Charleston County closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Charleston County, South Carolina - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- 0.11%
- ≈ $440 on a $400,000 home
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $6,171
- median of 5,090 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Charleston County compared with South Carolina counties
In the verified South Carolina county records we have, Charleston County's effective transfer-tax rate ranks #6 of 6 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $440, which is $1,040 below the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.
- County rank
- #6 of 6
- within verified South Carolina county pages
- Tax at $400,000
- $440
- state baseline $1,480
- HMDA fee sample
- 5,090
- purchase loans in 2023
Charleston County transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Charleston County
SC levies a state Deed Recording Fee of $1.85 per $500 of consideration, statutorily split into a $1.30 state portion and a $0.55 COUNTY portion (county_transfer_tax_rate = 0.55/500 = 0.0011, i.e. 0.11%); the combined state+county rate is 0.0037 (0.37%). The grantor (seller) has primary liability, with the grantee secondarily liable; in practice it is customarily paid by the seller at closing. Charleston has no separate municipal/city real-estate transfer tax (SC home rule does not authorize one), so city_transfer_tax_rate is null. Exempt transfers (e.g., gifts, certain family/entity transfers) pay no deed fee when accompanied by an exemption affidavit.
Recording fees in Charleston County
Deed: $15.00 flat recording fee per document, PLUS the SC Deed Recording Fee (transfer tax) of $1.85 per $500 of consideration ($1.30 state + $0.55 county per $500; equivalently $3.70 per $1,000 = $2.60 state + $1.10 county), except exempt transfers per affidavit. Other common documents: Mortgage $25.00; Satisfaction/Release of Mortgage $10.00 (plus $7.00 per additional reference); Assignment of Mortgage $10.00; Affidavit $10.00; Power of Attorney $25.00; Plat (any size) $25.00; Easement $25.00; UCC (real estate) $25.00. Source: Charleston County Register of Deeds 'South Carolina Recording Fees' schedule (as of Aug 1, 2019).
Official recorder: Charleston County recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Charleston County
Across 5,090 home-purchase mortgages originated in Charleston County in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $6,171, of which about $2,786 was the lender’s own origination charges. That is reported loan-level data from every lender under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act — not a national average — so it reflects what buyers in this county actually paid. Lender fees vary widely, so comparing a few rate quotes is the single biggest lever on your closing total.
Source: FFIEC HMDA Data Browser ↗ (2023 purchase originations, FIPS 45019, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Charleston County closing costs
Pre-set to South Carolina. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
Current source data is loading. Until it finishes, the amount shown is a server-rendered static example and the controls are disabled.
Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in Charleston County?
Charleston County (South Carolina): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.11%. SC levies a state Deed Recording Fee of $1.85 per $500 of consideration, statutorily split into a $1.30 state portion and a $0.55 COUNTY portion (county_transfer_tax_rate = 0.55/500 = 0.0011, i.e. 0.11%); the combined state+county rate is 0.0037 (0.37%). The grantor (seller) has primary liability, with the grantee secondarily liable; in practice it is customarily paid by the seller at closing. Charleston has no separate municipal/city real-estate transfer tax (SC home rule does not authorize one), so city_transfer_tax_rate is null. Exempt transfers (e.g., gifts, certain family/entity transfers) pay no deed fee when accompanied by an exemption affidavit.
What are recording fees in Charleston County?
Deed: $15.00 flat recording fee per document, PLUS the SC Deed Recording Fee (transfer tax) of $1.85 per $500 of consideration ($1.30 state + $0.55 county per $500; equivalently $3.70 per $1,000 = $2.60 state + $1.10 county), except exempt transfers per affidavit. Other common documents: Mortgage $25.00; Satisfaction/Release of Mortgage $10.00 (plus $7.00 per additional reference); Assignment of Mortgage $10.00; Affidavit $10.00; Power of Attorney $25.00; Plat (any size) $25.00; Easement $25.00; UCC (real estate) $25.00. Source: Charleston County Register of Deeds 'South Carolina Recording Fees' schedule (as of Aug 1, 2019).
How much are closing costs in Charleston County?
Closing costs in Charleston County follow South Carolina's structure plus this county's specific transfer-tax and recording fees. Use the calculator below for an estimate; for the exact recording schedule, the county recorder is the authoritative source.
What do lenders charge in fees in Charleston County?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 5,090 home-purchase mortgages in Charleston County were about $6,171, of which roughly $2,786 was the lender's own origination charges. This is reported loan-level data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act; actual fees vary by lender, so comparing quotes matters.
Closest South Carolina county comparisons
Sibling links are ordered by nearby verified effective transfer-tax rate, so each county page connects to genuinely comparable counties.