| Clerk of Court | Beaufort County Clerk of Court |
|---|---|
| Probate Court | Beaufort County Probate Court |
| Clerk address | Beaufort County Courthouse, 102 Ribaut Road, Beaufort, SC 29902 (Clerk of Court: Suite 208; Family Court: Room 119; Probate Court: same building). Clerk of Court mail: Post Office Drawer 1128, Beaufort, SC 29901. Probate satellite: 539 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 |
| Phone | Clerk of Court — Common Pleas and General Sessions (843) 255-5050; Family Court (843) 255-5660; Probate Court (843) 255-5850 |
| Hours | Clerk of Court and Family Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Probate Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (building closes to the public at 4:30 p.m.; Hilton Head office closed noon to 1:00 p.m.) |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
Beaufort County covers the Lowcountry coast from the city of Beaufort south through Bluffton and Hilton Head Island and belongs to the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. Its Clerk of Court keeps Court of Common Pleas civil files and Court of General Sessions criminal files at the Beaufort County Courthouse, 102 Ribaut Road, Suite 208, in Beaufort. Family Court, also run by the Clerk of Court, has its own office on the first floor of the same courthouse. Case information for all three is searchable free through the county's page on the South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index.
Unusually for South Carolina, the Beaufort County Clerk of Court publishes a full fee schedule online, including copy and certification charges, so you can calculate the cost of a records request before you send it.
The Beaufort County Probate Court is a separate office at 102 Ribaut Road with a satellite office at the County Government Center South on Hilton Head Island. It handles estates, marriage licenses, guardianships and conservatorships, and involuntary commitments, mostly by appointment. Small claims, evictions, and minor criminal charges go to the county's Magistrate Courts, and tickets written by Beaufort, Bluffton, Port Royal, or Hilton Head Island officers go to that town's municipal court.
Search Beaufort County court records online
Clerk of Court
Beaufort County Clerk of Court
- Cost
- Free index search; copies $0.50 per page ($0.55 if made by clerk staff); certification $3.00 per document; exemplified copy $4.00
- Coverage
- Court of Common Pleas, Court of General Sessions, and Family Court cases for Beaufort County, Fourteenth Judicial Circuit
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
The office publishes a fee schedule online listing $0.50 per page for copies ($0.55 when processed by staff), $3.00 for certification of any document, and $4.00 for an exemplified copy. The clerk does not schedule General Sessions court dates; those come from the Chief Judge for Administrative Purposes.
Probate Court
Beaufort County Probate Court
- Cost
- Free case information; filing and certified-copy fees set by statute
- Coverage
- Estates, marriage licenses, guardianships and conservatorships, and involuntary commitments
- Records
- Probate
Main office at 102 Ribaut Road in Beaufort plus a Hilton Head Island satellite at 539 William Hilton Parkway (closed noon to 1:00 p.m.). Court business and marriage-license applications (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) are by appointment only; the building closes to the public at 4:30 p.m.
Other courts
Beaufort County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch)
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Circuit Court and Family Court case records for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit's Beaufort County docket
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Linked from the clerk's page as "Case Records Search." Court rosters for Common Pleas, General Sessions, and Master-in-Equity are on the companion rosters site.
Other courts
Beaufort County Family Court
- Cost
- Free index search; copies per the Clerk of Court fee schedule
- Coverage
- Divorce, custody, child support, adoption, orders of protection, and juvenile cases for Beaufort County
- Records
- Family
Located in Room 119 on the first floor of the main courthouse at 102 Ribaut Road, (843) 255-5660. Child-support payments go to the South Carolina State Disbursement Unit, not the clerk.
Other courts
Beaufort County Magistrate Court
- Coverage
- Small claims, landlord-tenant, minor criminal charges, and traffic tickets issued by county officers
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Traffic
Separate offices from the Clerk of Court; not included in the Public Index. The county's "Traffic Tickets" and "Jury Duty" links point here.
What is available online
The Beaufort County Public Index covers Common Pleas, General Sessions, and Family Court case information and status, with document images for some case types, and the companion rosters site shows upcoming trial and motion calendars. Family Court cases also appear in the statewide Family Court public portal. Probate Court records are not searchable online; contact the office. Magistrate and municipal court cases are not on any county portal.
