Richland County Court Records

Documents produced by a South Carolina court during proceedings are known as court records. These include papers or documents filed before, during, or after a lawsuit are considered court records. Court records are required to ensure that proper documentation and court case information are readily accessible. Requesters can find the following general information in court records:

• Names of the parties involved in the case, including the defendant and plaintiff
• Court case number
• Case type indicating whether it's a civil, criminal, family, or probate case.
• Court responses or answers
• Court judgments and decrees reached at the end of a case

Note: The Richland Circuit Clerks of Court is the government body that files and keeps court records in Richland County.

Are Court Records Public in Richland County?

Richland County court records are public records. Anyone looking for court records in the county can access them at the Circuit Clerks of Court. According to the South Carolina Public Records law, citizens can inspect, copy, or receive any public record from a public body, including the courts. However, this does not apply to all documents. For instance, information of a personal nature that, if the public is aware of it, would be an invasion of privacy is not publicly available.

Richland County Court Records Search

Richland County allows its residents to look for court records in two ways. Firstly, individuals can search via the SC Judicial Branch case records portal. The portal enables residents to conduct searches remotely and for free. You can also visit the Circuit Clerks of Court office and make a request there.

Richland County Court Records Search by Name

Interested parties can use the Richland County Court Records portal to seek court records by name. Enter the subject's first and last names. You can add more search parameters, such as the reason for action, date range, or case number.

Richland County Courts

The Richland County court system consists of four courts: the Circuit Court, the Family Court, the Probate Court, and the Magistrate Court. These courts preside over different cases.

• Circuit Court: Although circuit courts generally only take on issues that fall outside the purview of other courts, they have comprehensive jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases. There are two primary divisions within circuit courts. The Court of General Sessions division handles criminal proceedings, and the Court of Common Pleas division handles civil cases.
• Family Court: Most juvenile cases, most domestic relations matters, some mental health issues, and most cases involving protection from domestic violence are under the jurisdiction of family courts.
• Probate Court: Wills, estates, and trusts are among the probate matters typically handled by probate courts. Probate courts also handle involuntary commitments, conservatorships, and guardianships.
• Magistrate Court: Certain categories of criminal and civil cases fall under the authority of magistrates courts. It is possible to refer to magistrates' courts as "summary courts".

You can locate the different courts in Richland County with the following addresses:

Richland County Circuit Court

Richland County Judicial Center
1701 Main Street, Room 205, P.O. Box 2766
Columbia, SC 29202

Richland County Family Court

Richland County Judicial Center
1701 Main Street, Room 205, P.O. Box 2766
Columbia, SC 29202

Richland County Probate Court

Richland County Judicial Center
1701 Main Street, Suite 207, P.O. Box 192
Columbia, SC 29202

Richland County Magistrate Court - Central Court

2500 Decker Boulevard, P.O. Box 192
Columbia, SC 29202

Richland County District Court Records

Richland County has a Circuit Court that presides over all criminal and civil cases in Richland County. The court is divided into two main parts: the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Sessions. The Court of Common Pleas handles civil cases, while the Court of General Sessions handles criminal cases.

Richland County Criminal Records

Two central bodies handle criminal records in Richland County. The first is the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), which maintains a statewide criminal history database. You can also find Richland County arrest records at the Richland County Sheriff's Department. They keep records of crimes they investigated within the county.

Since criminal records are records prepared, owned, used, in the possession of, or retained by a public entity, they are publicly accessible. To get a hold of Richland criminal records, you can search the SLED website. Alternatively, you can visit the Sheriff’s Department at:

Richland County Sheriff's Department

5623 Two Notch Road
Columbia, SC 29223

Richland County Criminal Court Case Lookup

The public can look up Richland County criminal court records online using the Case Documents Search database maintained by the South Carolina Judicial Department. Anyone interested in finding records can search by person, county, or case number in this database.

If you do not want to search for the records online, you can visit the Richland Clerk of Court’s office and request a search. You will need to take the following steps:

1. Provide details of the party or case you are searching for, such as first and last names.
2. Provide a means of identification.
3. Pay the required fees.

Note: Criminal records that contain sensitive information, especially in situations of sexual assault, may not be made readily available.

Get Richland County Civil Court Records

Through its Case Records Search database, the South Carolina judicial branch makes online Richland County civil court records available to the public. Interested parties can search for documents in this database by person, case number, county, court, and action type. It is significant to highlight that this method does not allow access to statutorily exempt information. Some of the records which are exempt from public disclosure are:

• Trade secrets
• Information that violates attorney-client privilege
• Law enforcement records that might jeopardize an ongoing investigation if divulged
• Personal information in situations where such a disclosure might constitute an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy
• Juvenile records

You can also make an in-person request at the Clerk of Court office. For interested parties who want to get as much case information as possible, in-person requests for records are advised, especially for information that the South Carolina judicial branch might not be obligated by statute to distribute online. Requestors should take the following measures to receive civil court records in person:

1. Identify the court that presided over the case.
2. Gather details on the case.
3. Visit the Clerk of Court office.
4. Provide means of identification.
5. Pay the required fees.

