Socastee Horry County Property Records
Socastee property records are maintained by the Horry County Register of Deeds. Socastee is an unincorporated community in Horry County with about 24,000 residents. Because Socastee is not an incorporated city or town, there is no separate municipal government maintaining local property records. All real estate instruments for Socastee properties -- deeds, mortgages, plats, and other land documents -- are recorded and indexed at the Horry County Register of Deeds. The county is the sole recording authority for Socastee properties. You can search Socastee property records through the Horry County government site at horrycounty.org/departments.
Socastee Quick Facts
Where to Find Socastee Property Records
All Socastee property records are held at the Horry County Register of Deeds. Under Section 30-5-10 of the South Carolina Code, Horry County operates a dedicated Register of Deeds office as the official recording authority for all real property documents in the county. Because Socastee is an unincorporated community, county government is the only level of government that maintains property records for the area. There is no city hall or municipal recording office for Socastee.
The Horry County government site at horrycounty.org/departments is the primary online access point for Socastee deed records. You can search by owner name, parcel identification number, or property address. The system returns a list of recorded instruments with recording dates, document types, and party names. Clicking through to a result gives you access to the scanned image of the recorded document. The county government website at horrycounty.org provides additional information about county services for Socastee residents.
The screenshot below is from the Horry County government website, which provides information on county services including the Register of Deeds and property records for Socastee and other unincorporated areas.
Horry County serves as the local government for the Socastee community, providing all recording and administrative services in the absence of a municipal government.
| Recording Office | Horry County Register of Deeds |
|---|---|
| Online Records | Horry County government site at horrycounty.org/departments |
| County Website | horrycounty.org |
| Community Type | Unincorporated community in Horry County |
Note: Because Socastee has no city government, all land use decisions, zoning changes, and permits are handled by Horry County rather than a local municipality.
Searching Socastee Property Records Online
The Horry County government site at horrycounty.org/departments gives you online access to deed records for Socastee without visiting the Register of Deeds in person. Use the search fields for owner name, parcel number, or address. The portal returns results with document type, recording date, and grantor and grantee names. From any result, you can access the scanned image of the recorded instrument.
Socastee is one of the more active real estate markets in Horry County given its location between Myrtle Beach and Conway. The community has seen significant residential and commercial development, producing a substantial volume of recorded deed and mortgage instruments at the Register of Deeds. Researchers tracing the title history of a Socastee property may find multiple decades of recorded instruments in the county's digital index.
The statewide SC Land Records portal also indexes Horry County documents, including those for Socastee properties. This portal provides a second access route and is useful when you need to cross-check results or research across multiple counties. The SC Land Records portal returns party names, document type, recording date, and a brief property description.
Types of Property Documents Recorded for Socastee
The Horry County Register of Deeds holds the complete range of real estate instruments for Socastee properties. Warranty deeds are the standard conveyance for ownership transfers in Socastee's active residential real estate market. Quitclaim deeds appear in family transfers, estate settlements, and corrective deeds. Special warranty deeds are used in some commercial transactions and bank-owned property sales.
Mortgage instruments and deeds of trust secure real property as loan collateral. Releases and satisfactions of mortgage discharge liens after payoff. Subdivision plats document the legal layout of Socastee's many residential communities and commercial developments. Because Socastee has grown rapidly as part of the greater Myrtle Beach market, there are a large number of subdivision plats on record at the Horry County Register of Deeds.
Additional instruments recorded for Socastee properties include:
- Easements for utility corridors, drainage, and access roads
- Lis pendens notices for properties with pending litigation
- Mechanic's liens for unpaid construction work
- Homeowner association declarations and amendments
- Assignments of mortgage when lenders transfer their loan interests
Socastee Property Assessment
The Horry County Assessor's Office determines the taxable value of all Socastee real estate. The Assessor uses fair market value as the basis for assessment, drawing on comparable sales data and property characteristics. Under Title 12, Chapter 37 of the South Carolina Code, Horry County must conduct a full countywide reassessment every five years. Property owners in Socastee receive notice when their assessed value increases beyond the statutory threshold.
