| Clerk of Court | Charleston County Clerk of Court |
|---|---|
| Probate Court | Charleston County Probate Court |
| Clerk address | Common Pleas/General Sessions: 100 Broad Street, Suite 106, Charleston, SC 29401-2258; Family Court: 100 Broad Street, Suite 143, Charleston, SC 29401-2265; Probate Court: 100 Broad St., Suite 469 and 84 Broad St. (Estate Division), Charleston, SC 29401 |
| Phone | Clerk of Court (843) 958-5000; Family Court (843) 958-4400; Probate Court (843) 958-5180 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 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 |
Charleston County's Clerk of Court keeps Circuit Court records at 100 Broad Street, Suite 106 (Common Pleas civil and General Sessions criminal), while Family Court filings are handled at a separate suite in the same building. The county runs its own case-search system, JCMS Public Index, alongside the statewide South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index, so records can be searched through either site.
The Charleston County Probate Court is a separate office at the Charleston County Judicial Center and the historic courthouse. It handles estates, guardianships, marriage licenses, and involuntary commitments, with its own online searches for marriage licenses and estate/wills records.
Charleston County has multiple Magistrate Court offices for small claims and minor criminal matters, and the City of Charleston and other municipalities run their own municipal courts for city tickets and ordinance violations, none of which appear in the clerk's or probate court's online systems.
Search Charleston County court records online
Clerk of Court
Charleston County Clerk of Court
- Cost
- Free index search; fees for copies and filing set by the office
- Coverage
- Circuit Court (Common Pleas and General Sessions) and Family Court cases for Charleston County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Common Pleas/General Sessions is at 100 Broad Street, Suite 106; Family Court is at 100 Broad Street, Suite 143. A separate filing-fees page is linked from the office's site.
Probate Court
Charleston County Probate Court
- Cost
- Free case search; fees for filings and copies set by the office
- Coverage
- Estates and trusts, guardianships and conservatorships, marriage licenses, and involuntary-commitment matters
- Records
- Probate
Offers separate searchable databases for marriage licenses and for estate and wills records.
Other courts
Charleston County JCMS Public Index
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Charleston County's own case-management public index, in addition to the statewide Public Index
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Search either this county-run index or the sccourts.org Public Index for the same case.
Other courts
Charleston County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch)
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Statewide Public Index page for Charleston County Circuit and Family Court cases
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
What is available online
Both the county's JCMS Public Index and the statewide sccourts.org Public Index cover the same Circuit and Family Court case data for Charleston County; document availability depends on case type and filing date. Probate Court's marriage-license and estate/wills searches are separate systems. Magistrate and municipal court records are not on any of these online indexes.
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
Charleston County clerk offices
Common Pleas/General Sessions: 100 Broad Street, Suite 106, Charleston, SC 29401-2258; Family Court: 100 Broad Street, Suite 143, Charleston, SC 29401-2265; Probate Court: 100 Broad St., Suite 469 and 84 Broad St. (Estate Division), Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: Clerk of Court (843) 958-5000; Family Court (843) 958-4400; Probate Court (843) 958-5180
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Circuit and Family Court records. Search either Public Index online, or request copies in person or by mail from the Clerk of Court: Common Pleas and General Sessions at 100 Broad Street, Suite 106; Family Court at 100 Broad Street, Suite 143. A filing-fees page on the office's website lists current charges for specific services.
Probate records. Contact the Charleston County Probate Court; the Estate Division is at 84 Broad Street and the main office (marriage licenses, guardianships) is at 100 Broad Street, Suite 469.
Magistrate and municipal court records. Contact the specific magistrate's office or the relevant city's municipal court directly; neither is part of the county's online case-search systems.
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
Does Charleston County have two different online court-record searches?
Yes. Charleston County runs its own JCMS Public Index and also participates in the statewide South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index. Both cover the same Circuit and Family Court cases, so either can be used.
Where is the Charleston County Family Court clerk's office?
100 Broad Street, Suite 143, Charleston, SC 29401-2265, a separate suite from the Common Pleas/General Sessions clerk's office at Suite 106 in the same building.
How do I find a marriage license or estate record in Charleston County?
Use the Charleston County Probate Court's separate online searches for marriage licenses and for estate and wills records; these are not part of the Clerk of Court's case index.
Are Charleston city tickets in the county's court search?
No. Tickets issued by City of Charleston police or other municipal departments go to that city's municipal court, which is not indexed by the county or the state Public Index.
What does the Charleston County Clerk of Court charge for copies?
Fees vary by document and are listed on a dedicated filing-fees page on the clerk's website; call (843) 958-5000 to confirm the current amount before mailing a request.
Sources
- Charleston County Clerk of Court — https://www.charlestoncounty.gov/departments/clerk-of-court/index.php
- Charleston County Probate Court — https://ccprobate.charlestoncounty.gov/
- Charleston County JCMS Public Index — https://jcmsweb.charlestoncounty.gov/publicindex/
- Charleston County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch) — https://publicindex.sccourts.org/charleston/publicindex/
- 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.