Reviewed and updated October 11, 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 11, 2026.
Lancaster County, South Carolina, has about 112,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Lancaster 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, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Lancaster County public records, Lancaster County arrest records, Lancaster County warrants, Lancaster County inmate search, Lancaster County criminal records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Lancaster County
Court cases from Lancaster County are filed in the Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at lancastercountysc.gov/195/Clerk-of-Court (page title: Clerk of Court | Lancaster County, SC), phone 803-285-1581, 104 N Main Street Lancaster, SC 29720, Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 11, 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 Lancaster County
Together, the two agencies in Lancaster County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,508 arrests to the FBI that year; the Solicitor decides which of those arrests become cases in the Lancaster County Circuit Court or the Magistrate Court.
The Solicitor's page SearchSystems verified is at sccourts.org/courts/court-officials/solicitors (page title: Solicitors | South Carolina Judicial Branch), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
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 Lancaster County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Lancaster County criminal records, Lancaster County divorce records, Lancaster County traffic tickets, Lancaster County DUI and Lancaster County property records.
Cities in Lancaster County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Lancaster 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 Lancaster, Kershaw, Van Wyck and Heath Springs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Lancaster County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at lancastercountysc.gov/195/Clerk-of-Court, phone 803-285-1581.
Which court hears felonies in Lancaster County?
The Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.