How to Search South Carolina Court Records (Start Here)
South Carolina court records are filed with the Clerk of Court. The Circuit Court / Family Court / Magistrate Court handles trial-level cases. South Carolina offers a statewide court search through SC Courts Case Records, which covers most case types across all counties courts.
What this page covers: South Carolina state court case records — criminal, civil, family, and probate filings. What it does not cover: Federal court cases (those are on PACER) or sealed/juvenile records.
Where to start: Use SC Courts Case Records for online case search. If you need documents beyond docket information, contact the Clerk of Court in the specific county where the case was filed.
Common mistake: SC Courts Case Records covers state courts only. Federal cases filed in South Carolina (bankruptcy, federal criminal, federal civil) require PACER — a separate federal system.
Trial court of general jurisdiction
Magistrate Courts
Statewide civil case search
Statewide criminal docket search
Number of counties
46 counties
Population
5,478,831
Households
2,122,600
Median Income
$67,804
Median Home Value
$230,400
SearchSystems Editorial
Edited by Sam Rokni — Editor & Owner, SearchSystems.net. Public records professional since 1999. NAPBS founding member. Full bio & credentials.
Last reviewed: June 04, 2026 · Methodology: all South Carolina court URLs verified against the official .gov / state-judiciary publisher on the review date. 3 primary .gov / .uscourts.gov sources cited below.
South Carolina Court Records — Key Numbers (2025)
SC publishes monthly reports with circuit-by-circuit bar graphs benchmarking against an 80% pending-case goal.
South Carolina Judicial
Court system
Statewide
2025
Latest fiscal year
Official .gov data
.gov
Primary source
Never data brokers
Free
Public access
Most case records
June 04, 2026
Last reviewed
By SearchSystems editorial
Search online
$0
View docket entry
$0
Download document
$1
Certified copy
$5
Expungement filing
$50
Unit: USD typical fee. Fees and access policies vary by court; see Primary Sources below.
What Changed in 2026 — South Carolina Court Records
2026
South Carolina 2025 caseload report active
The South Carolina Judicial Branch publishes its current 2025 case filings, dispositions, and trends on the official statistics portal.
2026
South Carolina statewide case-access portal live
South Carolina Judicial Branch's public case-access portal continues to operate at www.sccourts.org with statewide coverage.
2026
Latest South Carolina judiciary annual report
The most recent annual report from the South Carolina Judicial Branch is publicly available with full statistical addenda.
2026
South Carolina courts main directory
South Carolina's primary judicial-branch directory at www.sccourts.gov continues to be the canonical entry point for all state court matters.
The 4-Step South Carolina Court Records Pathway
1
Step 1 — Identify the court level
In South Carolina, civil and criminal trial cases sit in South Carolina Judicial Branch trial courts. Appellate matters go to the state's appellate courts.
2
Step 2 — Use the state case-access portal
Start at https://www.sccourts.org/casesearch/ — the official public case-access for South Carolina.
3
Step 3 — Federal cases are separate
Federal cases involving South Carolina parties live on PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov), not the state system.
4
Step 4 — Sealed / expunged records
Records sealed or expunged under South Carolina law are NOT searchable on public portals. To verify, contact the originating court clerk directly.
Five Things People Get Wrong About South Carolina Court Records
❌ Myth: "South Carolina court records are on PACER."
✓ Truth: False. PACER only has federal cases. South Carolina state court records live on www.sccourts.gov.
❌ Myth: "All South Carolina case files are free."
✓ Truth: Partly true. Searching and viewing dockets is usually free. Downloading full documents or certified copies often costs $1-$5 per item.
❌ Myth: "Sealed = deleted in South Carolina."
✓ Truth: False. Sealed records still exist — they're just hidden from public search. The court clerk and law enforcement can still access them.
❌ Myth: "Third-party search sites are official."
✓ Truth: False. Only www.sccourts.gov and the linked official portals are authoritative for South Carolina.
❌ Myth: "Same-day filings show online immediately."
✓ Truth: False. Most South Carolina courts have a 24-48 hour processing lag before new filings appear in public search.
Primary Sources and Official Record Portals
- www.sccourts.gov — South Carolina Judicial Branch — Main judicial-branch portal for South Carolina
- South Carolina case access — Public case-search portal
- South Carolina court statistics — Official caseload statistics
- South Carolina annual report — Most recent annual report (PDF)
- uscourts.gov — PACER — Federal court records (separate system)
- uscourts.gov — Judicial Business 2025 — Federal caseload context
Related Court Records Resources
📍 Other South Carolina records:
- South Carolina Criminal Records →
- South Carolina Property Records →
- South Carolina Vital Records →
- South Carolina Voter Records →
- South Carolina Wants & Warrants →
- South Carolina Licenses →
- South Carolina Recorded Documents →
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National: U.S. Court Records hub →
Related Public Records
More South Carolina records: Criminal records · Wants & warrants · Property records · Vital records · Voter records · Licenses · Recorded docs
National view of this topic: All states: Court records
Court Records Databases
37 official South Carolina court records sources.
Court Records
Supreme Court - South Carolina Judicial Branch
Official Free
We granted the State's petition for a writ of certiorari to decide whether the court of appeals erred in reversing Shank's conviction on the ground that the trial court committed reversible error by refusing to charge the jury on Third-Degree Assault and Battery as a lesser-included offense of ABHAN. We reverse. Concluding former Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill's improper external influence on the jury deprived Richard Alexander Murdaugh of his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury, the Court reverses and remands for a new trial.
