South Carolina Court Records Search by Name | Free Guide

Search a Name in the South Carolina Public Index Step by Step

The official Judicial Branch Case Records Search is a gateway to trial-court records for South Carolina counties. The county decision comes first. After that, search the name broadly enough that an unnecessary middle name, date or other filter does not hide the case.

1. Open the Judicial Branch Case Records Search page. Use the official statewide starting page rather than a third-party people-search form.
2. Select the county where the case was filed. Use the county connected with the arrest, lawsuit, eviction, divorce filing, property dispute or other court event—not automatically the county where the person lives now.
3. Search the first and last name first. When the portal offers extra criteria, leave uncertain fields empty on the first attempt.
4. Repeat without the middle name if necessary. Then try the middle initial, former surname, hyphenated variation or another spelling you have a factual reason to test.
5. Search a company as a business rather than a person. Try the formal business name and a version without unnecessary punctuation when needed.
6. Open the matching case before deciding it belongs to the person. Compare the case number, court agency, case type, filing date, party role and later docket activity.
7. Read the disposition. Do not stop at the original allegation, complaint, indictment or claim.
8. Save the complete case number. Once the correct number is known, use it for future searching and copy requests instead of repeatedly searching the person’s name.

If You Know the Name but Do Not Know the County

South Carolina’s county-based trial search makes “which county?” the highest-value question to answer before you begin. Searching dozens of counties for a common name creates more false matches than useful information.

Look for the county in documents you already have

• Traffic citation or arrest paperwork
• Summons or complaint
• Hearing notice
• Divorce or custody paperwork
• Attorney correspondence
• Probation or sentencing paperwork
• Previous court order
• Case number shown in an email or payment notice

Use the event location, not the person’s present address

A criminal prosecution generally follows the place associated with the offense. A civil lawsuit may be filed where venue is proper for that dispute. A divorce or family case may be in a county where the parties previously lived. An eviction follows the property and an estate follows the probate proceeding.

Use the Judicial Branch Courthouse Search as a routing tool

The Courthouse Search lets you search by county, city or ZIP code and provides court contact information. Use it to identify the likely Clerk of Court, magistrate or municipal court before running additional name searches.

What a Public Index Result Can Tell You—and What It Cannot

Treat the online index as a locator and case-history tool. South Carolina’s public-access system warns that online information may not always be complete or current and that the official court record remains with the responsible office.

On a phone, swipe the table horizontally →

If a term such as docket, disposition, judgment, indictment, dismissed or sealed is unfamiliar, use the site’s plain-English Court Records Glossary .

Why You May See a Docket Entry but No Document Image

An index entry and a downloadable filing are different things. A case can be public even when a specific document is not remotely viewable.

Electronic document availability is not identical for every filing

South Carolina’s e-filing guidance says that, generally, documents filed or scanned on or after April 14, 2014—the date Rule 41.2 took effect—can be displayed through the Public Index when public access is allowed.

Why an image may still be unavailable

Route the Case to Circuit, Family, Magistrate, Municipal or Probate Court

“South Carolina court records” is not one record category. The court type determines both the search method and the office that can produce the official file.

On a phone, swipe the table horizontally →

Divorce, Custody and Support Cases Use the Family Court Portal

South Carolina Family Court is the correct route for divorce, legal separation, custody, visitation, child support and other domestic-relations proceedings. Do not rely only on an ordinary Circuit Court search for these matters.

Greenville County: Use Different Routes for Civil Images, Criminal Copies and Older Divorce Records

Greenville has several local details that make a generic statewide explanation incomplete. Its Circuit Court records, General Sessions document requests, Family Court files and older historical records do not all follow the same workflow.

Greenville Common Pleas documents can be easier to obtain online than General Sessions documents

Greenville County provides online access to images of many Common Pleas civil documents through its Public Index. General Sessions criminal records work differently: the Public Index can help identify the criminal file, but Greenville directs requests for the actual General Sessions documents to its Criminal Records office.

If you need a Greenville General Sessions criminal document

• Save the complete case number from Public Index.
• Identify the exact document, such as an indictment or sentencing sheet.
• Email coccriminalrecords@greenvillecounty.org when appropriate.
• You may also use the Criminal Records Department at the Greenville County Courthouse.

