Lancaster County Court Records

Documents about proceedings heard before the courts in Lancaster County, South Carolina, are cataloged as court records and maintained by the court clerks. Record keeping in Lancaster ensures that actions brought before the court are recorded for future reference.

Court records include motions, pleadings, orders, judgments, complaints, court dockets, warrants, transcripts, and exhibits. Specific information that may be found in these records includes litigants' names, case numbers, filing dates, attorney information, and filed charges.

Apart from supporting the general administrative functions of the court clerks, Lancaster County court records are also necessary for:

• Legal research
• Public Education
• Appeals
• Background checks

Are Court Records Public in Lancaster County?

Yes, Lancaster County court records form part of South Carolina's public resources in accordance with applicable state laws. According to the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a public record is any documentary material that is prepared, owned, used, retained, or kept by a public body. These documents are open to inspection or copying by any interested member of the public. This law is in consonance with Section 14-5-10 of the South Carolina Code, which makes provisions for public inspection of records generated or documented by circuit courts.

However, certain court records are closed to the public:

• Adoption records
• Personal information that violates personal privacy
• Law enforcement records that interfere with a prospective law enforcement proceeding or reveal the identity of a confidential source
• Documents exempted from public disclosure by any applicable statute or law
• Information that will endanger the life of any person
• Records of a proprietary nature
• Privileged communication
• Juvenile records

Lancaster County Court Records Search

A general search for Lancaster County court records can be performed using the following avenues:

• Physical visits to the courthouse where the case was heard
• The Lancaster Public Index
• Third-party websites

Lancaster County Courts

Lancaster County is part of South Carolina's 6th Judicial Circuit, which is served by a circuit court. The court has general trial jurisdiction over legal matters and features criminal, civil, and family court divisions. The county also has magistrate, probate, and municipal courts.

Below is a comprehensive list of the courts in Lancaster County:

Lancaster County Circuit Court
Lancaster County Courthouse
104 North Main Street
Lancaster, SC 29720
Phone: (803) 285-1581

Lancaster County Family Court
Lancaster County Courthouse
104 North Main Street
Lancaster, SC 29720
Phone: (803) 285-6961

Lancaster County Probate Court
Lancaster County Courthouse
104 North Main Street
P.O. Box 1809
Lancaster, SC 29721
Phone: (803) 283-3379
Fax: (877) 636-7961

Lancaster County Magistrate's Court
761 Lancaster Bypass East
Lancaster, SC 29720
Phone: (803) 283-3983
Fax: (877) 636-7977

Heath Springs Municipal Court
102 Duncan Street
P.O. Box 100
Kershaw, SC 29058
Phone: (803) 273-2066
Fax: (803) 273-3478

Kershaw Municipal Court
113 South Hampton Street
P.O. Box 145
Kershaw, SC 29067
Phone: (803) 475-3765
Fax: (803) 475-5000

Lancaster Municipal Court
405 East Arch Street
P.O. Box 1149
Lancaster, SC 29721
Phone: (803) 285-7622
Fax: (803) 283-6840

Lancaster County Criminal Records

The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, detention centers, and local arresting law enforcement agencies are the first point of searching criminal records in Lancaster County. These records are public documents searchable by members of the public at will.

To access records of individuals arrested and detained in Lancaster County, interested parties should conduct an online search using the county sheriff's detention center inmate search tool. With this platform, individuals can search a subject's records by name, subject number, booking number, booking date, or housing facility. They can also filter the search to inmates currently in custody by ticking the "In Custody" box. A search result will return the following information regarding a subject:

• Demographic Information (Name, age, gender, race, address)
• Mugshot
• Booking history and bond information (booking number, booking date, bond type, bond status, total bond/bail amount, booking origin)
• Charge information (number of charges, charge description)

Police departments may also provide public access to records they generate online. Individuals should visit the official website of the local arresting law enforcement agency to determine if they provide this service.

Another option is to conduct a public records search of criminal information through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) 's CATCH System.

Get Lancaster County Civil Court Records

Civil court records are documentary materials of court proceedings without a criminal nature. This includes cases regarding family disputes, contracts,

Accessing Lancaster County civil court case records is easy. Individuals only have to query the Lancaster County Clerk of Court for physical copies by visiting the Clerk of Court's Office during normal business hours. This method is the best way to obtain official documents, and obtaining copies of records may attract a few.

