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South Carolina court records

Who holds it: State-run court system with county clerks: Circuit Court (Common Pleas civil, General Sessions criminal), Family Court, Probate Court, Magistrate and Municipal courts; 16 judicial circuits. An elected Clerk of Court in each county keeps circuit and family court records.1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Fees
  2. What is public and what is sealed
  3. More details
  4. Related records in South Carolina
  5. How South Carolina handles it
  6. Court records in South Carolina counties with a full guide
  7. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  8. Sources

Statewide case search

Public Index, reached from sccourts.org/case-records-search: one county-by-county link for each of the 46 counties (Charleston and Greenville are hosted on county servers); some municipal courts included2

Fees

Fees
Civil filing: $100 under § 8-21-310(C)(1) plus $50 under § 14-1-204(B)(1) ($150 total); $10 for an official certificate under seal3
Fees add on
Additional $50 on civil filings4
Expungement fee
$35 per order, not charged where the person was found not guilty or the charge was dismissed or nol prossed (other than via pretrial intervention)3
Filing fees official
Judicial Branch Circuit Court fee page: $150 for new (never previously filed) cases and appeals to Circuit Court; $10 for lis pendens without summons/complaint, confession of judgment and automobile arbitration; $35 transcripts of judgment from federal and magistrate court; $100 foreign judgments; $200 reinstatement of permanently revoked driver's license; no fee for criminal appeals from magistrate/municipal court, PCR and in forma pauperis cases5

What is public and what is sealed

What is public
County public indexes are the online route. Bulk distribution or compiled information for any commercial purpose is barred by Rule 610.6
Sealed and confidential records
Expungement removes a conviction or charge from the record and seals or destroys the state's records of it7

More details

Circuit
Circuit Court has a civil side and a criminal side8
Magistrate
Magistrates: civil claims up to $7,5009
Address redaction
Since January 1, 2026 home addresses are not shown on the public index2
Family court records
Family Court records portal: portal.fccms.dss.sc.gov (linked from the Judicial Branch home page; redirected to portal.fccms.sccourts.org on Nov. 4, 2026)10
Appellate records
Appellate records: C-Track Public Access at sccourts.org/c-track-public-access10
Clerks maintain
Clerks of Court maintain all court records1
Criminal history checks: state repository
SC Law Enforcement Division (SLED), via CATCH: catch.sled.sc.gov11
Criminal history checks: fee
$25.00 non-refundable; $8.00 for qualifying charities11
Criminal history checks: who may order
Name-based; the page states no requester eligibility rule. Requires a starts-with match on last name, first name and date of birth11
Divorce records: who holds it
Decree: Clerk of Court in the county where filed (Family Court). State: DPH holds only a Report of Divorce, not the decree12
Probate: who holds it
County Probate Court; an elected Probate Judge in each county has jurisdiction over estates, marriage licenses, guardianships, conservatorships13

How South Carolina handles it

  • Who keeps deeds differs by county: separate Register of Deeds in 23 counties, Clerk of Court in the other 2314
  • Marriage licenses come from the Clerk of Court, not the Probate Judge, in Darlington and Georgetown counties15
  • Clerk of Court serves both Circuit and Family Court, so civil, criminal and divorce files sit in one county office1

Court records in South Carolina counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Aiken County—Circuit Court and Family Court16
Probate Court17		—
Anderson County—Circuit Court - Court of General Sessions18
Circuit Court - Court of Common Pleas18
Family Court19		$10 for an official certificate under seal20
Beaufort County—Circuit Court: Court of Common Pleas21
Circuit Court: Court of General Sessions21
Family Court22		Certified copies: Clerk of Court $3.00 per copy; Family Court $5.00 per copy; Magistrate $0.50 per page (county FOIA fee table)23
Berkeley County—Circuit Court - Court of Common Pleas24
Family Court24
Magistrate Courts25		—
Charleston County—Charleston County Circuit Court26
Charleston County Family Court26
Charleston County Probate Court27		$10 for an official certificate under the seal of the court28
Cherokee County—Circuit Court - Court of General Sessions29
Circuit Court - Court of Common Pleas29
Family Court30		Copy fees: Copies (xerox, computer or microfilm) $.50 each; exemplification 50 cents per page plus $10 certification; certificate under seal $10.00; record retrieval $4.00 per record31
Dorchester County—Circuit Court (Court of General Sessions - criminal; Court of Common Pleas - civil), 1st Judicial Circuit32
Probate Court33
Magistrate Courts33		—
Florence County—Circuit Court - Court of General Sessions34
Circuit Court - Court of Common Pleas35
Family Court35		—
Greenville County—Circuit Court36
Probate Court37		Statewide (S.C. Code 8-21-310): $10 for an official certificate under seal of the court; $100 to file a first civil complaint (plus $50 under 14-1-204(B)(1))38
Horry County—Court of General Sessions39
Court of Common Pleas40
Family Court40		—
Lancaster County—Circuit Court41
Family Court42
Probate Court43		$10 for an official certificate under seal44
Lexington County—Circuit Court: Court of General Sessions45
Family Court46		—
Oconee County—Circuit Court47
Family Court48
Probate Court49		—
Pickens County—Circuit Court, Court of General Sessions50
Circuit Court, Court of Common Pleas50
Family Court50		Fees: copy: $0.50 per page50
Richland County——$10 official certificate under seal (statewide statute); county copy fees not published51
Spartanburg County—Court of General Sessions52
Court of Common Pleas52
Family Court52		$35 transcripts of judgment from federal and magistrate court53
Sumter County—Circuit Court - Court of General Sessions54
Circuit Court - Court of Common Pleas55
Family Court55		Fees: certified criminal: $10 certified copies of sentence sheets etc.54
York County—Court of General Sessions56
Court of Common Pleas56
Probate Court57		—