Do not request a General Sessions disposition from the wrong Greenville record office

Greenville’s Department of Public Safety says its certified court disposition service is for Magistrate-level charges only. General Sessions indictment and sentencing records must be obtained through the Clerk of Court’s Criminal Records office.

Greenville divorce records have a date-based office split

Greenville County states that Family Court records—including divorces—from 1925 through April 1996 are kept at the Clerk’s Circuit Court office at 305 E. North Street. Family Court records after April 1996 are handled through the Family Court office at 350 Halton Road.

Current Greenville copy charges

Greenville currently publishes a copy/print charge of $0.25 per page. Its General Sessions criminal-record page lists $10 per certification when certification is requested.

Horry County: Separate Court Cases, Rosters, Probate and Marriage Records

Horry County’s website presents several legal-record tools in one area, including Public Index, court rosters and dockets, Probate Court and other county records. They should not be treated as interchangeable searches.

Use Public Index for the case; use court rosters for scheduling

The Public Index is the useful starting point for searchable case history. Horry’s separate court rosters and docket pages are better when the question is “when is the matter scheduled?” A roster is not the complete court file.

Marriage certificates and probate files belong to Probate Court

Horry Probate Court handles marriage-license and marriage-certificate functions and provides a separate Public Inquiry route for probate matters. Do not search a Circuit Court docket expecting it to work like a marriage-license index.

Why a Court Case and a SLED Criminal-History Search Can Give Different Answers

A General Sessions court record and a SLED CATCH report answer different questions. The court record describes a particular prosecution. CATCH searches South Carolina’s criminal-history repository using identifying information supplied by the requester.

On a phone, swipe the table horizontally →

CATCH is name-based, not an ordinary court-name search

SLED says CATCH requires a “starts with” match on the subject’s last name, first name and date of birth. A Social Security number is also searched when one is provided.

Aliases and different birth information can create false negatives or false positives

SLED specifically warns that a different name, alias or date of birth can cause a name-based search to miss or incorrectly match a criminal-history subject. Fingerprint-based identification is more reliable when such a check is legally required.

Why a court prosecution can exist without the result you expected in CATCH

SLED’s criminal-history repository relies heavily on fingerprint-supported submissions. In a July 20, 2026 public explanation, SLED highlighted direct indictments as a recurring problem when fingerprints were never submitted. That is another reason a court docket and a criminal-history search should not be treated as duplicate databases.

Current CATCH charge

SLED currently lists a $25 non-refundable base charge for a South Carolina criminal record check. Effective July 1, 2026, SLED also lists a $1.43 online service fee for each standard $25 online CATCH report.

When You Need the Actual Court Document, Stop Repeating the Name Search

Once the case number and filing court are known, the most useful next step is usually a targeted document request—not another people search.

Decide what document solves your problem

The site’s Court Record Types Explained guide can help distinguish a docket, complaint, disposition, judgment, decree and certified copy.

Prepare this information before contacting the clerk

• Complete case number
• County and court agency
• Party names
• Approximate filing year
• Exact document title or docket event
• Whether you need a plain or certified copy
• Your preferred delivery method

A Transcript Is Not the Same Thing as a Court Docket or Copy of an Order

If you need a word-for-word record of what was said during a Circuit or Family Court proceeding, you are requesting a transcript—not an ordinary case document.

Use SCCA 800 for a Circuit or Family Court transcript request

South Carolina Judicial Branch directs parties and attorneys to its Transcript Request Form, SCCA 800. If the requester is not a party to the case, court permission is generally required before the court reporter can produce the transcript.

If Personal Information Appears Online, Use the Correct South Carolina Privacy Process

South Carolina now has several distinct privacy mechanisms. A normal Rule 41.2 redaction problem is different from a Judicial and Law Enforcement Personal Privacy Protection Act request. Sending the request to the wrong office can delay correction.

Home addresses stopped appearing in Public Index on January 1, 2026

South Carolina Judicial Branch states that home-address information is no longer displayed on the Public Index for both new and existing cases beginning January 1, 2026.

If a public filing contains information that should have been redacted

Rule 41.2 governs personal identifying information in public filings. The rule makes filers responsible for required redaction; clerks are not expected to pre-screen every filed document for personal information.

When an individual finds information that should have been redacted, the rule provides a clerk-directed correction process. A useful request identifies the specific case, document and location of the information rather than simply asking the court to “remove my record.”

