Mobile home titles in South Carolina

South Carolina titles a manufactured home through the SCDMV, requires a county license and decal, and provides a title-retirement path to treat the home as real property. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone with a specific title question should consider consulting a licensed attorney in South Carolina.

What the statute says

A manufactured home carries an SCDMV certificate of title (S.C. Code Ann. §56-19-210) and a county license. Under §31-17-320(A), within 15 days of bringing in or buying a mobile home "for dwelling purposes," the owner "shall obtain a license from the governing body of the county," and under §31-17-320(B) the county licensing agent must require "either a copy of the certificate of title ... or a copy of the completed application for a certificate of title submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles." Under §31-17-320(C), an electric supplier must obtain proof of the paid license "before connecting electricity."

To convert the home into real property, §56-19-510 lets an owner who has affixed the home to real property record a "Manufactured Home Affidavit for the Retirement of Title Certificate," and §56-19-560 provides that once the requirements are met, the register of deeds or clerk of court "must confer upon it the treatment required by Section 56-19-510(C) and may not in any particulars still treat the manufactured home as personal property." A "Manufactured Home Severance Affidavit" (§56-19-550) reverses the process if the home is later moved.

How it works in general

A South Carolina manufactured home is titled by the SCDMV and licensed by the county where it sits — the county issues a decal, and an electric supplier won't connect power without proof of the paid license. While the home remains titled, ownership transfers through the SCDMV certificate of title. When the owner affixes the home to land they hold and meets the requirements, they can retire the title by recording the retirement affidavit, after which the home is treated as real property and taxed and conveyed with the land. If the home is later severed and moved, a severance affidavit restores its status, and the owner obtains a new SCDMV title. The certificate of title, the county license, and the retirement or severance affidavits are the key documents.

Common scenarios

General examples South Carolina residents commonly encounter:

• A home is brought into a county or bought. The owner must obtain a county license within 15 days, showing the SCDMV title or application (§31-17-320).
• An owner affixes the home to owned land. Recording a title-retirement affidavit makes it real property (§§56-19-510, 56-19-560).
• A home is moved to a new location. A severance affidavit and a new SCDMV title are required (§56-19-550).

Other authorities that may apply

The SCDMV issues the certificate of title (Title 56, Chapter 19); the county licensing agent, auditor, and assessor handle the license, decal, and tax (Title 31, Chapter 17; Title 12). A moving permit and a paid-tax certificate are required to relocate a home (§31-17-360). The home's construction follows the federal HUD code, and the certificate of title, deed, and any financing documents also control.