Which clerk has your record
In South Carolina, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the South Carolina page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court — Common Pleas (civil) and General Sessions (criminal) | Felony criminal cases; Civil suits above the magistrate-court limit; Appeals from Magistrate, Municipal, and Probate Court | Clerk of Court of the county |
| Family Court | Divorce, custody, and child support; Adoption; Juvenile delinquency and abuse/neglect cases | Clerk of Court of the county (Family Court division) |
| Probate Court | Estate administration and wills; Guardianships and conservatorships; Marriage licenses | Probate Judge of the county |
| Magistrate Court (Summary Court) | Small claims up to the magistrate limit; Minor criminal offenses; Bond hearings | Magistrate Court clerk for the individual magistrate's office |
| Municipal Court | City ordinance violations; Traffic tickets issued within city limits | Municipal court clerk for that city |
Request records in person or by mail
Beaufort County clerk offices
Beaufort County Courthouse, 102 Ribaut Road, Beaufort, SC 29902 (Clerk of Court: Suite 208; Family Court: Room 119; Probate Court: same building). Clerk of Court mail: Post Office Drawer 1128, Beaufort, SC 29901. Probate satellite: 539 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Phone: Clerk of Court — Common Pleas and General Sessions (843) 255-5050; Family Court (843) 255-5660; Probate Court (843) 255-5850
Hours: Clerk of Court and Family Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Probate Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (building closes to the public at 4:30 p.m.; Hilton Head office closed noon to 1:00 p.m.)
Circuit Court records (civil and criminal). Search the Public Index for the case number, then write or visit the Clerk of Court, 102 Ribaut Road, Suite 208, Beaufort, SC 29902 (mail: Post Office Drawer 1128, Beaufort, SC 29901). Under the office's published fee schedule, copies are $0.50 per page, or $0.55 per page when clerk staff make them, and certification is $3.00 per document; an exemplified copy is $4.00. Call (843) 255-5050 with questions.
Family Court records. Contact the Family Court office in Room 119 of the courthouse, (843) 255-5660. The same copy and certification fees apply.
Probate records. Call (843) 255-5850 to schedule an appointment at the Beaufort main office or the Hilton Head Island satellite; court business is by appointment only.
Magistrate and municipal cases. Contact the Magistrate Court office that heard the case, or the municipal court for Beaufort, Port Royal, Bluffton, or Hilton Head Island if a town officer wrote the ticket.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy | Set by the 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 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.
The South Carolina guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
How much do copies cost from the Beaufort County Clerk of Court?
$0.50 per page, or $0.55 per page when processed by clerk staff, plus $3.00 per document for certification and $4.00 for an exemplified copy, according to the office's published fee schedule.
How do I search Beaufort County court records online?
Use the Beaufort County Public Index, linked from the clerk's page as Case Records Search, for Common Pleas, General Sessions, and Family Court cases. It is free and searchable by name or case number.
Is there a Beaufort County court office on Hilton Head Island?
The Probate Court has a satellite office at the County Government Center South, 539 William Hilton Parkway, open by appointment. Circuit and Family Court records are kept at the main courthouse at 102 Ribaut Road in Beaufort.
Where do I pay child support in Beaufort County?
To the South Carolina State Disbursement Unit in Columbia, not the Clerk of Court, since the statewide system took over payments in April 2019. The Family Court office can answer questions about a specific order.
Sources
- Beaufort County Clerk of Court — https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/clerk-of-court/
- Beaufort County Clerk of Court — Fee Schedule — https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/clerk-of-court/Fee-Schedule.html
- Beaufort County Family Court — https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/family-court/index.html
- Beaufort County Probate Court — https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/probate-court/index.html
- Beaufort County Magistrate Court — https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/magistrate-court/
- Beaufort County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch) — https://publicindex.sccourts.org/beaufort/publicindex/
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Beaufort County Courthouse Search — https://www.sccourts.org/courts/courthouse-search/beaufort/
- 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/
See also: all South Carolina counties.