(A) Pursuant to the provisions of Section 3 of Article X of the State Constitution and subject to the provisions of Section 12-4-720, there is exempt from ad valorem taxation:

1. (1) all property of the State, counties, municipalities, school districts, Water and Sewer Authorities and other political subdivisions, if the property is used exclusively for public purposes, and it shall be the duty of the Department of Revenue and county assessor to determine whether such property is used exclusively for public purposes;
2. (2) all property of all schools, colleges, and other institutions of learning and all charitable institutions in the nature of hospitals and institutions caring for the infirmed, the handicapped, the aged, children and indigent persons, except where the profits of such institutions are applied to private use;
3. (3) all property of all public libraries, churches, parsonages, and burying grounds, but this exemption for real property does not extend beyond the buildings and premises actually occupied by the owners of the real property;
4. (4) all property of all charitable trusts and foundations used exclusively for charitable and public purposes, but this exemption for real property does not extend beyond the buildings and premises actually occupied by the owners of the real property;
5. (5) all household goods and furniture used in the home of the owner of such goods and furniture, such to include built-in equipment such as ranges, dishwashers and disposals, but this exemption shall not apply to household goods used in hotels, rooming houses, apartments, or other places of business;
6. (6) all inventories of manufacturers, except manufactured articles which have been offered for sale at retail or which have been available for sale at retail. Fuel, including but not limited to uranium, special nuclear material, nuclear fuel, fossil fuel, coal, cellulose, wood or solid, liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, held by a public utility, an affiliated interest of such public utility as defined in Section 58-27-2090 or a subsidiary of such public utility, or held by a corporation, entity or trust for the use and benefit of such public utility under orders or regulations of the Public Service Commission, shall be deemed to be inventories of manufacturers;
7. (7) all new manufacturing establishments located in any of the counties of this State after July 1, 1977, for five years from the time of establishment and all additions to the existing manufacturing establishments located in any of the counties of this State for five years from the time each such addition is made if the cost of such addition is fifty thousand dollars or more. Such additions shall include additional machinery and equipment installed in the plant. Provided, however, that the exemptions authorized in this item for manufacturing establishments, and additions thereto, shall not include exemptions from school taxes or municipal taxes but shall include only county taxes. Provided, further, that all manufacturing establishments and all additions to existing manufacturing establishments exempt under statutes in effect February 28, 1978, shall be allowed their exemptions provided for by statute until such exemptions expire;
8. (8) all facilities or equipment of industrial plants which are designed for the elimination, mitigation, prevention, treatment, abatement, or control of water, air, or noise pollution, both internal and external, required by the state or federal government and used in the conduct of their business. At the request of the Department of Revenue, the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall investigate the property of any manufacturer or company, eligible for the exemption to determine the portion of the property that qualifies as pollution control property. Upon investigation of the property, the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall furnish the Department of Revenue with a detailed listing of the property that qualifies as pollution control property. For equipment that serves a dual purpose of production and pollution control, the value eligible for the ad valorem exemption is the difference in cost between this equipment and equipment of similar production capacity or capability without the ability to control pollution. For the purposes of this item, twenty percent of the cost of any piece of machinery and equipment placed in service in a greige mill qualifies as internal air and noise pollution control property and is exempt from property taxes. "Greige mill" means all textile processes from opening through fabric formation before dyeing and finishing;
9. (9) a homestead exemption for persons sixty-five years of age and older, for persons permanently and totally disabled and for blind persons in an amount to be determined by the General Assembly of the fair market value of the homestead under conditions prescribed by the General Assembly by general law;
10. (10) intangible personal property.

(B) In addition to the exemptions provided in subsection (A), the following classes of property are exempt from ad valorem taxation subject to the provisions of Section 12-4-720:

1. (1)