For any other county, see the county list on the South Carolina guide.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any South Carolina office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: court records in every state. Everything else in South Carolina: South Carolina public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Clerks of CourtSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  2. Case Records SearchSC Judicial Brancharchived copychecked November 4, 2026
  3. SC Code Title 8 Chapter 21, Fees and CostsSC Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  4. SC Code Title 14 Chapter 1, Courts GeneralSC Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  5. Circuit Court Filing FeesSouth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  6. Rule 610 RequestsSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  7. Expungement Application ProcessSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  8. Circuit CourtSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  9. Magistrate CourtSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  10. SC Judicial Branch home pageSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  11. SLED CATCHSC Law Enforcement Divisionchecked November 4, 2026
  12. Divorce ReportsSC Department of Public Healtharchived copychecked November 4, 2026
  13. Probate CourtSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  14. Register of DeedsSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  15. SC Code Title 20 Chapter 1, MarriageSC Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  16. Clerk of Court | Aiken County, SCAiken County, South Carolinachecked November 7, 2026
  17. Probate Records | Aiken County, SCAiken County, South Carolinachecked November 7, 2026
  18. Anderson - South Carolina Judicial Branch (Courthouse Search)South Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  19. SC Judicial Branch public access portal, landing page onlychecked November 4, 2026
  20. SC Code Title 8 Chapter 21, Fees and CostsSC Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  21. Clerk of CourtBeaufort Countychecked November 4, 2026
  22. Family CourtBeaufort Countychecked November 4, 2026
  23. Freedom of Information ActBeaufort Countychecked November 4, 2026
  24. Case Records SearchSC Judicial Brancharchived copychecked November 4, 2026
  25. Berkeley County Government home pageBerkeley County Governmentarchived copychecked November 4, 2026
  26. Courthouse Search: CharlestonSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  27. Register of Deeds OfficeCharleston County Register of Deedschecked November 4, 2026
  28. SC Code Title 8 Chapter 21, Fees and CostsSC Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  29. Cherokee - Courthouse SearchSouth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 7, 2026
  30. Family Court / Child SupportCherokee County, SCchecked November 7, 2026
  31. Clerk of Court Filing FeesCherokee County, SCchecked November 7, 2026
  32. Courthouse Search - Dorchester CountySouth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  33. Dorchester County, SC websiteDorchester Countychecked November 4, 2026
  34. Clerk of CourtFlorence Countychecked November 4, 2026
  35. Florence County - Courthouse SearchSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  36. Case Records SearchSouth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  37. Probate CourtGreenville County Probate Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  38. S.C. Code Title 8 Chapter 21 (fees)South Carolina Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  39. Clerk of CourtHorry County, South Carolinachecked November 4, 2026
  40. Case Records SearchSC Judicial Brancharchived copychecked November 4, 2026
  41. Lancaster County courthouse pageSouth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 7, 2026
  42. Clerk of CourtLancaster County, SCchecked November 7, 2026
  43. Probate CourtLancaster County, SCchecked November 7, 2026
  44. SC Code Title 8 Chapter 21, Fees and CostsSC Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  45. Courthouse Search: Lexington CountySouth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  46. Clerk of CourtCounty of Lexingtonchecked November 4, 2026
  47. Case Records SearchSC Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  48. Clerk of CourtOconee Countychecked November 4, 2026
  49. Probate CourtOconee Countychecked November 4, 2026
  50. Clerk of Court: Records RequestsPickens County, SCchecked November 8, 2026
  51. SC Code Title 8 Chapter 21, Fees and CostsSC Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  52. Clerk of Court | Spartanburg County, SCSpartanburg Countychecked November 4, 2026
  53. Circuit Court Filing FeesSouth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  54. Clerk Of CourtSumter County Clerk of Courtchecked November 7, 2026
  55. Courthouse Search: SumterSouth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 7, 2026
  56. Courthouse Search: YorkSouth Carolina Judicial Branchchecked November 4, 2026
  57. Probate CourtYork Countychecked November 4, 2026