| Clerk of Court | Lexington County Clerk of Court |
|---|---|
| Probate Court | Lexington County Probate Court |
| Clerk address | Lexington County Judicial Center (Marc H. Westbrook Judicial Center), 205 East Main Street, Lexington, SC 29072 (Clerk of Court: Suite 128; Probate Court: Suite 134) |
| Phone | Clerk of Court (803) 785-8212; Probate Court (803) 785-8324 |
| Hours | Clerk of Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (county administrative offices). Probate Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Earliest records noted | 1865 |
| Plain copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
Lexington County, across the Congaree River from Columbia, is the heart of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. Its Clerk of Court keeps every Circuit Court file — Common Pleas civil suits and General Sessions criminal cases — along with Family Court filings, all from the Marc H. Westbrook Judicial Center at 205 East Main Street in downtown Lexington. Case information is searchable free of charge through the county's page on the South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index, which the clerk's site labels the "Judicial Index."
The Lexington County Probate Court is a separate elected office on the main floor of the same building. It handles estate administration, marriage licenses, adult guardianships and conservatorships, and mental-health commitments, and it is one of the few South Carolina probate courts with its own online estate and marriage-license indexes reaching back to the 1860s.
Small claims, evictions, and minor criminal charges go to one of the county's Magistrate Courts, and tickets written by city police in Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia, Irmo, and other municipalities go to that city's municipal court. Neither is part of the clerk's Public Index. Visitors to the Judicial Center pass through a sheriff's screening station with metal detection and X-ray of belongings.
Search Lexington County court records online
Clerk of Court
Lexington County Clerk of Court
- Cost
- Free index search; copy fees set by the office
- Coverage
- Circuit Court (Common Pleas and General Sessions) and Family Court cases for Lexington County, Eleventh Judicial Circuit
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
The clerk's page links directly to the Lexington County Public Index ("Judicial Index"), Circuit Court rosters, and the statewide Family Court public portal. It does not publish a copy-fee schedule; call before mailing payment.
Probate Court
Lexington County Probate Court
- Cost
- Free online estate and marriage index; certified copies $5.00 plus $0.25 per page
- Coverage
- Estates, guardianships and conservatorships, marriage licenses, and mental-health commitments
- Records
- Probate
Offers its own online searches — estates 1865-1994 and 1995-present, marriage licenses 1911-1987 and 1986-present — through disclaimer pages on the county site. The court's published fee schedule lists a $5.00 certified-copy fee plus $0.25 per page.
Other courts
Lexington County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch)
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Circuit Court and Family Court case records for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit's Lexington County docket
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Accept the disclaimer, then search by party name or case number. Since January 1, 2026, home addresses are no longer displayed on any Public Index site.
What is available online
The Lexington County Public Index shows Circuit and Family Court case information — parties, charges or causes of action, hearing dates, and dispositions — with document images for some case types. Family Court case records are also available through the statewide Family Court public portal. The Probate Court's own indexes cover estates from 1865 forward and marriage licenses from 1911 forward, split into historical and current databases. Magistrate and municipal court cases are not online through the county.
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
Lexington County clerk offices
Lexington County Judicial Center (Marc H. Westbrook Judicial Center), 205 East Main Street, Lexington, SC 29072 (Clerk of Court: Suite 128; Probate Court: Suite 134)
Phone: Clerk of Court (803) 785-8212; Probate Court (803) 785-8324
Hours: Clerk of Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (county administrative offices). Probate Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Circuit and Family Court records. Search the Public Index first to get the case number. For copies, visit or write the Clerk of Court, 205 East Main Street, Suite 128, Lexington, SC 29072, with the case number, the documents you need, and whether you want plain or certified copies. The clerk's website does not list per-page fees, so call (803) 785-8212 for a quote before mailing payment.
Probate records. Search the Probate Court's online estate or marriage index, then request copies from the court at Suite 134 in the same building. Certified copies are $5.00 per document plus $0.25 per page under the court's published fee schedule.
Traffic tickets and magistrate cases. County traffic tickets can be paid online through the Public Index payment site linked from the county homepage. Records of magistrate cases are kept by the specific magistrate office; city tickets belong to that city's municipal court.
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 do I look up a Lexington County court case online?
Use the Lexington County Public Index, which the clerk's website calls the Judicial Index. It covers Circuit Court (civil and criminal) and Family Court cases and is free to search by name or case number.
Can I search Lexington County estate records online?
Yes. The Lexington County Probate Court runs its own online estate index, split into a historical database (1865-1994) and a current one (1995-present), plus marriage-license searches from 1911 forward.
How much does a certified copy cost from Lexington County Probate Court?
$5.00 per certified copy plus $0.25 per page, according to the court's published fee schedule. The Clerk of Court sets its own fees for Circuit and Family Court copies; call ahead to confirm.
Are Lexington and West Columbia traffic tickets in the county's Public Index?
Not if a city police officer wrote them; those go to the municipal court for that city. Tickets issued by county officers are handled by the Magistrate Courts and can be paid through the county's online payment link.
Sources
- Lexington County Clerk of Court — https://lex-co.sc.gov/departments/clerk-court
- Lexington County Probate Court — https://lex-co.sc.gov/probate-court
- Lexington County Probate Court — Court Fees — https://www.lex-co.sc.gov/departments/probate-court/court-fees
- Lexington County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch) — https://publicindex.sccourts.org/lexington/publicindex/
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Lexington County Courthouse Search — https://www.sccourts.org/courts/courthouse-search/lexington/
- 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.