The South Carolina Judicial Branch
Official Free
Weekly appellate court opinions published by the Supreme Court. The South Carolina Attorney Information System. South Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals virtual courtrooms.
Aiken County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Anderson County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Berkeley County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
General Information | Clerk Of Court's Office
Official Free
Clerk of Court Each of the Forty-Six counties in South Carolina has a popularly elected Clerk of Court who serves a four year term. The Clerk of Court serves both the Circuit Court and the Family Court. The Clerk of Court is charged with docket management, receipt of fees, fines and costs, maintenance of all court records, and submission of reports to a variety of state agencies.
Public Index Search
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Master-In-Equity
Official Free
We are unable to process your request at this time. For additional information: Please copy this error message screen and email to Charleston County at webmaster@charlestoncounty.org with Subject line as - Unable to access Incident_ID - 7444898936281494901
Probate Court | Charleston County Government
Official Free
We are unable to process your request at this time. For additional information: Please copy this error message screen and email to Charleston County at webmaster@charlestoncounty.org with Subject line as - Unable to access Incident_ID - 7444898936448377335
Public Index Search
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Darlington County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Dorchester County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
1 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF GREENVILLE
Official Free
of Common Pleas of Greenville County, South Carolina, judgment was entered against the · Defendants, NRES Investments, LLC, NationalRealEstateServices.com, Inc., Home Sales & Rental Store, LLC, Greenville Rental Homes, Jenny Lee’s Short Stays, Jenny Lee’s Premier ·
GREENVILLE COUNTY PROBATE COURT – PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE HANDBOOK
Official Free
The filing of returns and/or payment of any South Carolina and Federal estate taxes or income taxes · GREENVILLE COUNTY PROBATE COURT – PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE HANDBOOK · THE HONORABLE CHADWICKE L. GROOVER, JUDGE OF PROBATE · Page 7 · 04/2024 · are the responsibility of the Personal Representative.
Greenwood County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Horry County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Lexington County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Orangeburg County Case Search - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Pickens County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · The case number.
SC - Richland County - Court Records
Official Free
Richland County Home Page Online Payments Public Index City of Columbia Municipal Ct S.C. Judicial Department Summary Ct Dockets · Online Payments will only be accepted for the full payment of the citation. No partial payments are accepted on line. Your mandatory court appearance is still.
Clerk of Court | Richland County SC
Official Free
Manages court records and oversees the administration of court cases, including civil, criminal, and family court matters.
Marriage License Application
Official Free
If you find the license you are searching for, you can order it online only by following the instructions below. If you did not apply for your license in the Richland County Probate Court, please go to SC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH to request a copy of your SC marriage license.
Sumter County Family Court
Official Free
Enforce all child support court orders. Collects and distributes nearly 8 million dollars of child support annually. Maintains over 35,000 case files for public access. NOTICE!! Important information regarding the Sumter County Implementation.
York County Public Index - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Please note that.
Traffic Tickets - Court Records
Official Free
Access to the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index web sites by a site data scraper or any similar software intended to discover and extract data from a website through automated, repetitive querying for the purpose of collecting such data is expressly prohibited · Your mandatory.
SC Bankruptcy CM/ECF - LIVE
Official Paid
District of South Carolina - Document Filing System · This is a restricted government website for official court business only. All activities of CM/ECF subscribers or users of this system for any purpose, and all access attempts, may be recorded and monitored by persons authorized by the.
About the Court
Official Free
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is one of twelve regional appellate courts within the federal judicial system. The court hears appeals from the nine federal district courts in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and from federal.
South Carolina Counties
46 South Carolina counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 28 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search South Carolina court cases online?▼
South Carolina's trial courts publish case lookups through the South Carolina Judicial Branch. Start at www.sccourts.gov — most case dockets, filings, and hearing calendars are searchable by name, case number, or filing date. County-level clerks publish additional searches; see the cards below for direct county court links.
Is there a free statewide court case search in South Carolina?▼
The South Carolina Judicial Branch operates South Carolina's official statewide judicial portal at www.sccourts.gov. Basic case lookups are typically free of charge; certified copies and bulk-data exports may incur a per-document or per-search fee. Federal cases for South Carolina residents are searched separately through PACER.
What's the difference between trial and appellate courts in South Carolina?▼
Trial courts in South Carolina handle the original filing of civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic matters. Appellate courts review questions of law from trial-court decisions. The South Carolina Judicial Branch publishes the full court structure, judge rosters, and jurisdiction maps at www.sccourts.gov.
How far back do South Carolina court records go online?▼
Online coverage varies by court and case type. Most South Carolina county courts have digitized records from approximately the late 1990s or early 2000s forward; older case files may require an in-person clerk visit or a written record request. Check the South Carolina Judicial Branch portal at www.sccourts.gov for each court's coverage window.
Are sealed or expunged South Carolina cases visible in the online search?▼
No. South Carolina courts redact or remove sealed, expunged, juvenile, and certain confidential records from public-facing searches as required by state statute and court rule. If a record was previously visible and has since been sealed, it will no longer appear in the South Carolina Judicial Branch portal. For verification you can contact the county clerk where the case was filed.