Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Colleton County, South Carolina, has about 39,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Every warrant for Colleton County comes from a judge of the Colleton County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court, is served by whichever agency finds the person, and is recorded in the court file of the case it was issued in. This guide says who issues and serves warrants here, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one and how one is cleared.
This guide covers who issues warrants, who serves warrants, after a warrant arrest, checking for a warrant, clearing a warrant and common questions.
Related guides: Colleton County public records, Colleton County inmate search, Colleton County criminal records, Colleton County court records, Colleton County police reports, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
Who Issues Warrants in Colleton County
In South Carolina an arrest warrant is signed by a judge. For Colleton County that means the Colleton County Circuit Court, which hears felonies in the Court of General Sessions and civil cases over $7,500 in the Court of Common Pleas; the Magistrate Court, which takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and civil cases up to $7,500, issues its own warrants on the cases before it. A city with a municipal court of its own issues warrants on the tickets and ordinance cases it tries.
A bench warrant follows a missed court date in any of those courts. Whichever kind it is, the warrant is part of the file of the case it was issued in, and the Clerk of Court keeps that file.
South Carolina has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Who Serves Warrants in Colleton County
The Colleton County Sheriff's Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's Colleton County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Walterboro, Edisto Beach and Cottageville serve warrants in Colleton County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Colleton County: the Highway Patrol in Colleton County (state police); the Department of Natural Resources in Colleton County, the Colleton County Forestry Commission, the Department of Health and Environmental Control Drug Control in Colleton County and the Colleton County State Transport Police (state agency); each serves warrants on its own ground.
A warrant issued in Colleton County is good anywhere in South Carolina, so it is served by whichever agency finds the person, in a traffic stop as often as at the door.
Where a Person Arrested on a Warrant from Colleton County Is Held
A person arrested on a warrant and kept in custody goes to the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest. The jail, run by the Colleton County Sheriff's Office, held about 80 people on an average day in 2019 by the Vera Institute of Justice's count and has a custody page SearchSystems verified at colletoncountysheriff.com. The Colleton County inmate search guide covers the jail in full.
A person arrested in Colleton County on a warrant from another county is held at the same jail until that county takes custody.
How to Check for a Warrant in Colleton County
The place to check for a warrant from Colleton County is the custody page of the Colleton County Sheriff's Office at colletoncountysheriff.com, which shows people already arrested and booked, not open warrants.
Clearing a Warrant from Colleton County
Only the judge who issued a warrant can recall it. For a case from Colleton County that means appearing before the Colleton County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court, with the case put back on the calendar through the Clerk of Court.
A missed date in a case before the Magistrate Court is handled by that court, not by the Colleton County Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I check for a warrant online in Colleton County?
The court that issued it keeps the record; ask the Clerk of Court.
Who serves warrants in Colleton County?
The Colleton County Sheriff's Office, and the agency that reports for the city where the person is found; an South Carolina warrant is valid anywhere in the state.
Where is a person arrested on a warrant in Colleton County held?
At the county jail, run by the Colleton County Sheriff's Office, if kept in custody.
How is a warrant from Colleton County cleared?
By appearing before the court that issued it; the judge recalls the warrant in court. The case is put back on the calendar through the Clerk of Court.
Is this the official Colleton County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.