Where to Look in South Carolina
The six most productive places to start a people search in South Carolina. Each links directly to the official record source.
Official South Carolina Sources
State-level databases and agency record portals.
South Carolina Courts
Dockets, civil & criminal case filings, judgments.
Property & Tax Records
Deeds, assessor data, owner history, liens.
Inmates & Offenders
State prison rosters, sex offender registries, jails.
Vital Records
Birth, death, marriage, divorce — certified records.
South Carolina FAQ
Laws, fees, turnaround, and common questions.
1About Public Records in South Carolina
The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, codified at S.C. Code Title 30, Chapter 4, creates a strong presumption that public records are open to inspection. SC FOIA requires agencies to respond to records requests within 10 business days for records not readily available and immediately for records that are. In a noteworthy 2017 amendment, the statute added enforcement teeth, allowing requesters to seek attorney's fees when they prevail in FOIA litigation.
Like all states, SC carves out exemptions: ongoing criminal investigations, juvenile records, sealed/expunged cases, certain personnel records, medical information, and information that would constitute an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy. SC law also provides strong protection for victims of domestic violence and stalking, including the Safe at Home address confidentiality program administered by the Attorney General's office.
2Best Starting Points for SC People Search
South Carolina's compact size (46 counties, 5.4 million residents) and strong statewide portals make it one of the most efficient states to research. These four starting points cover the vast majority of initial queries.
https://publicindex.sccourts.org/
The free online portal from the SC Judicial Department covering trial court cases across all 46 counties, including General Sessions (criminal), Common Pleas (civil), Family Court, and Magistrate Court.
What it's useful for: The single most valuable SC research tool — statewide case search by defendant, plaintiff, or case number.https://businessonestop.sc.gov/
The Secretary of State's entity registration portal, searchable by business or officer name.
What it's useful for: Finding businesses owned or operated by a subject, registered agent addresses, and business histories.https://www.doc.sc.gov/research/inmatesearchdisclaimer.jsp
Official inmate search for the SC Department of Corrections.
What it's useful for: Confirming current state custody and basic conviction data.https://sor.sled.sc.gov/
Run by the SC Law Enforcement Division, with searchable registry and map view.
What it's useful for: Neighborhood safety checks and registered offender verification.3Official State Government Sources
South Carolina's state government is relatively streamlined for researchers. SLED handles law enforcement records and background checks; LLR handles professional licensing; the Secretary of State handles corporations and charities; and the Judicial Department maintains the Public Index.
https://www.sc.gov/
The main gateway to all SC state agencies and services.
What it's useful for: Finding specialized state agencies and departmental contacts.https://sos.sc.gov/
Corporate registrations, charitable organizations, notary public search, and trademark records.
What it's useful for: Verifying business affiliations, charity registrations, and notary credentials.https://verify.llr.sc.gov/
The SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation's unified professional license verification tool covering nearly all state-licensed professions.
What it's useful for: Verifying a subject's professional licenses, status, and disciplinary history in one place.4Court Records
South Carolina's court system is among the cleanest in the country for research purposes. The unified Circuit Court has two divisions: General Sessions (criminal) and Common Pleas (civil). Family Court handles divorce, custody, and juvenile matters. Magistrate Courts handle minor criminal cases and small claims; Municipal Courts handle city ordinance violations.
Above trial courts sit the SC Court of Appeals and the SC Supreme Court. All 46 counties funnel their case data into the centralized SC Public Index, which is genuinely searchable statewide — a feature very few states match.
https://www.sccourts.org/
Administrative home of SC's court system with links to Supreme, Appeals, Circuit, Family, Magistrate, and Municipal courts.
What it's useful for: Navigating the SC court structure and finding local courthouse information.The SC Public Index is free but deceptively limited in one way: Magistrate Court searches require you to select a specific county. Because many minor offenses (traffic, simple possession, bad checks) are heard in Magistrate Court, always check the defendant's known counties, not just the General Sessions docket.
