How to search South Carolina court records
South Carolina runs a single statewide case-lookup system, so one search — with the name spelled correctly — reaches courts across the entire state. There's no charge and no account required — results are visible to anyone who searches.
statewide free criminal data
Open the official South Carolina portal →
What's actually there
Free county-by-county public index covering common pleas and general sessions (criminal).
Other official lookups for South Carolina
How South Carolina's courts are organized
South Carolina runs a unified court system with the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals at the top. The main trial court is the circuit court, and the state is divided into sixteen judicial circuits. Each circuit court has two halves: the Court of Common Pleas for civil cases and the Court of General Sessions for criminal cases. The circuit court also hears appeals from probate, magistrate and municipal courts.
Below that are the summary courts. Magistrates are appointed to serve a single county; they hear civil claims up to $7,500, set bail, hold preliminary hearings and issue warrants. Many cities also run municipal courts. Each county also has a probate court for estates and guardianships, and family courts handle divorce, custody, abuse and neglect, and juvenile cases.
Each county has an elected Clerk of Court, serving a four-year term, who keeps the records for both the circuit court and the family court in that county.
Using the Public Index
The Judicial Branch's Public Index is free and runs one county at a time. You pick a county from the list (or type a county, city or ZIP code), then search that county's circuit (common pleas and general sessions) and magistrate court cases. A browser with cookies and JavaScript turned on is needed, and you may have to allow pop-ups to open case details.
Since January 1, 2026 the Public Index no longer shows home addresses on new or existing cases.
- Charleston County and Greenville County are not in the statewide index. Their circuit and magistrate cases are on county-run sites linked from the Judicial Branch search page.
- Municipal courts are included only if they use the statewide case system. The October 2026 list includes courts such as Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Spartanburg, Aiken and Charleston city.
- Family court records are on a separate family court portal, and appellate cases are in C-Track, not the Public Index.
Getting copies and certified copies
For trial court files, contact the Clerk of Court in the county where the case was heard. The Judicial Branch's FAQ says the clerk's office holds the case file and will copy it for a fee. If you need a certified copy, for example to file in another court, ask the clerk to prepare one; printouts from e-filing are not certified.
Transcripts are a separate request. They come from the court reporter, not the clerk, using the SCCA 800 transcript request form. The Judicial Branch posts a Clerk Roster with contact details for every county.
Records that are not public
South Carolina's expungement procedures are in Title 17, Chapter 22 of the Code of Laws. Section 17-22-910 lists what can be expunged, including first-offense magistrate convictions, conditional discharges, youthful offender cases, pretrial intervention and certain first-offense drug possession cases. Those applications go through the solicitor's office in each circuit. Section 17-22-940 sets a $250 administrative fee per order, plus a $25 SLED verification fee and a $35 clerk filing fee.
Under Section 17-22-950, when a charge in magistrate or municipal court ends in a not-guilty verdict, dismissal or nolle prosequi, the summary court issues the expungement order at no cost, and the charge must come off internet-based public records within 30 days of the disposition. For your own record, talk to a lawyer or the solicitor's office in your circuit.
Tip: Charleston and Greenville searches
If a search of the Public Index turns up nothing for a Charleston or Greenville case, that is expected. Use the county-run search linked from the Judicial Branch Case Records Search page instead. City of Charleston and City of Mauldin municipal cases, however, are in the statewide index under their counties.
Sources
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Case Records Search
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Public Index search help (municipal courts list)
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Circuit Court
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Clerks of Court
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — General FAQ
- South Carolina Code Title 17, Chapter 22 (expungement)
Checked against the official sources above in October 2026. Court rules and fees change; the court's own site is the final word. This is general information, not legal advice.
Federal cases filed in South Carolina
State portals don't cover federal court. If the case you're looking for might be a federal criminal prosecution, civil suit, or bankruptcy, use CourtRecordsFree's live federal search — it queries CourtListener/RECAP directly and isn't limited to any one state.
Search tips
- Try both "Last, First" and "First Last" — courts index names inconsistently.
- Middle initials and suffixes (Jr., III) often matter for common names.
- A date of birth or case number is the only reliable way to confirm you found the right person.
- An arrest or charge shown in a docket is not a conviction — read the disposition.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to search South Carolina court records online?
Yes. South Carolina's statewide search is free to use, with no account or subscription required.
Does this include criminal records?
Yes. South Carolina's portal includes criminal case records alongside civil cases, though sealed and expunged cases are not shown.
Does one search cover the whole state?
South Carolina runs one statewide system, so a single search covers the whole state.
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