   1. (a) The dwelling house in which he resides and a lot not to exceed one acre of land owned in fee or for life, or jointly with a spouse, by a veteran who is one hundred percent permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability, if the veteran or qualifying surviving spouse files a certificate, signed by the county service officer, of the total and permanent disability with the Department of Revenue. The exemption is allowed the surviving spouse of the veteran and also is allowed to the surviving spouse of a serviceman or law enforcement officer as defined in Section 23-6-400(D)(1) killed in action in the line of duty who owned the lot and dwelling house in fee or for life, or jointly with his spouse, so long as the spouse does not remarry, resides in the dwelling, and obtains the fee or a life estate in the dwelling. A surviving spouse who disposes of the exempt dwelling and acquires another residence in this State for use as a dwelling house with a value no greater than one and one-half times the fair market value of the exempt dwelling may apply for and receive the exemption on the newly acquired dwelling, but a subsequent dwelling of a surviving spouse is not eligible for exemption pursuant to this item. The spouse shall inform the Department of Revenue of the change in address of the dwelling. To qualify for the exemption, the dwelling house must be the domicile of the person who qualifies for the exemption.
   2. (b) When a trustee holds legal title to a dwelling for a beneficiary and the beneficiary is a person who qualifies otherwise for the exemption provided in subitem (a) and the beneficiary uses the dwelling as his domicile, the dwelling is exempt from property taxation in the same amount and manner as dwellings are exempt pursuant to subitem (a).

2. (2)

   1. (a) The dwelling house in which he resides and a lot not to exceed one acre of land owned in fee or for life, or jointly with a spouse, by a paraplegic or hemiplegic person, is exempt from all property taxation provided the person furnishes satisfactory proof of his disability to the Department of Revenue. The exemption is allowed to the surviving spouse of the person so long as the spouse does not remarry, resides in the dwelling, and obtains the fee or a life estate in the dwelling. To qualify for the exemption, the dwelling house must be the domicile of the person who qualifies for the exemption. For purposes of this item, a hemiplegic person is a person who has paralysis of one lateral half of the body resulting from injury to the motor centers of the brain.
   2. (b) When a trustee holds legal title to a dwelling for a beneficiary and the beneficiary is a person who qualifies otherwise for the exemption provided in subitem (a) and the beneficiary uses the dwelling as his domicile, the dwelling is exempt from property taxation in the amount and manner as dwellings are exempt pursuant to subitem (a).
3. (3) Two private passenger vehicles owned or leased by any disabled veteran designated by the veteran for which special license tags have been issued by the Department of Public Safety under the provisions of Sections 56-3-1110 to 56-3-1130 or, in lieu of the license, if the veteran has a certificate signed by the county service officer or the Veterans Administration of the total and permanent disability which must be filed with the Department of Public Safety.
4. (4) All property of any kind of a nonprofit corporation created for the purpose of providing water supply or sewage disposal, or a combination of such services, organized pursuant to Chapter 36 of Title 33.
5. (5) All property of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Spanish American War Veterans, the Disabled American Veterans, and Fleet Reserve Association or any similar Veterans Organization chartered by the Congress of the United States, whether belonging to the department or to any of the Posts in this State when used exclusively for the purpose of such organization and not used for any purpose other than club rooms, offices, meeting places or other activities directly in keeping with the policy stated in the National Constitution of such organization, and such property is devoted entirely to its own uses and not held for "pecuniary profit". For the purposes of this item "pecuniary profit" refers to income received from the sale of alcoholic beverages to persons other than bona fide members and their bona fide guests, or any income, any part of which inures to the benefit of any private individual. Where any structure or parcel of land is used partly for the purposes of such organization and partly for such pecuniary profits, the area for pecuniary profits shall be assessed separately and that portion shall be taxed.
6. (6) All property owned and used or occupied by any Young Women's Christian Association, Young Men's Christian Association or the Salvation Army in this State and used for the purpose of or in support of such organizations but the exemption herein provided shall not apply to such portions of any such property rented for purposes not related to the functions of the organization.
7. (7) All property owned and used or occupied by The Boy's or Girl's Scouts of America and used exclusively for the purposes of those organizations.
8. (8) Properties of whatever nature or kind owned within the State and used or occupied by the Palmetto Junior Homemakers Association, the New Homemakers of South Carolina, the South Carolina Association of Future Farmers of America and the New Farmers of South Carolina, so long as such properties are used exclusively to promote vocational education or agriculture, better business methods and more effective organization for farming or to encourage thrift or provide recreation for persons studying agriculture or home economics in the public schools.
9. (9) All wearing apparel of the person required to make a return and of the family of such person.
10. (10) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the property of telephone companies and rural telephone cooperatives operating in this State used in providing rural telephone service, which was exempt from property taxation as of December 31, 1973, shall be exempt from such property taxation; provided, however, that the amount of property subject to ad valorem taxation of any such company or cooperative in any tax district shall not be less than the net amount to which the tax millage was applied for the year ending December 31, 1973. Any property in any tax district added after December 31, 1973, shall likewise be exempt from property taxation in the proportion that the exempt property of such company or cooperative as of December 31, 1973, in that tax district was to the total property of such company or cooperative as of December 31, 1973, in that tax district.

