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.
Dorchester County, South Carolina, has about 175,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Dorchester 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: Dorchester County public records, Dorchester County arrest records, Dorchester County warrants, Dorchester County inmate search, Dorchester County criminal records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Dorchester County
Court cases from Dorchester County are filed in the Dorchester 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.
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 Dorchester County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at dorchestercountysc.gov/government/courts-judicial-services/magistra... (page title: Case Search | Dorchester County, SC website), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026. That page belongs to a lower court, the Magistrate Court, not to the Dorchester County Circuit Court.
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 Dorchester County
Together, the three agencies in Dorchester County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,647 arrests to the FBI that year; the Solicitor decides which of those arrests become cases in the Dorchester County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court.
The Solicitor's page SearchSystems verified is at dorchestercountysc.gov/government/administrative-services/attorney (page title: Attorney | Dorchester County, SC website), phone (843) 563-0097, 500 N. Main St. Summerville, SC 29483, 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 Dorchester County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Dorchester County criminal records, Dorchester County traffic tickets, Dorchester County DUI and Dorchester County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Dorchester County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Dorchester County and South Carolina. These court pages from its Dorchester County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- The South Carolina Judicial Branch (sccourts.org)
Cities in Dorchester County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Dorchester County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
The cities and towns in the county are Summerville, St. George, Ridgeville, Harleyville and Reevesville.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Dorchester County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at dorchestercountysc.gov; it belongs to a lower court, the Magistrate Court, not to the Dorchester County Circuit Court.
Which court hears felonies in Dorchester County?
The Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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.