Horry County, SC · Authority-to-remove decision
Abandoned & Separately Owned Mobile Home Removal
This page answers one decision: who has the legal authority to remove a home the landowner does not clearly own, and which published South Carolina path applies.
Independent service-request website. Calls and forms may be shared with a third-party provider. The provider confirms availability, pricing, and service terms.
Everything below is a plain-language summary of published South Carolina sources, not legal advice. This site is not a law firm, a court, a title company, or a government office, and it does not decide that any particular home qualifies as abandoned or derelict. A magistrate, the relevant county and state offices, a title professional, or an attorney makes those determinations.
How this page differs from the homepage and other scopes
The homepage covers broad mobile home removal for owners who clearly own the home and the land. This page is narrower: it exists for the situation where ownership of the home is unclear, missing, or separate from ownership of the land. If the condition of a home you do own is the real question, the damaged mobile home removal page fits better; if several homes under one operator are involved, the park and multi-unit clearing page owns that decision.
Owning the land is not the same as owning the home
A manufactured home can be titled and taxed separately from the land it sits on. Buying, inheriting, or foreclosing on a parcel does not automatically transfer ownership of a home resting on it. That is why the first question a provider and the offices ask is not “whose land is this” but “who owns the home, and can that be documented.” Common situations include an owner who cannot be located, an unknown owner, a deceased owner whose estate is unresolved, a former tenant who left the home behind, and a lienholder with a recorded interest.
Because the home and land can carry separate interests, a lawful removal usually has to clear both the ownership question and any lien or tax interest before the structure comes out.
The two published South Carolina Code §6-1-150 paths
South Carolina Code §6-1-150 describes two distinct paths for a mobile home that a landowner does not clearly own. This site does not tell you which one applies to your property; it only summarizes what the statute says each path requires.
- Removal and sale. This path runs through a magistrate under South Carolina Code §29-15-10, which provides the magistrates-court lien and sale process referenced by §6-1-150.
- Removal and destruction. Under §6-1-150 this path requires inspection, written confirmation, filings, notice to the owner and lienholders, a notice posted on each door for 30 consecutive days, and a court order before the home is destroyed.
In both paths, a local inspection and written confirmation, court filings, and notice to the owner and any lienholder are steps that the offices and a court control. The 30-consecutive-day door posting and the final court order are not steps a provider can waive or accelerate. This is a summary of the published statute, not legal advice.
What the owner sees or knows versus what a provider can evaluate
| What the owner sees or knows | What a qualified provider may evaluate | Why it matters | Useful next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| A home on your parcel that you did not buy or inherit with the land | Whether removal is even possible before authority is established, and what documentation the offices tend to want | Owning the land does not establish ownership of the home under separate title | Ask the county and a title professional to confirm the home’s title and any liens |
| No title in hand and an owner you cannot locate | Which §6-1-150 path the offices appear to be pointing toward, without deciding it for them | The sale path and the destruction path have different filings and notice steps | Contact magistrates-court staff and the county about the process |
| A recorded lien or unpaid taxes tied to the home | How a lien or tax interest may affect sequencing and cost, in general terms | Lien and real-property interests can survive until they are resolved through the proper process | Ask the county and a lienholder or attorney how the interest is cleared |
| A former tenant’s home left behind on a rental lot | What condition and access questions a removal scope would raise once authority exists | Abandonment by a tenant does not automatically transfer title to the landowner | Confirm ownership and the correct path before scheduling any removal |
Title, tax records, and the junked-record result
SCDMV de-titling retires a mobile-home title after the required county land-record document, the title, a lien release if applicable, tax proof, and the fee are submitted. A Manufactured Home Severance Affidavit is used when a title-retired home is separated from real property for a move. A retired title is a different status from an active title, which matters because it changes what SCDMV and the county expect before and after a removal.
After destruction, SCDMV says the county auditor must be notified so the home is removed from the tax rolls; once SCDMV receives notice from the county auditor or demolisher that the home was destroyed, the vehicle record is marked junked and no future title can be issued. On the tax side, §12-49-85(D) provides that after the county assessor receives satisfactory proof for a derelict mobile home removed and disposed of under §6-1-150, the auditor removes the home from the records and amounts due as a result of the home’s value are waived. Horry County states that the owner is responsible for reporting address, ownership, location, or damage changes to the Assessor. These are summaries of the published sources, not legal advice.
Who actually decides, and what stays a separate question
A provider can describe the published paths and, once authority is established, define a removal scope. A provider cannot grant authority, issue a court order, shorten the 30-consecutive-day posting, or decide that a home is derelict. Those determinations belong to local officials, magistrates-court staff, and a court. Questions of title, liens, estate administration, and cost recovery are matters for a title professional or an attorney.
Property-specific factors that shape scope and cost
Once authority exists, the same physical factors that drive any teardown apply: the home’s size and construction, its condition, access to the lot, attached decks or additions, and what remains below grade. This page does not publish prices, because scope and cost depend on the property and on which path the offices and a court follow. Statutory notice and posting periods are set by the process, not by a provider.
What to prepare before calling
- The property address and how the home came to be on the lot.
- Anything you know about the home’s owner, title, and any recorded liens.
- Whether you have contacted the county, the Assessor, magistrates-court staff, or an attorney.
- Safe exterior observations about the home’s size and condition.
How provider confirmation works
If you call or send a request, this site may share it with a third-party provider. That provider independently confirms coverage, scope, availability, pricing, credentials, and service terms directly with you, and would work within whichever published path the offices and a court determine applies. Nothing on this page is a promise of authority, timing, or outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove a mobile home I do not have the title to?
Not on your own authority. South Carolina Code §6-1-150 describes two published paths for a home a landowner does not clearly own — a removal-and-sale path through a magistrate under §29-15-10, and a removal-and-destruction path that requires inspection, written confirmation, filings, notice to the owner and lienholders, a notice posted on each door for 30 consecutive days, and a court order. A court and the relevant offices decide whether either path applies. This is a summary of the published statute, not legal advice.
How long does the derelict-home process take?
There is no fixed timeline this site can promise. The §6-1-150 destruction path alone includes a notice posted on each door for 30 consecutive days before a court order, and the sale path runs through the magistrates court under §29-15-10. Filing, notice, and hearing schedules are set by the court and offices involved, not by any provider. This is a summary of the published paths, not legal advice.
Who pays for removal when the home is not mine?
That depends on which path a court and the offices follow and on the outcome of any lien or sale process. This site does not set or promise who bears the cost. A magistrate, the county offices, a title professional, or an attorney can explain how costs and any recovery are handled in a specific matter. This is general information, not legal advice.
Will the taxes come off the home after it is gone?
South Carolina Code §12-49-85(D) states that after the county assessor receives satisfactory proof for a derelict mobile home removed and disposed of under §6-1-150, the auditor removes the home from the records and amounts due as a result of the home’s value are waived. Horry County also states that the owner is responsible for reporting ownership, location, or damage changes to the Assessor. The offices decide when their proof requirements are met. This is a summary of the published sources, not legal advice.
Legal-process summaries reflect South Carolina Code §6-1-150, §29-15-10, and §12-49-85, SCDMV title and derelict guidance, and Horry County Assessor guidance as reviewed on the date shown. Statutes and office procedures change; verify current requirements with the offices before acting. CHECKED · JUL 25 2026
Related pages
- Broad overview: mobile home removal in Myrtle Beach.
- Official offices and records: mobile home removal resources.
- Coverage: service area.
- Send details: contact and request.
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