11. (11)

    1. (a) All property of nonprofit housing corporations devoted exclusively to providing below-cost housing for the aged or for handicapped persons or for both aged and handicapped persons as authorized by Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 and regulated in part by 24 CFR Part 885.
    2. (b) All property of nonprofit housing corporations devoted exclusively to providing below-cost supportive housing for elderly persons or households as authorized by Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959 as amended under Section 801 of the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 and regulated in part by 24 CFR Part 889.
    3. (c) All property of nonprofit housing corporations devoted exclusively to providing below-cost supportive housing for persons with disabilities as authorized by Section 811 of the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 and regulated in part by 24 CFR Part 890.
    4. (d) all property of nonprofit housing corporations devoted exclusively to providing rental or cooperative housing and related facilities for elderly or handicapped persons or families of low or moderate income as authorized by Section 515 of Title V of the Housing Act of 1949.
12. (12) The property of any fraternal society, corporation or association, when the property is used primarily for the holding of its meetings and the conduct of its business and no profit or benefit therefrom shall inure to the benefit of any private stockholders or individuals.
13. (13) All agricultural products owned by the producer in this State.
14. (14) All farm machinery and equipment including self-propelled farm machinery and equipment except for motor vehicles licensed for use on the highways. For the purpose of this section "self-propelled farm machinery and equipment" means farm machinery or equipment which contains within itself the means for its own locomotion. For purposes of this item, farm equipment includes greenhouses.
15. (15) All livestock and live poultry.

16. (16)

    1. (a) The property of any religious, charitable, eleemosynary, educational, or literary society, corporation, or other association, when the property is used by it primarily for the holding of its meetings and the conduct of the business of the society, corporation, or association and no profit or benefit therefrom inures to the benefit of any private stockholder or individual.
    2. (b) The property of any religious, charitable, or eleemosynary society, corporation, or other association when the property is acquired for the purpose of building or renovating residential structures on it for not-for-profit sale to economically disadvantaged persons. The total properties for which the religious, charitable, or eleemosynary society, corporation, or other association may claim this exemption in accordance with this paragraph may not exceed fifty acres per county within the State.
17. (17) Personal property in transit with "no situs" status as defined in Article 7 of Chapter 37 of Title 12 and subject to the record keeping requirements and penalties prescribed in that article shall not be subject to ad valorem taxation.
18. (18) Real property leased on a nonprofit basis, to a state agency, county, municipality or other political subdivision so long as it is used for a general public purpose; provided, however, this exemption shall not apply to property used for office space or warehousing.
19. (19) All property owned by Volunteer Fire Departments and Rescue Squads used exclusively for the purposes of such departments and squads.
20. (20) All property of nonprofit museums which is used exclusively for such purpose.
21. (21) All property leased to and operated by the South Carolina Public Service Authority for the generation or transmission of electric power shall be deemed for all tax purposes to be property of the Authority and exempt from ad valorem taxes.
22. (22) All community owned recreation facilities opened to the general public and operated on a nonprofit basis.
23. (23) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, property heretofore exempt from ad valorem taxation by reason of the imposition upon such property or the owner of such property of a tax other than an ad valorem tax pursuant to the provisions of Section 12-11-30, Section 12-13-50 or Section 12-21-1080 shall continue to be entitled to such exemption.
24. (24) All property of nonprofit or eleemosynary community theater companies, symphony orchestras, county and community arts councils and commissions and other such companies, which is used exclusively for the promotion of the arts.
25. (25) All personal property loaned or leased on a nonprofit basis to a state agency, county, municipality, or other political subdivision, or to an organization exempt from federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code Section 501 through 514 as defined in item (11) of Section 12-6-40(A), for at least thirty days during the tax year, so long as such personal property is used solely for the purpose of public display and not for the use of such state agency, county, municipality, or other political subdivision, or exempt organization.
26. (26) Two private passenger vehicles owned or leased by recipients of the Medal of Honor.
27. (27) Two personal motor vehicles, owned or leased either solely or jointly by persons required to use wheelchairs, who qualify for special license tags under the provisions of Section 56-3-1910.
28. (28) All carnival equipment owned, leased, or used by a foreign corporation or other nonresident of this State, not physically present within State for an aggregate of more than six months of the tax year, and having paid an ad valorem or like tax in at least one other state.
29. (29) Two private passenger vehicles or trucks, not exceeding three-quarter ton, owned or leased by and licensed and registered in the name of any member or former member of the armed forces who was a prisoner of war (POW) in World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, or the Vietnam Conflict and who is a legal resident of this State. This exemption also extends to the surviving spouse of a qualified former POW for the lifetime or until the remarriage of the surviving spouse.
30. (30) All inventories.
31. (31) All real property of churches which extends beyond the buildings and premises actually occupied by the churches which own the real property if no profit or benefit from any operation on the churches' real property inures to the benefit of any private stockholder or individual and no income producing ventures are located on the churches' real property. This exemption does not change any exemption provided for churches or other entities in item (3) of subsection A of this section and item (c), Section 3 of Article X of the Constitution of this State but is an additional exemption for churches as provided in this item.

