| Clerk of Court | York County Clerk of Court |
|---|---|
| Probate Court | York County Probate Court |
| Clerk address | Clerk of Court (Circuit Court): Moss Justice Center, 1675-1G York Highway, York, SC 29745 (mail: P.O. Box 649, York, SC 29745); Family Court: 1555 West Main Street, Rock Hill, SC 29732; Probate Court: Moss Justice Center, 2nd Floor, 1675 York Highway, York, SC 29745 (mail: P.O. Box 219, York, SC 29745) |
| Phone | Clerk of Court / General Sessions (803) 628-3036; Common Pleas (803) 684-8507; Family Court (803) 909-7100; Probate Court (803) 684-8513 |
| Hours | Clerk of Court, Family Court, and Probate Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Probate marriage-license applications 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. by appointment. |
| Earliest records noted | 1975 |
| Plain copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
York County, home to Rock Hill and Fort Mill in the Charlotte suburbs, is the larger of the two counties in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit (with Union County). Its Clerk of Court is unusual in South Carolina because the same elected official also serves as Register of Deeds, but court records and land records live in different buildings: Circuit Court files — Common Pleas civil and General Sessions criminal — are at the Moss Justice Center on York Highway in York, while Family Court operates from a separate office on West Main Street in Rock Hill.
Case information for both courts is searchable free through the county's page on the South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index, which the county's website labels the "16th Circuit Court Public Index Search." Family Court records are also reachable through the statewide Family Court public portal.
The York County Probate Court is a separate office temporarily housed on the second floor of the Moss Justice Center while the Historical Courthouse on South Congress Street is closed for renovation. Its estate records from 1975 to the present are online through a vendor site, a rarity among South Carolina probate courts. Small claims and minor criminal cases go to township Magistrate Courts, and a 24-hour Bond Court sits inside the county detention center.
Search York County court records online
Clerk of Court
York 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 York County, Sixteenth Judicial Circuit
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Records and background-check requests for Circuit Court go through a dedicated email listed on the county's Circuit Court page. The Clerk of Court also serves as Register of Deeds and runs the county's passport office in Rock Hill.
Probate Court
York County Probate Court
- Cost
- Free online estate index; $2.00 per printed document; $5.00 per certified marriage-license copy
- Coverage
- Estates, guardianships and conservatorships, marriage licenses, and involuntary commitments
- Records
- Probate
Estate records from 1975 to present are viewable free at southcarolinaprobate.net (documents print for $2.00 each). Appointments are required to open an estate or apply for a marriage license; no appointment is needed for a certified marriage-license copy.
Other courts
York County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch)
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Circuit Court and Family Court case records for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit's York County docket
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Linked from the county's Clerk of Court page as the "16th Circuit Court Public Index Search." Accept the disclaimer before searching.
Other courts
York County Probate Court estate records (southcarolinaprobate.net)
- Cost
- Free to view; $2.00 per document to print
- Coverage
- York County estate files from 1975 to the present, updated nightly, plus marriage-license copy requests
- Records
- Probate
The vendor site returns HTTP 403 to automated requests; the URL is published verbatim on the York County Probate Court page (fetched 2026-09-13). Names must be spelled exactly as they appear in the estate record.
What is available online
The York County Public Index shows Circuit and Family Court case information with document images for some case types. Family Court cases also appear in the statewide Family Court public portal. Probate estate files from 1975 forward are online through southcarolinaprobate.net and are updated every evening, so a document filed today is viewable tomorrow. Older estate files and marriage licenses can be reviewed on public computers in the Register of Deeds office at the Government Center, 6 South Congress Street. Magistrate, Bond Court, and municipal court records 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
York County clerk offices
Clerk of Court (Circuit Court): Moss Justice Center, 1675-1G York Highway, York, SC 29745 (mail: P.O. Box 649, York, SC 29745); Family Court: 1555 West Main Street, Rock Hill, SC 29732; Probate Court: Moss Justice Center, 2nd Floor, 1675 York Highway, York, SC 29745 (mail: P.O. Box 219, York, SC 29745)
Phone: Clerk of Court / General Sessions (803) 628-3036; Common Pleas (803) 684-8507; Family Court (803) 909-7100; Probate Court (803) 684-8513
Hours: Clerk of Court, Family Court, and Probate Court: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Probate marriage-license applications 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. by appointment.
Circuit Court records (civil and criminal). Search the Public Index for the case number, then request copies from the Clerk of Court at the Moss Justice Center, 1675-1G York Highway, York, SC 29745, or by mail to P.O. Box 649. Records and background-check requests can also be emailed to the address posted on the county's Circuit Court page. The county site does not publish per-page copy fees; call (803) 628-3036 to confirm before sending payment.
Family Court records. Contact the Family Court office at 1555 West Main Street, Rock Hill, SC 29732, (803) 909-7100, which is run by the Clerk of Court but is in a different city from the Circuit Court files.
Probate records. View estate documents online at southcarolinaprobate.net ($2.00 per printed document), or contact the Probate Court at (803) 684-8513. Certified marriage-license copies are $5.00 each by mail with a self-addressed stamped envelope, or online through the same vendor site.
Magistrate and municipal cases. Contact the township magistrate office that heard the case, or the municipal court for Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Clover, or York if a city 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
Where is the York County Clerk of Court located?
Circuit Court records are at the Moss Justice Center, 1675-1G York Highway, York, SC 29745. Family Court records are at a separate office, 1555 West Main Street in Rock Hill. Land records handled by the same official are at the Government Center at 6 South Congress Street in York.
Can I see York County probate records online?
Yes. Estate records from 1975 to the present are online at southcarolinaprobate.net, free to view and $2.00 per document to print. The site updates nightly, and names must match the spelling in the estate file.
Why is the York County Probate Court in the Moss Justice Center?
The Historical Courthouse at 2 South Congress Street is closed for renovations for an indefinite period, so the Probate Court moved to the second floor of the Moss Justice Center at 1675 York Highway. Its mailing address, P.O. Box 219, York, SC 29745, is unchanged.
Do I need an appointment at York County Probate Court?
Yes for opening an estate, guardianship or conservatorship matters, and marriage-license applications. You do not need one to pick up a certified copy of a marriage license or to drop off documents.
Sources
- York County Clerk of Court — https://www.yorkcountysc.gov/167/Clerk-of-Court
- York County Courts — https://www.yorkcountysc.gov/814/York-County-Courts
- York County Circuit Court Information — https://www.yorkcountysc.gov/555/Circuit-Court
- York County Family Court — https://www.yorkcountysc.gov/171/Family-Court
- York County Probate Court — https://www.yorkcountysc.gov/169/Probate-Court
- York County Public Index (SC Judicial Branch) — https://publicindex.sccourts.org/york/publicindex/
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — York County Courthouse Search — https://www.sccourts.org/courts/courthouse-search/york/
- 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.