Lancaster County Marriage Records

Interested members of the public can obtain a Lancaster County marriage certificate by querying the Lancaster County Probate Court in person or via mail and phone. For physical record searches, requesters should visit the Lancaster County Probate Court during regular business at the location below:

104 North Main Street
Lancaster, SC 29720

To request marriage certificates by mail, parties should attach a money order or certified check in favor of Lancaster County probate court and a self-addressed envelope to a completed marriage certificate request form and send it to the mailing address below:

Lancaster County Probate Court
P.O. Box 1809
Lancaster, SC 29721

It costs $5 to obtain a copy of a marriage certificate via mail

Phone requests cost $6 and should be made to (803) 283-3379. Individuals requesting records by phone are advised to have their credit card information ready before the call.

Lancaster County Divorce Records

Lancaster County divorce records refer to documents generated in the course of a legal proceeding to dissolve a marital union. They include divorce decrees, reports, and case files. Divorce records are handled exclusively by the family court division of the Lancaster County Circuit Court which makes them publicly accessible through the same channels as other civil records discussed above. That is, requesters can obtain Lancaster County divorce records by visiting the County Clerk of Court's Office or utilizing the Lancaster Public Index.

An alternative method of researching records of divorces finalized in Lancaster County is by taking advantage of the online Family Court Public Access Portal maintained by the state's Department of Social Services. Individuals can conduct a search by specifying the subject's first, middle, and last name and selecting "Lancaster" from the drop-down menu under the "Location/County" box.

Other filters to streamline the search include:

• Role
• Case category
• Filing start and end dates

Lancaster County Birth and Death Records

Records of persons born and deceased in Lancaster County are maintained by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) 's Vital Records Office. While birth records only become publicly available 100 years after the subject's birth, the timeframe for accessibility of death records is 50 years after the subject's demise. Prior to these periods, only a few persons, including the subject and personal representatives of the subject, were allowed access to them.

Eligible parties can request copies of birth certificates online, by phone, in person, or via mail. Comprehensive information on the requirements and processes for obtaining birth certificates through the above methods can be found on the DHEC's "Birth Certificates" page. Similarly, information on death certificates is detailed on the agency's "Death Certificates" page.

Lancaster birth and death records are essential documents that may be used for several reasons, including:

• Tracing genealogies
• Establishing identity
• Passport applications
• Obtaining death and social security benefits
• Verifying nationality

Lancaster County Probate Court Records

Lancaster County Probate Court records is the broad term for the official documents filed in or generated by the Probate Court, which handles matters regarding:

• Administration of a decedent's estate
• Marriage license issuance
• Appointment of guardians and conservators for minors and incapacitated individuals
• Mental health and involuntary commitments
• Approving minor and wrongful death settlements

As a division of the circuit court, court records generated by the probate court in Lancaster County are kept by the Lancaster County clerk of court. They are obtainable through similar means as every other civil court record.

Additionally, interested parties may conduct a Lancaster County probate record search through the South Carolina public probate records online search page. To look up records on this page, one can select "Lancaster" from the "Select County" and conduct a search by name or case number.

Note: Many probate court records, especially those concerning minors, are confidential documents that are shielded from public eyes. Only parties to the case and other entities allowed by a court of competent jurisdiction can access such records.

Lancaster County Property Records

The information included in a Lancaster Court property record includes:

• Deeds
• Mortgages
• Lis pendens
• Judgments
• Tax liens
• Index books

The process of obtaining property documents in Lancaster County depends on the type of document and its custodian. For example, to obtain information regarding deeds and mortgages, interested parties should query the Lancaster County Register of Deeds through the various means provided. They can do this by utilizing the Lancaster Real Estate LookUp tool on the Register of Deeds official website. This tool allows parties to conduct a property record search of deeds and mortgages by name (grantor and grantee), book page, or file. Interested individuals can also conduct a title search through the online title search tool on the Register of Deeds page.

Property tax information can be obtained through the Lancaster County Treasurer's Office. To access these records remotely, one should use the "Search and Pay Taxes" portion of the treasurer's official website.

Lancaster County Court Records Online

Third-party online resources, such as Southcarolinacourtrecords.us, provide members of the public with the convenience of searching court records from several jurisdictions and custodians in one place. However, unlike many official sources, third-party aggregate platforms charge search fees for viewing court records from their repositories.