Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
North Charleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, with about 126,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the North Charleston offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 2 city office pages for North Charleston, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, Police records, City Hall, Records requests and Questions.
City or county record: where North Charleston records are kept
- Kept by the City of North Charleston: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Charleston County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Charleston County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
North Charleston police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the North Charleston police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for North Charleston police records.
- Website: northcharleston.org/government/city_departments/police/index.php (page title: Welcome to City of North Charleston)
- Phone: 843-743-7200
- Checked: September 26, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the Charleston County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
North Charleston City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: northcharleston.org/how_do_i/contact_us/index.php (page title: Welcome to City of North Charleston)
- Phone: (843) 554-5700
- Address: 2500 City Hall Lane North Charleston, SC 29406
- Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
- Checked: September 26, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to North Charleston
South Carolina public records law applies to the city government of North Charleston. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
North Charleston Arrest Records
The North Charleston arrest records guide covers the agency that reports North Charleston's arrests to the FBI and the 3,193 arrests it reported for 2025. It also says where a person arrested in North Charleston is held, how to find out about an arrest and how to get a copy of the report.
North Charleston Records Guides
SearchSystems has four more guides to North Charleston, each written from the city's own offices and figures: North Charleston warrants (who issues and serves them, where a person arrested on one is held, how to check for one), North Charleston inmate search (the jail page of the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, the jail numbers and who books people), North Charleston police reports (which agency holds a report and what the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act requires) and North Charleston property records (deeds, assessed values, permits and evictions).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official North Charleston website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official North Charleston offices listed above, and the city's own website is northcharleston.org; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in North Charleston?
Request it from the North Charleston police records unit at northcharleston.org, phone 843-743-7200. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for North Charleston?
North Charleston cases are heard by the courts that serve Charleston County, and people arrested in North Charleston are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Charleston County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from North Charleston?
From the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. South Carolina public records law applies to city governments.