Nearly 1 in 5 homes in Horry County is kept for seasonal or occasional use, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates1. Their owners live somewhere else most of the year.
If you searched for the Horry County recorder of deeds, the office you want is the Horry County Register of Deeds in Conway. Deed fraud is rare here: its head, Marion D. Foxworth III, told WMBF News his office sees a few cases a year3.
Our guide to deed theft explains the crime itself.
Who owns Horry County homes from far away?
Owners of about 41,000 part-time homes. The Census Bureau counts 40,967 Horry County homes held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, out of 217,419 in all1.
Nearly 1 in 5 Horry County homes is a part-time home
Share of all homes held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, 2020 to 2024
Show the numbers
| Horry County | 18.8% |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | 4.5% |
| United States | 3.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B25004 and B250011. Horry County's margin of error is plus or minus 1,533 homes.
In 2024, 14.2% of home purchase loans in Horry County were for second homes and 14.4% for investment property, by our count of federal mortgage records2.
"Six months out of the year you're not there," Brian Beverley of Weichert Realtors Southern Coast told WMBF, explaining why fraudsters watch empty homes3.
Is there a Horry County recorder of deeds?
Not by that name. The Horry County Register of Deeds records the county's deeds, mortgages, liens (legal claims on a property for a debt) and other land papers5.
A deed is the signed paper that transfers a house, condo or lot, and your title is your legal right to own the property. Recording puts the deed in the public record. Horry is one of 25 South Carolina counties with a separate register of deeds; elsewhere, the clerk of court does the job4.
- Office: 1301 Second Avenue, Conway, SC 29526
- Mail: P.O. Box 470, Conway, SC 29528
- Phone: (843) 915-5430
- Email: hcg.RegisterOfDeeds@horrycountysc.gov
- Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
At least one private records site lists a different P.O. box and phone number, so trust the County's page5. To be recorded, a deed needs two witnesses and a statement from a notary, a state-appointed official who certifies signatures31,32.
Recording costs $15, or $10 for a timeshare deed titled "Vacation Time Sharing Ownership Deed" on page one5,6.
How do I search Horry County deeds online?
Use the Register of Deeds' free Official Records Search. No account is needed, and a name search reaches back to 19847,8.
- Open the search at acclaimweb.horrycounty.org/AcclaimWeb and click "I accept the conditions above."
- Choose Name. Type the last name, a comma, then the first name, using at least 3 letters7.
- Tick every spelling in the "Select Names" box that opens. The County advises searching "all possible spelling variations"7.
- Read both parties. The grantor gives the property and the grantee gets it. A deed naming you as grantor that you never signed is the red flag.
- Check the date at the top. On October 25, 2026, the index was "released through" October 12.
- Buy copies only if needed: $8 for the first 4 pages, $1 per extra page and $2 to certify8. Buying online lifts redaction bars for 24 hours7.
The County's Land Records app shows parcel details (a parcel is one piece of land with its own ID number). Like the County's map and tax sites, it has needed a free login since March 16, 20269.
How does the Horry County property fraud alert work?
Horry County's alert is the Register of Deeds' Recording Notification Service (RNS). It emails you, free, when a document is recorded under a name you list10.
On the RNS sign-up page, type your email twice, choose "Individual Name" or "Business Name," enter the name and click "Sign Up." Then click the activation link in the County's email11,12.
Names must match exactly: John Doe and John Doe Jr. are different people to the system12. Use the "+" button to add each version, plus any LLC or trust on your deed. When RNS opened in September 2024, Foxworth urged owners to sign up "with any possible name"13.
What RNS does
What it can't do
- Catch a spelling you didn't enter
- Spot fake listings or resale calls, since nothing is recorded
- Watch other counties, or send texts
In Foxworth's words, RNS "won't prevent fraud but it will give someone a chance to take quick actions to deal with it"13.
What should you check when you live far from your Grand Strand property?
Sign up for RNS, then run a short check each season. Most of it is free.
- Every owner's name, in every spelling, plus any LLC or trust, is on my RNS list
- I searched my name this season and saw only papers I signed
- I saved my deed's book and page number, so a newer deed stands out
- My mailing address is right in the County's returned tax notice search15
- My tax is paid before it turns delinquent on March 17, well ahead of the tax sale advertised each November16
- A neighbor or manager will call me about strangers, signs or work at the place14
- If a Realtor asks about a sale I never planned, I say no and tell the listing site and the police
What timeshare resale scams target Myrtle Beach owners?
The usual one is a call from a "broker" with a buyer ready, who wants a fee first. In most cases the buyer doesn't exist, WMBF News reported17.
The fee is "usually hundreds of dollars, and then they disappear," said Nicole Cordero of the BBB of Eastern Carolinas17. Fake "recovery" firms and fake government offices may call next, the FBI warns18.
Under South Carolina law, a timeshare resale company must19:
- give you a written contract before doing any work
- let you cancel within five business days of signing
- skip appraisal fees
- keep any other upfront fee, apart from marketing or advertising, in escrow (a neutral account) until the job is done
Which deed fraud cases have hit Horry County?
Two Conway cases from 2024 show the patterns: a $5 deed to a caregiver, police say, and an impostor selling a family's land.
A quitclaim deed hands over whatever interest the signer has, with no promise about the title. This one came months before RNS existed.
Nothing was recorded, so a name alert would have stayed silent. The scheme is called seller impersonation.
Does South Carolina have a deed theft law?
Not as its own crime yet. Senate Bill 822 would make "title theft" a felony, with up to five years in prison24.
