| Statewide case search | South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index |
|---|---|
| Criminal history check | SLED CATCH (Citizen's Access To Criminal Histories) |
| Appellate opinions | C-Track Public Access (Supreme Court and Court of Appeals) |
| Federal cases | PACER (1 district) |
| Plain copy fee | Set by each clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy fee | Set by each clerk — ask when you request |
| Who keeps trial records | Clerk of the Supreme Court (searchable in C-Track Public Access); Clerk of the Court of Appeals (searchable in C-Track Public Access) |
South Carolina keeps trial-court records with the Clerk of Court in each of its 46 counties. That office is the record holder for Circuit Court, which is split into the Court of Common Pleas (civil) and the Court of General Sessions (criminal), and for Family Court. A separate elected Probate Judge keeps estate, guardianship, and marriage-license records, and each county's Magistrate Courts (several per county, each its own office) keep small-claims and minor-criminal files that are not part of the clerk of court's system.
The state's main online tool is the South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index, a set of per-county case-search sites reached through sccourts.org. Pick your county, accept the terms, and search Circuit and Family Court cases by party name or case number; coverage and how far back records go vary by county. It does not include magistrate court cases, which have to be checked with the specific magistrate office, or sealed and confidential filings. For criminal-history checks rather than case lookups, the SC Law Enforcement Division runs SLED CATCH, a paid name-based search of convictions and arrests reported to the state.
The most common mistake is treating the Public Index as a criminal-background check, or expecting a county's clerk of court to have probate or magistrate-court records — those are separate offices with separate files. Confirm which office actually heard the case before you search or request copies.
How South Carolina courts are organized
Which court heard a case decides who keeps the file. Use this table to pick the right clerk before you search, and see the guides to criminal, civil, family, and probate records for what each court's file contains.
| Court | Handles | Who holds the records |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court of South Carolina |
| Clerk of the Supreme Court (searchable in C-Track Public Access) The Chief Justice is the administrative head of the state's unified judicial system. |
| Court of Appeals |
| Clerk of the Court of Appeals (searchable in C-Track Public Access) Most appeals go here first; the Supreme Court hears the rest through certiorari or certification. |
| Circuit Court — Common Pleas (civil) and General Sessions (criminal) |
| Clerk of Court of the county The state is divided into 16 judicial circuits; each county's clerk of court keeps its own circuit's filings. |
| Family Court |
| Clerk of Court of the county (Family Court division) Same office as Circuit Court in most counties, but Family Court filings are a separate index. |
| Probate Court |
| Probate Judge of the county A separate elected office from the clerk of court; not searchable through the Public Index. |
| Magistrate Court (Summary Court) |
| Magistrate Court clerk for the individual magistrate's office Counties have several magistrates, each with a separate office and case file; not part of the county's Public Index. |
| Municipal Court |
| Municipal court clerk for that city Not covered by county portals; contact the city. |
Search South Carolina court records online
Statewide case search
South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Circuit Court (Common Pleas and General Sessions) and Family Court case information, organized as a separate site for each of the 46 counties
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
The hub page returns HTTP 406 to automated requests (bot protection) but is confirmed as the official entry point by South Carolina Judicial Branch search results and links from county government sites. Magistrate, probate, and municipal court records are not included.
Criminal history (convictions)
SLED CATCH (Citizen's Access To Criminal Histories)
- Cost
- $25.00 per name search plus a $1.00 online convenience fee ($8.00 reduced rate for qualifying charities/schools); no convenience fee for mail-in requests
- Coverage
- Name- and date-of-birth-based search of unsealed South Carolina arrests and dispositions reported to the State Law Enforcement Division
- Records
- Criminal
South Carolina records only — does not include wanted-person files, the sex offender registry, federal records, or other states' records. Name-based "starts with" matching can produce false positives on common names.
Appellate courts
C-Track Public Access (Supreme Court and Court of Appeals)
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Appellate case information and most documents for the Supreme Court of South Carolina and the Court of Appeals, for cases filed on or after May 1, 2012
- Records
- Appeals
Sealed or confidential documents are not shown online even when the case itself appears.
Federal court records in South Carolina
Federal cases (bankruptcy, federal crimes, lawsuits under federal law) are not in state portals. They live in PACER, organized by district. South Carolina has 1 federal judicial district.
| District | Main courthouse | Court website |
|---|---|---|
| District of South Carolina | Columbia | www.scd.uscourts.gov |
Read our PACER guide for registration, the per-page fee, and the quarterly fee waiver.
South Carolina county court records
Trial-court records are kept by the clerk in the county where the case was filed. These are the largest counties in South Carolina; each guide covers the clerk of court and other court offices, their addresses, and what is searchable online.
- Greenville County court records County seat: Greenville Online search Free
- Richland County court records County seat: Columbia Online search Free Verifying
- Charleston County court records County seat: Charleston Online search Free
- Horry County court records County seat: Conway Online search Free Verifying
- Spartanburg County court records County seat: Spartanburg Online search Free Verifying
- Lexington County court records County seat: Lexington Online search Free
- York County court records County seat: York Online search Free
- Berkeley County court records County seat: Moncks Corner Online search Free
- Anderson County court records County seat: Anderson Online search Free
- Beaufort County court records County seat: Beaufort Online search Free
Request records in person or by mail
In person. Go to the office that actually heard the case. For felonies, civil suits, and family matters, that is the Clerk of Court at the county courthouse; for estates, guardianships, and marriage licenses, it is the Probate Court; for small claims or minor criminal charges, it is the specific Magistrate Court office. Bring the case number if you have it, or the party names and an approximate year. Most clerks accept cash, check, money order, or card (sometimes with a processing fee).
