Find Public Records by County in South Carolina
South Carolina is organized into 46 counties, and most public records are generated and maintained at the county level. Court filings are handled by each county's Clerk of Court. Property deeds, mortgages, and liens are recorded with the county Register of Deeds. Sheriff's offices maintain arrest records and jail rosters. County councils and agencies produce meeting minutes, budgets, and other administrative records. Each county follows the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, which requires a response to records requests within 10 business days for recent records. Select a county below to find specific offices, contact details, and available record searches.
All 46 South Carolina Counties
South Carolina's 46 counties range from densely populated urban areas like Richland and Greenville to smaller rural counties like Allendale and McCormick. All of them maintain public records accessible under state law. The county Clerk of Court is often the best starting point for court records, while the Register of Deeds handles property documents. Many counties also participate in statewide portals like the SC Judicial Branch Public Index and SC Land Records for online access. Browse all counties below.
How County Public Records Work in South Carolina
County-level records in South Carolina cover a wide range of document types. Circuit Court cases, both criminal General Sessions cases and civil Common Pleas cases, are filed with each county's Clerk of Court. Family Court matters including divorces, custody cases, and support orders are also maintained by the Clerk. Most of these records are searchable through the SC Judicial Branch Public Index. A search by name and county will typically return active and historical case listings going back to the 1990s or early 2000s.
Property records are maintained separately by the Register of Deeds in each county. Recorded documents include deeds, mortgage instruments, liens, easements, plats, and UCC filings. Many counties participate in the SC Land Records system for online index searches. In smaller counties, the Clerk of Court serves as the Register of Deeds under state law. Property records are public by statute and do not require a formal FOIA request to inspect.
Statewide criminal history checks go through SLED CATCH rather than county offices. However, county sheriff's offices and jails maintain their own arrest records, booking logs, and inmate rosters. Some sheriff offices post 72-hour booking reports online. For criminal background checks covering all of South Carolina, the SLED CATCH system at catch.sled.sc.gov is the official statewide source.
Note: Some county pages for smaller jurisdictions may direct you to state-level resources when local online access is limited.