transfer to that same vehicle requires a paid tax receipt based on the vehicle’s value.¹⁷

Returning the Plate When You Sell or Move

The plate does not stay with the car. When you sell a vehicle, complete a Notice of Vehicle Sold (Form 416) and a plate surrender form (Form 452), return the plate to the SCDMV, and cancel liability insurance on that vehicle. Only active plates need to be surrendered; expired plates can be thrown away.¹⁸

If you are moving out of state, register the vehicle in your new state first, then return the South Carolina plate by mail or at any branch.¹⁸ Skipping this step is expensive if insurance lapses on the still-active plate: the SCDMV will suspend your registration and driving privilege, and the reinstatement fee is $200.⁸

Penalties for Common Violations

Most South Carolina plate infractions are misdemeanors, with a general penalty of up to a $100 fine or up to 30 days in jail. Driving an unregistered vehicle also carries the late renewal fees above, which top out at $75 past 90 days, and prolonged failure to register can lead to suspension.¹⁵

Display violations are enforced. Driving with no plate, using a tinted cover, or letting a hitch or frame block letters or numbers can get you pulled over.¹²

Using a stolen plate, lying on a plate application, or concealing a material fact to obtain a special plate is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $100 fine or 30 days in jail. Law enforcement can seize any plate used unlawfully, and repeat violations can cost you the ability to register vehicles in the state.¹⁹

Driving uninsured is its own offense with steeper penalties. A first conviction brings a $100 to $200 fine or 30 days in jail. A second within five years brings a $200 fine or 30 days, or both. A third or later offense carries 45 days to six months of imprisonment with no fine-only option, and the SCDMV will suspend your license, registration, and plates until you pay to reinstate.⁸

1
SCDMV. Fees – Section: Title and Registration Fees
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SCDMV. Registration
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SCDMV. Titles – Section: Titling a Vehicle
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SCDMV. Titling and Registering Vehicle in SC
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South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Title and/or Registration Application Form 400
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 38-77-140 – Bodily Injury and Property Damage Limits; General Requirements
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-10-510 – Registration of Uninsured Motor Vehicles
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-10-240 – Requirement That Upon Loss of Insurance, Insured Obtain New Insurance or Surrender Registration and Plates
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-627 – Infrastructure Maintenance Fee
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South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Specialty License Plate Information
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SCDMV. Personalized Plates
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-1240 – Display of License Plates; Motorcycles Equipped With Vertically Mounted Brackets; Missing Plates
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-210 – Time Period for Procuring Registration and License; Temporary License Plates; Transfer of License Plates
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SCDMV. Renew My Registration
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-840 – Delinquent Registration and License Penalties
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-1320 – Fees for Replacement Plates and Cards
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-1290 – Transfer of Plates
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SCDMV. License Plate Return
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South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-1550 – Penalties