By mail. Write to the office with:
- the case number, or the full names of the parties and the year filed;
- exactly which documents you need;
- whether you need plain or certified copies; and
- a check or money order for the fee, or a request for a fee quote.
Call first to confirm the current fee, since clerks set their own copy and certification charges under Title 8, Chapter 21 of the South Carolina Code. Turnaround varies by county and whether the file has to be pulled from off-site storage.
Online. Where a county's Public Index page is available, you can review case information and, for some cases, filed documents at no charge. Certified copies still have to be requested from the clerk or judge that holds the file — the Public Index does not issue certified copies.
Criminal history. Use SLED CATCH for a statewide, paid, name-based criminal-history search. It is not a substitute for a county clerk's criminal case index, which also shows pending charges and dismissals that CATCH does not report.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | Set by each clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy | Set by each clerk — ask when you request |
Copy and certification fees are set by each clerk of court and probate judge under the general fee authority in Title 8, Chapter 21 of the South Carolina Code, so amounts differ by county (for example, Greenville County charges $0.25 per page for plain copies and $10.00 per document for certified copies). Confirm the current fee with the specific office before sending payment.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed, expunged, and restricted records
South Carolina court records are presumed open, but the state treats sealing and expungement as two different things. Sealing removes a record from public view while keeping it on file for law enforcement or licensing purposes in narrow circumstances; expungement, governed by the Uniform Expungement of Criminal Records Act (S.C. Code Ann. Title 17, Chapter 22, Article 9), results in destruction of the record so that, legally, the charge no longer exists for background-check purposes.
Expungement applications for most eligible charges go through the solicitor's office in the judicial circuit where the case was filed, not the clerk of court, which coordinates with SLED and the courts once an order is granted. Even after an order is granted, the underlying arrest and booking record is retained under seal by law enforcement for a statutory period before destruction.
Family Court and juvenile records. Juvenile delinquency proceedings are confidential with narrow exceptions, and some Family Court filings (adoption records in particular) are sealed by statute.
Mental-health and involuntary-commitment records. Probate Court commitment proceedings are restricted and are not part of any public online index.
South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act (S.C. Code Ann. Title 30, Chapter 4) governs access to records of state and local government agencies, but court case records are instead governed by court rules and the common-law right of access; requests for court files go to the clerk or judge holding the case, not through a FOIA request.
To remove your own record from public view, read how to expunge or seal a criminal record.
Frequently asked questions
Are South Carolina court records public?
Yes. Circuit, Family, Probate, and Magistrate Court records in South Carolina are presumed open unless a statute or court order restricts them. The main exceptions are expunged and sealed criminal records, confidential juvenile cases, sealed adoption files, and mental-health commitment proceedings.
Is there one statewide website to search South Carolina court cases?
Not a single search box. The South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index is organized as a separate site for each of the 46 counties, covering Circuit and Family Court. Magistrate, probate, and municipal court records are not on the Public Index and have to be checked with those specific offices.
How do I check someone's criminal history in South Carolina?
Use SLED CATCH, the state's $25 name-based criminal-history search, for statewide convictions and reported arrests. For a specific pending case, search the county's Public Index or contact the clerk of court in the county where the charge was filed.
Which office has my divorce or custody case?
The Clerk of Court's Family Court division in the county where the case was filed. Circuit Court and Family Court share the same clerk's office in most counties but keep separate case indexes.
How do I get a certified copy of a South Carolina court record?
Request it from the clerk, probate judge, or magistrate that holds the file, in person or by mail. Certified copies cost more than plain copies and fees are set by that office, so call ahead to confirm the amount.
What is the difference between sealing and expunging a South Carolina record?
Sealing hides a record from most public view while keeping it on file for limited purposes; expunging it under the Uniform Expungement of Criminal Records Act results in destruction of the record. Expungement applications are handled by the circuit solicitor's office, not the clerk of court.
Sources
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Circuit Court — https://www.sccourts.org/courts/trial-courts/circuit-court/
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Supreme Court — https://www.sccourts.org/courts/supreme-court/
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Case Records Search — https://www.sccourts.org/case-records-search/
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — C-Track Public Access (appellate) — https://www.sccourts.org/c-track-public-access/
- SLED CATCH (Citizen's Access To Criminal Histories) — https://catch.sled.sc.gov/
- South Carolina Code, Title 17, Chapter 22 — Intervention Programs (Article 9, Uniform Expungement of Criminal Records) — https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t17c022.php
- South Carolina Code, Title 30, Chapter 4 — Freedom of Information Act — https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t30c004.php
- South Carolina Code, Title 8, Chapter 21 — Fees and Costs Generally — https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t08c021.php
- United States District Court for the District of South Carolina — https://www.scd.uscourts.gov/