Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime 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 September 30, 2026.
Fairfield County, South Carolina, has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Fairfield County depends on where the incident happened: the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Fairfield County public records, Fairfield County arrest records, Fairfield County warrants, Fairfield County inmate search, Fairfield County property records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Fairfield County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Fairfield County that is the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
The FBI's list also places the Highway Patrol in Fairfield County in Fairfield County; a report taken on a state highway by it comes from that agency's own records office.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies and one other agency in Fairfield County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office
The Fairfield County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 112 violent and 246 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 385 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 803-635-4141. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at fairfieldsc.com/departments/sheriffs-office (page title: Fairfield County SC Sheriff’s Office Details), phone 803-635-4141, 250 N Walnut Street Winnsboro, SC 29180, Monday-Friday, 9AM-5PM, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Fairfield County
The two cities the FBI lists in Fairfield County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Winnsboro: 21 violent and 93 property crimes reported for 2025; 119 arrests reported for 2025.
- Ridgeway: 0 arrests reported for 2023.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Fairfield County in 2025
The two agencies in Fairfield County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 133 violent and 339 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Fairfield County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 504 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act Requires
The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act sets the rules: an answer within 10 business days, or 20 for records more than two years old, at a charge of search, retrieval and copying at the agency's actual cost, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the Solicitor handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Fairfield County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 10 business days, or 20 for records more than two years old.
How long does an agency in Fairfield County have to answer?
Under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, within 10 business days, or 20 for records more than two years old. It may charge search, retrieval and copying at the agency's actual cost.
Who has a crash report from a state highway in Fairfield County?
The state agency whose officer took it; the FBI lists the Highway Patrol in Fairfield County in Fairfield County.
How do I get a report from the Fairfield County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 803-635-4141. Under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 10 business days, or 20 for records more than two years old.
Is this the official Fairfield 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.