If you are using the Judicial / Law Enforcement PPA request form

The Judicial Branch’s official PPA instruction sheet says the form must be completed as applicable, signed and notarized, and sent to the government entity from whose public website the protected person is requesting removal.

For information displayed in a trial-court Public Index, the instructions say to send the request to the county Clerk of Court where the Circuit Court case was heard, or to the Magistrate or Municipal Court where the summary-court case was heard.

This is important because the instructions specifically explain that even though Public Index content is hosted through the Judicial Branch website, the case data belongs to and is maintained by the relevant county or city court.

PPA requests involving appellate C-Track records

The official PPA instructions give separate appellate routing: Court of Appeals C-Track requests can be sent to ctapfilings@sccourts.org, while Supreme Court C-Track requests can be sent to supctfilings@sccourts.org.

Marriage Licenses and Probate Records Use the County Probate Court

Every South Carolina county has a Probate Court. Probate judges handle estate matters and also have responsibilities connected with marriage licenses, which makes Probate Court the better route for searches that are not actually Circuit Court cases.

Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Cases Move to C-Track

Once a case reaches South Carolina’s appellate courts, use C-Track Public Access rather than relying only on the trial-court county index.

Older South Carolina Records May Be Online, Archived Locally or Outside the Modern Database

A modern Public Index search is not a complete substitute for historical-record research. This matters especially when the court event predates electronic case management or when a county maintains a separate digital archive.

For an old state case

1. Search the county Public Index first.
2. Record any case number or partial case information that appears.
3. Contact the Clerk of Court and give the approximate filing year.
4. Ask whether the file is electronic, on-site paper, microfilm, archived or transferred elsewhere.
5. Check county historical collections when the county publishes one.

Greenville has a useful historical digital collection

Greenville County’s Historical Records collection includes historical deeds, probate estate papers and District Court records. Use it as a separate historical source rather than expecting all older material to appear in the modern Circuit Court Public Index.

Federal South Carolina records have specific date breaks

The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina says cases filed before 1981 are housed at the Federal Records Center in East Point, Georgia.

Its current records guide identifies civil party-name microfiche coverage for 1981–1990 and criminal party-name microfiche coverage for 1981–1992. PACER coverage on that court’s guide begins with civil cases filed from November 1990 and criminal cases filed from September 1992.

If you need the federal clerk to run a name search

The federal court’s public party index can be researched at staffed offices in Charleston, Columbia, Florence and Greenville, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If Clerk’s Office staff are asked to perform the party-name search, the court currently lists a $34 fee per name, payable in advance.

No Case Appears? Diagnose the Failure Before Searching Again

A blank result can mean the case does not exist, but it can also mean the wrong county, wrong court type, different name format, old record, restricted record or federal jurisdiction.

Recovery sequence

1. Confirm the likely filing county. Use actual paperwork, event location or the courthouse directory.
2. Search the first and last name with minimal filtering. Remove uncertain middle names, dates and other narrowing criteria.
3. Try a legitimate name variation. Former surname, middle initial or hyphen change may matter.
4. Check the court type. Move family, probate, magistrate and municipal matters to the appropriate system.
5. Search the case number when you have one. A complete number is more precise than a name.
6. Check appellate and federal systems. Use C-Track or PACER when the case is outside the trial-court index.
7. Contact the clerk for older or unavailable records. Give the name, approximate year, case type and any partial case number.

Do Not Identify Someone From a Name Match Alone

Public court systems can contain unrelated people who share the same first and last name. South Carolina’s removal of public home addresses from Public Index makes careful case-level verification even more important.

Use Court Information for the Purpose It Actually Supports

A court-record search can help locate public cases and official documents. It does not turn this website or the Public Index into a consumer-reporting service or identity-verification system.

• A charge is not proof of conviction.
• A lawsuit is not proof of liability.
• A petition is not proof that relief was granted.
• A same-name result is not proof of identity.
• An online index entry is not a certified court document.
• A court docket is not the same thing as a SLED criminal-history report.

For important limitations involving employment, housing, credit, insurance or other eligibility decisions, review the site’s FCRA and Consumer Reporting Notice .

Frequently Asked Questions About South Carolina Court Records

Source and Fact-Checking Notes

For general guidance on using this site’s official links and understanding different record types, see How to Use PublicCourtRecords.org .