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 on September 24, 2026.
Beaufort County, South Carolina, has about 202,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Beaufort 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, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Beaufort County public records, Beaufort County arrest records, Beaufort County warrants, Beaufort County inmate search, Beaufort County criminal records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Beaufort County
In Beaufort County, the Beaufort County Circuit Court 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 Beaufort County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at beaufortcountysc.gov/clerk-of-court/index.html (page title: Clerk of Court), phone (843) 255-5710, 102 Ribaut Road Suite 208 Beaufort, SC 29902, Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
South Carolina has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The South Carolina court page SearchSystems verified is at sccourts.org/case-records-search.
What Reaches the Court from Beaufort County
Together, the three agencies in Beaufort County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,559 arrests to the FBI that year; the Solicitor decides which of those arrests become cases in the Beaufort County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court.
The Kinds of Court Files
Criminal cases, divorces, traffic tickets and evictions all end up as files of these courts, and the file is what the public sees of each.
The other Beaufort County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Beaufort County criminal records, Beaufort County divorce records, Beaufort County traffic tickets, Beaufort County DUI and Beaufort County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Beaufort County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Beaufort County and South Carolina. These court pages from its Beaufort County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- The South Carolina Judicial Branch (sccourts.org)
Cities in Beaufort County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Beaufort County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Beaufort County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Hilton Head Island (38,158)
- Port Royal (16,507)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Beaufort County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at beaufortcountysc.gov, phone (843) 255-5710.
Which court hears felonies in Beaufort County?
The Beaufort 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 Beaufort County?
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 Beaufort 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.