Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Lake City, South Carolina, in Florence County, has about 5,900 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Florence County Circuit Court and the Magistrate Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Clerk of Court, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files and common questions.
Related guides: Lake City public records, Florence County court records, Lake City arrest records, Lake City warrants, Lake City inmate search, Lake City criminal records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Lake City
Court cases from Lake City are filed in the Florence County Circuit Court, which hears felonies in the Court of General Sessions and civil cases over $7,500 in the Court of Common Pleas.
Below it, the Magistrate Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and civil cases up to $7,500.
A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the Family Court, and the file stays with the Family Court clerk.
The Clerk of Court keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.
Looking Up a Case from Lake City
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at sccourts.org/case-records-search (page title: Case Records Search | South Carolina Judicial Branch), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 406), so open it in a browser.
South Carolina has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
What Reaches the Court from Lake City
Together, the seven agencies in Florence County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,013 arrests to the FBI that year; the Solicitor decides which of those arrests become cases in the Florence County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court.
The Solicitor's page SearchSystems verified is at florencecountysc.gov/offices/elected/solicitor.php (page title: Florence County SC | Elected Offices), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Lake City guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Lake City criminal records, Lake City divorce records, Lake City traffic tickets, Lake City DUI and Lake City property records.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which court hears felonies in Lake City?
The Florence 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 takes misdemeanors, traffic cases and civil cases up to $7,500.
Who keeps the court records in Lake City?
The Clerk of Court. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in South Carolina?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Lake City website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.