Property tax in Lee County, South Carolina
The median property tax bill in Lee County, South Carolina is $599 a year, which is about 0.57% of the county's median home value of $104,600. That effective rate is higher than the typical South Carolina county (0.51%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Lee County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Lee County's average effective rate of 0.57% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $596 / year
Property tax in Lee County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $599 |
| Median home value | $104,600 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.57% |
| Typical South Carolina county rate | 0.51% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Lee County compare in South Carolina?
Among South Carolina's 46 counties, Lee County has the 11th highest effective property-tax rate: 10 rank higher and 35 rank lower. That is on the higher side for South Carolina. Nationally, it ranks 2382nd of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every South Carolina county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Lee County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Lee County's 4,477 owner-occupied homes, 2.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 6.4% pay at least $2,000, and 56.2% pay under $800. Another 11.2% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 2,517 | 56.2% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 981 | 21.9% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 190 | 4.2% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 189 | 4.2% |
| $3,000 or more | 97 | 2.2% |
| No property tax paid | 503 | 11.2% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $771 and owners without one pay $488. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Lee County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $599 is about 1.2% of the median income of Lee County homeowner households, $48,051 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 70.5% of Lee County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Lee County?
The survey cannot tell. The median bill was $538 in 2015-2019 and $599 in 2020-2024, but that $61 difference is inside the Census's own margin of error for a county this size, so it could be sampling noise rather than a real change.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Lee County
Lee County borders 4 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County, SC (this county) | 0.57% | $599 | $104,600 |
| Sumter County, SC | 0.53% | $881 | $165,300 |
| Kershaw County, SC | 0.47% | $1,013 | $217,100 |
| Florence County, SC | 0.42% | $756 | $177,900 |
| Darlington County, SC | 0.41% | $652 | $158,200 |
How is a home assessed in Lee County?
South Carolina assesses homes at 4% of market value in every county, Lee County included. How South Carolina assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Lee County?
Not as a dollar amount. South Carolina owner-occupants get a 4% assessment ratio instead of 6% plus an exemption from school operating millage; apply for the 4% ratio with the county assessor. That is the South Carolina rule, and it applies in Lee County. South Carolina's exemptions and relief programs in full.
When are property taxes due in Lee County?
One annual payment. Bills go out around September 30 and the practical due date is January 15. Penalties then stack: 3% after January 16, another 7% after February 2, and another 5% after March 17. A county may by ordinance offer a five-payment installment plan, elected between December 1 and January 15, but that is a local option rather than a right.
That is the South Carolina rule. Lee County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.
How to appeal your Lee County property assessment
You contest the assessed value with the County assessor, then the county Board of Assessment Appeals, then the Administrative Law Court. The filing deadline is typically 90 days after the assessment notice is mailed. That is the South Carolina rule; Lee County sets the exact dates and forms. The South Carolina appeal process step by step.
South Carolina rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the South Carolina page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Lee County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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South Carolina income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what South Carolina actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Lee County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Lee County, South Carolina: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.