32. (32) All new corporate headquarters, corporate office facilities, distribution facilities, and all additions to existing corporate headquarters, corporate office facilities, or distribution facilities located in South Carolina, established or constructed, or placed in service, after June 27, 1988, are exempt from nonschool county ad valorem taxes for a period of five years from the time of establishment, construction, or being placed in service if the cost of the new construction or additions is fifty thousand dollars or more and seventy-five or more new jobs which are full-time or one hundred fifty or more substantially equivalent jobs are created in South Carolina. For the purpose of this exemption, the term:

    1. (1) "new job" means any job created by an employer in South Carolina at the time a new facility or an expansion is initially staffed, but does not include a job created when an employee is shifted from an existing South Carolina location to work in a new or expanded facility;

    2. (2)

       1. (a) "full-time" means a job requiring a minimum of thirty-five hours of an employee's time a week for the entire normal year of company operations or a job requiring a minimum of thirty-five hours of an employee's time for a week for a year in which the employee was initially hired for or transferred to the South Carolina corporate headquarters, corporate office facility, or distribution facility and worked at a rented facility pending construction of a corporate headquarters, corporate office facility, or distribution facility;
       2. (b) "substantially equivalent" means a job requiring a minimum of twenty hours of an employee's time a week for the entire normal year of company's operations or a job requiring a minimum of twenty hours of an employee's time for a week for a year in which the employee was initially hired for or transferred to the South Carolina corporate headquarters, corporate office facility, or distribution facility and worked at a rented facility pending construction of a corporate headquarters, corporate office facility, or distribution facility;
    3. (3) "corporate headquarters" means the location where corporate staff members or employees are domiciled and employed, and where the majority of the company's financial, personnel, legal, planning, or other business functions are handled either on a regional or national basis and must be the sole such corporate headquarters within the region or nation;
    4. (4) "staff employee" or "staff member" means executive, administrative, or professional worker. At least eighty percent of an executive employee's business functions must involve the management of the enterprise and directing the work of at least two employees. An executive employee has the authority to hire and fire or has the authority to make recommendations related to hiring, firing, advancement, and promotion decisions, and an executive employee must customarily exercise discretionary powers. An administrative employee is an employee who is not involved in manual work and whose work is directly related to management policies or general business operations. An administrative employee must customarily exercise discretion and independent judgment. A professional employee is an employee whose primary duty is work requiring knowledge of an advanced type in a field of science or learning. This knowledge is characterized by a prolonged course of specialized study. The work must be original and creative in nature, and the work cannot be standardized over a specific period of time. The work must require consistent exercise of discretion;

    5. (5) "region" or "regional" means a geographic area comprised of either:

       1. (a) at least five states, including South Carolina, or
       2. (b) two or more states, including South Carolina, if the entire business operations of the corporation are performed within fewer than five states;
    6. (6) "corporate office facility" means the location where corporate managerial, professional, technical, and administrative personnel are domiciled and employed, and where corporate financial, personnel, legal, technical, support services, and other business functions are handled. Support services include, but are not limited to, claims processing, data entry, word processing, sales order processing, and telemarketing;

    7. (7) "distribution facility" means an establishment where shipments of tangible personal property are processed for delivery to customers, but the term "distribution facility" does not include an establishment which operates as a location where retail sales of tangible personal property are made to customers. A distribution facility includes establishments which process customer sales orders by mail, telephone, or electronic means, if the establishment also processes shipments of tangible personal property to customers. The terms "retail sale", and "tangible personal property", for purposes of this definition, have those meanings as contained in Chapter 36 of Title 12.