Richland County Family Court Records

The Richland County Family Court is responsible for overseeing cases regarding domestic matters. The Family Court typically handles cases involving:

• Divorce
• Legal separation
• Annulment
• Child custody
• Child support
• Guardianship of a minor
• Adoption
• Name changes

Anyone who wants to access family law records may do so in person or by writing to the Richland County Clerk of Court Office. The South Carolina judicial branch has an online clerk of court directory with the most recent information on each state's clerk of court to assist requestors with this process.

You should include as much case information as possible to make record searches easier. It is important to remember that a search fee can be associated with requests for these documents. Additional fees may also be required when obtaining copies of these records. The number of copies requested usually calculates this fee.

In addition, the South Carolina judicial branch's Case Records Search database makes family law records available to the general public online.

Records from family courts may contain information about marriages and divorces. The upkeep of these documents is essential if any parties involved want to make modifications because they contain the personal information of the persons concerned. As a result, marriage and divorce records may be more challenging to find and obtain compared to other public records. They might also not be accessible through official channels or independent public record websites.

Richland Dissolution of Marriage Records

The dissolution of marriage records are kept on file by the Richland Family Court. South Carolina's amended codes have made the dissolution of marriage records publicly accessible. However, some types of information would be left out to preserve privacy. Requests can be made online, by mail, or in person at the Richland County Family Court.

Richland County Marriage and Divorce Records

The record keeper for divorce and marriage records in Richland County is the Clerk of Court. Any interested parties can contact the Richland Family Court Clerk to view and receive copies of these records.

Marriage Records

You can request a copy of a marriage certificate online through the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). Interested parties can also meet at the Richland County Family or Probate Court. Both courts offer same-day service for marriage certificates processed within the county. Ensure to bring identification and any relevant information about the marriage.

Divorce Records

You can access divorce records at the Richland Family or Probate Court. Furthermore, if you are looking for divorce records for marriages finalized between July 1962 and December 2016, you can visit the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control at:

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29201

To acquire copies of divorce records from the SCDHEC, interested parties must fill out a Vital Records Divorce Application Form, which you can mail or turn in in person.

Richland Birth and Death Records

The Richland Public Health Department is responsible for maintaining birth and death records in the county. For birth records after 1915, contact the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). You can request them through the SCDHEC or by mail. You can also contact the Richland Health Department, but they only have copies that provide limited information.

The process mentioned above also applies to death records. However, the Richland County Health Department only has copies of deaths in the last five years.

Richland County Probate Court Records

Probate court records are public records, therefore, accessible to the public. They contain information on wills, estate, guardianship, and so on. There are two main ways interested parties can obtain probate court records. They can decide to conduct a court record search on the Richland County Probate Court Record search portal. You must provide the following information to complete a search:

• The first and last name of the party in this case.
• The case number.
• The file date.
• The types of cases are civil, estate, guardianship, trusteeship, etc.

Members of the public can also visit the Richland Probate Court at the following address to obtain court records:

Richland County Probate Court

Richland County Judicial Center
1701 Main Street, Suite 207, P.O. Box 192
Columbia, SC 29202

Once there, provide the necessary information and proof of identity to request a copy. You will be charged a fee for each copy you request.

Since probate court records contain sensitive family information, they may not be readily available.

Richland County Property Records

The Richland County Assessor’s Office and the Register of Deeds maintain property records in the county. The Assessor’s Office keeps a list of ownership of all property owners in Richland County for tax purposes. These records usually contain information about property value, tax assessments, and ownership information. On the other hand, the Register of Deeds records real estate transactions for and maintains the official record of property ownership in Richland County.

You can use the Register of Deeds online property record search to access these records. You can also search on the Richland County Treasurer Tax Info search portal. The portal allows interested parties to find real estate and personal property information. You can also go to the County Assessor’s or Register of Deeds office to search at:

Register of Deeds

Richland County Judicial Center
1701 Main Street
Room 101
Columbia, SC 29201

Assessor’s Office

2020 Hampton Street, 2nd Floor
Post Office Box 192
Columbia, SC 29202

Richland County Court Records Online

Members of the public may be able to look up public court records online via the SC Judicial Branch case records portal. The portal enables residents to conduct searches remotely and for free. If interested parties cannot access criminal court documents in person, they may still be able to obtain publicly accessible records by visiting third-party aggregate sites like courtrecords.us. These websites have the advantage of not being restricted by the location in which records are available, and they frequently function as a point of departure for research into one or more specific records. To use these websites' search engines to locate a record, interested parties need to supply the following:

1. The name of the person involved if the situation does not include a minor.
2. The record's presumed location, such as a city, county, or state name.

Note: Third-party websites might have different record availability than official channels. The accuracy of results on such portals isn't guaranteed.