Kershaw County, South Carolina

Tax Lien71,698 residents

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Tax Lien

Redemption periodstate default

1 year from sale (12 months)

Investor returnstate default

3–12% per annum depending on when redeemed, tiered quarterly

Governing statutestate default

South Carolina Code Title 12, Ch. 51

Notes

South Carolina redeemable tax-deed county (S.C. Code Title 12, Ch. 51). Kershaw County (Camden / northeast Columbia metro) Treasurer handles delinquent land sale, redemptions, deeds, Forfeit Land Commission list, and overage claims. Tax Sale Guide PDF on county Delinquent Matters page. Annual live auction pattern (historically early November; e.g. Nov 3–4 class sales in recent cycles) — confirm next 2026 date, venue (historically Recreation Department / Camden), and online-only pre-registration rules in the current Tax Sale Guide. County policy: all county employees and immediate family prohibited from bidding. 12-month redemption with tiered interest. Unsold inventory can move to Forfeited Land Commission disposition.

Auction logistics

Format

In-person (live auction; pre-registration required)

Frequency

Annually (historically early November; confirm 2026 date in Tax Sale Guide)

Platform

Kershaw County Treasurer — Delinquent Tax Sale ↗

Deposit rules

Pre-register per current Tax Sale Guide (often online registration closing about a week before sale — no day-of walk-up). Cash/certified funds per office rules; no personal checks typical of SC sales. One-year statutory redemption applies. Read Guide for excess-proceeds / Forfeit Land Commission paths.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Tax deed subject to 1-year redemption. After redemption expires, most private liens are cut off; federal liens and some assessments can survive. Research ROD and HOA before bidding.

Quiet title

Frequently used after the redemption period to obtain insurable title for residential resale.

Deal maths for South Carolina

Assessment ratio: 0.06× of market value
Typical quiet title: $1,800–$5,000 · 5 mo
Recording and transfer: $250

S.C. Code § 12-43-220(e): all other real property not otherwise provided for is assessed at six percent of fair market value. South Carolina assesses by property class rather than by county — 4% legal residence (c), 4% agricultural held by individuals (d)(1)(A), 6% agricultural held by corporations (d)(1)(B), 10.5% manufacturing and utility (a)(1).

Offices and records

Tax collector

Kershaw County Treasurer — Delinquent Matters ↗

803-425-1500

Clerk of court

Kershaw County Register of Deeds / Clerk of Court ↗

Property appraiser

Kershaw County Assessor / qPublic GIS ↗

GIS / parcel map

Kershaw County GIS Mapping — qPublic ↗

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

Camden / historic downtown–courthouse

County-seat employment and tourism with selective SF rehab demand

Elgin / southwest Columbia metro fringe

Columbia commute growth with stronger SF absorption than pure rural east county

Lugoff / US-1 corridor

Retail and workforce housing demand along the main commercial spine