       Certification of the required investment and the number of new jobs which are full-time or substantially equivalent and which are created must be provided by the South Carolina Department of Revenue to the appropriate local tax officials.

33. (33) All personal property including aircraft of an air carrier which operates an air carrier hub terminal facility in this State for a period of ten consecutive years from the date of qualification, if its qualifications are maintained. An air carrier hub terminal facility is defined in Section 55-11-500.

    [For taxable years beginning before June 30, 2001, paragraph (34) reads as follows:]

34. (34) The facilities of all new enterprises engaged in research and development activities located in any of the counties of this State, and all additions valued at fifty thousand dollars or more to existing facilities of enterprises engaged in research and development are exempt from ad valorem taxation in the same manner and to the same extent as the exemption allowed pursuant to item (7) of subsection A of Section 12-37-220. For purposes of this section, facilities of enterprises engaged in research and development activities are facilities devoted directly and exclusively to research and development in the experimental or laboratory sense for new products, new uses for existing products, or for improving existing products. To be eligible for the exemption allowed by this section, the facility must be a separate facility devoted exclusively to research and development as defined in this section. The exemption does not include facilities used in connection with efficiency surveys, management studies, consumer surveys, economic surveys, advertising, promotion, or research in connection with literary, historical, or similar projects.

    [Effective for taxable years beginning after June 30, 2001, paragraph (34) reads as it appears below; see above for current version.]

35. (34) The facilities of all new enterprises engaged in research and development activities located in any of the counties of this State, and all additions valued at fifty thousand dollars or more to existing facilities of enterprises engaged in research and development are exempt from ad valorem taxation in the same manner and to the same extent as the exemption allowed pursuant to item (7) of subsection (A) of Section 12-37-220. These additions include machinery and equipment installed in an existing manufacturing or research and development facility. For purposes of this section, facilities of enterprises engaged in research and development activities are facilities devoted directly and primarily to research and development, in the experimental or laboratory sense, of new products, new uses for existing products, or improvement of existing products. To be eligible for the exemption allowed by this section, the facility or its addition must be devoted primarily to research and development as defined in this section. The exemption does not include facilities used in connection with efficiency surveys, management studies, consumer surveys, economic surveys, advertising, promotion, or research in connection with literary, historical, or similar projects.
36. (35) Property exempt under subsection A(5) of this section when located in a time-share unit.
37. (36) After the easement is granted, land subject to a perpetual easement donated to this State under the South Carolina Scenic Rivers Act of Chapter 29 of Title 49.
38. (37) one personal motor vehicle owned or leased by a legal guardian of a minor who is blind or required to use a wheelchair when the vehicle is used to transport the minor.
39. (38) Watercraft and motors which have an assessment of not more than fifty dollars.
40. (39) the governing body of a municipality may by ordinance exempt from municipal ad valorem taxes for not more than five years property located in the municipality receiving the exemptions from county ad valorem taxes allowed pursuant to items (32) and (34) of this subsection.
41. (40) watercraft trailers.
42. (41) Economic development property during the exemption period as provided in Chapter 44 of Title 12.
43. (42) Property held in trust under the provisions of Chapter 18 of Title 51 and all real property of charitable trusts and foundations held for historic preservation of forts and battlegrounds which extends beyond the buildings and premises actually occupied by the charitable trusts and foundations which own the real property if no profit or benefit from any operation on the charitable trusts' and foundations' real property inures to the benefit of any private stockholder or individual and no income producing ventures are located on the charitable trusts' and foundations' real property. This exemption does not change any exemption provided for charitable trusts and foundations in item (4) of subsection (A) of this section and item (d), Section 3, Article X of the Constitution of this State but is an additional exemption for charitable trusts and foundations for historic preservation, as provided in this item.