Act 388 of 2006 created a 15% cap on taxable value increases between reassessment cycles for properties that remain under the same ownership. When a Socastee property transfers in a qualifying sale, an Assessable Transfer of Interest (ATI) occurs. The ATI resets the taxable value to the current fair market value for the following tax year. For buyers in the Socastee area, this is a significant factor in calculating post-closing property taxes, especially given the strong appreciation in Horry County real estate values.
South Carolina's standard assessment ratios apply in Socastee: 4% for owner-occupied primary residences, 4% for qualifying agricultural land, and 6% for commercial property and vacation or investment homes. Many Socastee properties are used as vacation rentals or second homes given the area's location within the Grand Strand market. These properties are assessed at the higher 6% ratio.
The image below is from the South Carolina Department of Revenue deed recording fee page, which sets the fee structure for deed recordings on Socastee property transfers.
The SCDOR deed recording fee at $1.85 per $500 of stated value applies to all Socastee ownership transfer deeds recorded at the Horry County Register of Deeds.
Recording Property Documents for Socastee
Documents presented to the Horry County Register of Deeds for Socastee properties must comply with Section 30-5-30 of the South Carolina Code. Each instrument must be acknowledged before a notary public or proved by affidavit of a subscribing witness before recording. Original signatures are required. South Carolina law requires two witnesses on deeds and mortgages for real property.
Section 30-5-35 mandates a derivation clause in every deed and mortgage executed after July 1, 1976. This clause identifies how the grantor acquired the property, usually by referencing the prior deed's book and page number. The mailing address of the grantee or mortgagee must appear on the face of the document as well. These requirements apply to all Socastee property instruments filed at the Horry County Register of Deeds.
The state deed recording fee from the South Carolina Department of Revenue is $1.85 per $500 of stated value. The fee is collected at the time of recording. The Register of Deeds remits the state's portion monthly through the MyDORWAY electronic filing system. Under Section 30-5-90, documents must be indexed and recorded within 30 days of receipt.
Historical Property Records in Socastee
Socastee is one of the older communities in Horry County, with roots going back to the early 19th century. Property records for the Socastee area from Horry County's formation in 1801 through the present are maintained at the Register of Deeds. Older deed books and plat volumes from the county's earlier history have been microfilmed for preservation. Researchers studying Socastee's property history in the 19th and early 20th centuries may need to review these older volumes in person at the Horry County courthouse in Conway.
For land research predating Horry County, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia holds land grant records and plat books for the Georgetown District, from which Horry County was formed in 1801. The Archives maintains the Surveyor General's colonial and state plat books documenting original land grants along the South Carolina coast, including the Socastee area. These collections are the primary resource for title chains on Socastee properties with deep historical roots.
The image below is from the South Carolina Code of Laws Title 30, the statute governing all property recording requirements for Socastee and every other community across South Carolina.
Title 30 of the South Carolina Code establishes the legal foundation for how Socastee property records are recorded, indexed, and preserved at the Horry County Register of Deeds.
SC Land Records Portal for Socastee Properties
The SC Land Records statewide portal indexes Horry County recorded instruments and provides online access to Socastee property records. The portal's search by party name returns results with document type, recording date, and a brief legal description. This tool is particularly useful for Socastee property research because it allows cross-referencing against the county's own portal to confirm search results.
Each document recorded at the Horry County Register of Deeds receives a permanent reel and page number when it is processed. The original instrument is returned to the submitting party after the office creates the scanned image and microfilm copy as the official permanent record. Certified copies of Socastee property documents can be obtained from the Register of Deeds in Conway using the reel and page reference from any recorded instrument. The county maintains these records as the permanent source for all real estate title history in the Socastee community.
Horry County Property Records
Socastee is an unincorporated community in Horry County. All property deed recordings and real estate instruments for the Socastee area are maintained by the Horry County Register of Deeds. For complete county-level information, recording fees, and assessment resources, visit the Horry County property records page.
Nearby South Carolina Cities
Communities near Socastee are also served by Horry County. Choose a nearby city to find property records for that area.