S.C. Code Ann. § 12-37-2860 — Property tax exemptions; one-time fees

(A) In addition to the property tax exemptions allowed pursuant to Section 12-37-220, one hundred percent of the fair market value of semitrailers and trailers as defined in Section 12-37-2810, and commonly used in combination with a large commercial motor vehicle, as defined pursuant to Section 12-37-2810, is exempt from property tax.
(B) Instead of any property tax and the registration requirements provided in Sections 56-3-110 and 56-3-700 on semitrailers and trailers of motor carriers as defined in Section 12-37-2810, and commonly used in combination with a large commercial motor vehicle, a one-time fee payable to the Department of Motor Vehicles in the amount of eighty-seven dollars is imposed on all semitrailers and trailers currently registered and subsequently on each semitrailer and trailer before being placed in service.
(C) The fee imposed pursuant to subsection (B) and the registration requirements of this article are in lieu of any local road use fee, registration fees, or any other vehicle-related fee imposed by a political subdivision of this State on a trailer or semitrailer.
(D) Twelve dollars of the one-time fee must be distributed to the Department of Motor Vehicles and may be retained by the Department of Motor Vehicles and expended in budgeted operations to record and administer the fee. The remaining seventy-five dollars of the fee must be distributed based on the distribution formula provided in Sections 12-37-2865 and 12-37-2870, and must occur by the fifteenth day of the month following the month in which the fees are collected.
(E) The Department of Motor Vehicles shall design a permanent tag for display on the exterior of the rear of the trailer or semitrailer in a conspicuous place.
(F) If the South Carolina registration fees of a large commercial motor vehicle or bus and the road use fees for large commercial motor vehicles required under this chapter are assessed, the fees may be remitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles quarterly in installments, provided that each installment is made online. A motor carrier who fails to make a quarterly installment payment on a timely basis may no longer make installment payments and must remit to the department the balance of the fees owed for any previous calendar year before the Department of Motor Vehicles will renew registration for the current calendar year. A motor carrier that opts out of installment payments must make full payment of fees at the time of registration.