The Senate passed it 38 to 0 in April 2026, and it has sat in a House committee since May 524. For now, faking "any record or plat of land" is forgery, with up to 10 years when $10,000 or more is at stake23.
Owners undo a fake deed with a quiet title action, a lawsuit that settles who owns the property. State law allows one for vacant or unoccupied land too25.
Who do I call about a suspicious Horry County deed?
Get a copy of the document from the Register of Deeds, then call the police and a lawyer.
Horry County has "the only remaining county police department" in South Carolina26. Inside city limits, city police take the case, as Conway police did for the Rowland family20.
| Who | For | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Horry County Register of Deeds | Copies, and questions about a filing | (843) 915-5430 |
| Horry County Police | Police reports outside city limits | (843) 915-5350, or File A Report online |
| S.C. Bar Lawyer Referral Service | A lawyer, at no more than $50 for 30 minutes | (803) 799-7100 |
| South Carolina Legal Services | Free civil legal help if your income qualifies | 1-888-346-5592 |
| S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs | Complaints about timeshare resale companies | (800) 922-1594 in SC, or 803-734-4200 |
| FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center | Online scams, fake brokers and fake buyers | ic3.gov |
Sources: Horry County5,26, South Carolina Bar27, South Carolina Legal Services28, S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs29 and the FBI18, all checked October 25, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find a deed in Horry County, SC?
Search the Register of Deeds' free Official Records Search by name, book and page, or document type. For a certified copy, mail the County's copy request form or call (843) 915-5430.
How do I find out who owns a property in Horry County?
Find the newest deed in the Official Records Search; its grantee is the owner of record. The County's Land Records, map and tax sites show more, with a free login required since March 16, 2026.
What are the requirements for recording a deed in South Carolina?
A deed needs two witnesses and a notarized acknowledgment or probate (a witness's sworn statement). It also needs a legal description, the new owner's address and, on most deeds, a derivation clause showing where the seller got title. Horry County also wants an affidavit with most deeds.
Is the Horry County property fraud alert free?
Yes. The Register of Deeds runs the Recording Notification Service free of charge, and alerts come by email. The names and email addresses you enter can be released under South Carolina's public records law.
How do I get the homestead exemption in Horry County?
Apply with the County Auditor at (843) 915-5051 if you are 65 or older, totally disabled or totally blind. It exempts up to $50,000 of value, but only on a home taxed at the 4% primary residence rate, so a vacation condo does not qualify.
Put every version of your name on the RNS list
It's free and takes minutes. Copy each name exactly as your deed shows it, then see what a recorded notice adds.
Sign up for Horry County's alertSee how Still My Home worksOwn a home in another county too? Our state-by-state guide to free county alerts lists the offices that run one.
We checked every Horry County link, fee and phone number on this page against official sites on October 25, 2026.
Sources
- Tables B25004 (vacancy status) and B25001 (housing units), American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (also read through Census Reporter), checked October 25, 2026
- HMDA Data Browser: 2024 loans originated in Horry County, SC, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, home purchase loans counted by occupancy by Still My Home, checked October 25, 2026
- Horry County launches service aimed at stopping property fraud, Logan Schiciano, WMBF News, October 15, 2024
- S.C. Code 30-5-10, register of deeds' duties, South Carolina Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Register of Deeds, Horry County Government, checked October 25, 2026
- Register of Deeds price list (PDF), Horry County, updated August 1, 2019
- Official Records Search, Horry County Register of Deeds, checked October 25, 2026
- Customer service request form (PDF, copies), Horry County Register of Deeds, checked October 25, 2026
- Notice of online access change, effective March 16, 2026, Horry County Government, posted March 9, 2026
- Recording Notification Service, Horry County Register of Deeds, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording Notification Service sign-up, Horry County Register of Deeds, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording Notification Service user guide (PDF), Horry County Register of Deeds, checked October 25, 2026
- New Register of Deeds system detects possible fraud, Tom O'Dare, My Horry News, September 30, 2024
- Horry Co. register of deeds launching notification system to curb land fraud, Andrew James, WPDE, July 16, 2024
- Tax Payer Services, Horry County Government, checked October 25, 2026
- Delinquent Tax, Horry County Treasurer, checked October 25, 2026
- The Timeshare Trap: How scammers target owners trying to sell timeshares, Rachel Bogle, WMBF News, July 8, 2025
- FBI New York warns of scams targeting timeshare owners, FBI New York Field Office, January 11, 2024
- S.C. Code 27-32-55, vacation time sharing resale services, South Carolina Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Warrants: Caregiver had family member notarize deed transfer from vulnerable Conway man, Makayla Evans, Dylan Leatherwood and Sydney Ryan, WMBF News, September 29, 2026
- Caregiver schemed to take elderly man's SC home for $5, police say. Now she's charged., Adam Benson, The Post and Courier, September 29, 2026
- Elaborate real estate scam leads Conway family to nearly lose land: Special Report, Andrew James, WPDE, August 15, 2024 (updated September 6, 2024)
- S.C. Code 16-13-10, forgery, South Carolina Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- S. 822, deed theft bill: text and history, South Carolina Legislature, 2025-2026 session, checked October 25, 2026
- S.C. Code 15-67-10, actions to settle adverse claims, South Carolina Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Police, Horry County Government, checked October 25, 2026
- Get legal help, South Carolina Bar, checked October 25, 2026
- South Carolina Legal Services, checked October 25, 2026
- South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, checked October 25, 2026
- Auditor, Horry County Government, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording prerequisites (PDF), Horry County Register of Deeds, checked October 25, 2026
- S.C. Code 27-7-10, form of a deed and witnesses, South Carolina Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
