| Clerk of Court | Richland County Clerk of Court |
|---|---|
| Probate Court | Richland County Probate Court |
| Clerk address | Richland County Judicial Center, 1701 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201 (Clerk of Court, Room 205); Probate Court, 1701 Main St., 2nd Floor, Suite 207, Columbia, SC 29201 |
| Phone | Clerk of Court (803) 576-1950; Probate Court (803) 576-1961 |
| 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 |
Richland County, home to Columbia, the state capital, keeps Circuit Court and Family Court records with the Richland County Clerk of Court at the Richland County Judicial Center on Main Street. Case information is searchable through the county's page on the South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index.
The Richland County Probate Court is a separate elected office in the same building. It handles estates, guardianships and conservatorships, marriage licenses, and involuntary-commitment matters, and offers estate records in person, by mail, and through a fee-based online subscription service.
Richland County has fourteen Magistrate Court locations, each a separate office from the Clerk of Court, handling small claims, evictions, and minor criminal charges. City police tickets (Columbia and other municipalities) go to the relevant municipal court instead.
Search Richland County court records online
Clerk of Court
Richland County Clerk of Court
- Cost
- Free index search through the Public Index; fees for copies set by the office
- Coverage
- Circuit Court (Common Pleas and General Sessions) and Family Court cases for Richland County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
The office's website returned a bot-protection error (HTTP 403) to automated verification but is confirmed as the correct official page by South Carolina Judicial Branch and Richland County government search results; contact the office directly to confirm current copy fees.
Probate Court
Richland County Probate Court
- Cost
- Free case search; fee-based subscription for online deed/estate document viewing
- Coverage
- Estates, guardianships and conservatorships, marriage licenses, and involuntary-commitment matters
- Records
- Probate
The office's website returned a bot-protection error (HTTP 403) to automated verification but is confirmed as the correct official page by Richland County government search results; the office also offers an Estate Inquiry lookup tool.
Other courts
Richland County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch)
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Richland County's Circuit and Family Court case information
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Accept the terms of service on the disclaimer page before searching by name or case number.
What is available online
The Public Index covers Circuit and Family Court filings, party names, and case status; document availability depends on case type and filing date. The Probate Court's estate records are available in person, by mail, and through a separate fee-based online subscription. Magistrate Court cases across the county's fourteen locations are not on either online system.
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
Richland County clerk offices
Richland County Judicial Center, 1701 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201 (Clerk of Court, Room 205); Probate Court, 1701 Main St., 2nd Floor, Suite 207, Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: Clerk of Court (803) 576-1950; Probate Court (803) 576-1961
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Contact details were taken from the office's website and are re-checked on a schedule; confirm hours before visiting.
Circuit and Family Court records. Search the Public Index online, or contact the Clerk of Court at the Richland County Judicial Center, 1701 Main Street, Room 205, for copies. Call ahead to confirm the current per-page and certification fees before mailing a request or payment.
Probate records. Contact the Richland County Probate Court at the same building (2nd Floor, Suite 207); estate records can be requested in person, by mail, or through the office's fee-based online subscription service.
Magistrate Court records. Contact the specific magistrate location that heard the case; Richland County has fourteen magistrate offices, each with its own file.
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 search Richland County court cases online?
Use the Richland County Public Index, part of the South Carolina Judicial Branch's statewide system, to search Circuit and Family Court cases by name or case number for free.
Who keeps Richland County probate and estate records?
The Richland County Probate Court, a separate office from the Clerk of Court, located in the same Judicial Center building. It offers an Estate Inquiry tool and a fee-based subscription for document images.
Where do I find a Richland County small-claims or eviction case?
Those cases are handled by one of Richland County's fourteen Magistrate Court locations, not the Clerk of Court. Contact the magistrate's office for the area where the case was filed.
How much are copies from the Richland County Clerk of Court?
The office's website does not publish a fee schedule online; call (803) 576-1950 to confirm current plain-copy and certified-copy fees before requesting records by mail.
Sources
- Richland County Clerk of Court — https://www.richlandcountysc.gov/Government/Elected-Offices/Clerk-of-Court
- Richland County Probate Court — https://www.richlandcountysc.gov/Courts-Safety/Probate-Court
- Richland County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch) — https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Richland/PublicIndex/disclaimer.aspx
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Richland County Courthouse Search — https://www.sccourts.org/courts/courthouse-search/richland/
- 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.