5Property & Tax Records
SC's property system is unusual: it involves three separate county offices. The Auditor calculates assessed values and prepares tax bills. The Assessor determines fair market value of real property. The Treasurer collects property taxes. Deeds and mortgages are recorded by the Register of Deeds (in some counties) or the Clerk of Court (in others). All 46 counties publish property and tax records online, usually with separate portals for each office.
Confusing the Auditor and Assessor. In SC, the Assessor determines market value; the Auditor applies the assessment ratio and calculates taxes. Searching only one portal misses half the data — always check both for the complete picture of a subject's real property.
6Business, Corporate & Licensing Records
The SC Business One Stop portal combines Secretary of State entity registration with SC Department of Revenue tax accounts. LLR's license verification tool covers most licensed professions.
7Corrections & Inmate Locators
SCDC handles state prisons. County jails are operated by sheriff's offices; most publish online jail rosters. Federal inmates are on the BOP Inmate Locator. SLED hosts the sex offender registry and is the official state background check provider.
https://www.sled.sc.gov/
The SC Law Enforcement Division provides official Criminal History background checks for a nominal fee through its Criminal Records section.
What it's useful for: Official state-level criminal history when you need a certified record.8Vital Records
SC DHEC's Vital Records office maintains state birth records from 1915 forward and death records from the same era. Earlier vital records are at the county level. Marriage licenses are issued and recorded by the county Probate Court. Divorce records are filed in Family Court and appear in the SC Public Index.
https://scdhec.gov/vital-records
Official portal for ordering certified birth, death, marriage, and divorce records.
What it's useful for: Authorized certificate ordering. Birth records restricted for 100 years; death for 50 years.9Voter Registration Information
https://info.scvotes.sc.gov/eng/voterinquiry/VoterInformationRequest.aspx
State Election Commission's voter lookup. Returns registration status, precinct, and polling location.
What it's useful for: Confirming current county and address of registration.10Archives, Genealogy & Obituary Resources
https://scdah.sc.gov/
One of the nation's oldest state archives, with colonial records, land grants, military records, and state government documents.
What it's useful for: Pre-1900 research, colonial-era land records, and deep genealogy.Supplement with FamilySearch SC Collection, Chronicling America (digitized SC newspapers), SSDI, and the USGenWeb SC Project.
11County & City Research Resources
SC has 46 counties. Below are ten major counties, each with online court, property, and tax resources.
https://www.greenvillecounty.org/
SC's largest county by population. Home to Greenville and the Upstate region.
What it's useful for: Upstate SC research — courts, property, tax, and business records.https://www.richlandcountysc.gov/
State capital county including the city of Columbia.
What it's useful for: Capital-area research and state government employee records.https://www.charlestoncounty.org/
Historic coastal county including the city of Charleston.
What it's useful for: Low Country research with deep pre-1900 property records.https://www.horrycountysc.gov/
Fast-growing coastal county.
What it's useful for: Myrtle Beach area research and vacation-home title research.Additional major counties with online court and property records: Spartanburg, Lexington, York (Rock Hill), Berkeley, Anderson, and Beaufort (Hilton Head).
12SC People Search Tips & Methodology
- Always start with Public Index: The statewide coverage means you can check all 46 counties in one query — a rare luxury.
- Check General Sessions AND Magistrate: Minor criminal history hides in Magistrate Court; don't stop at Circuit Court.
- Use LLR for employment verification: Most SC licensed professions are centralized at verify.llr.sc.gov.
- Divorce is in Public Index: Family Court cases are searchable in the same Public Index as General Sessions and Common Pleas.
- Watch for sealed cases: SC's expungement statutes under S.C. Code 17-1-40 remove eligible cases from public view.
- SLED is the official criminal history: For certified records, order from SLED directly; Public Index is an index, not a certified record.
13Privacy, FOIA & Legal Framework
SC FOIA (Title 30, Chapter 4) is generally researcher-friendly. SC does not have a comprehensive consumer privacy law like CCPA, but it does protect specific categories: victims of crime, domestic violence, stalking victims via the Safe at Home program, juvenile records, sealed/expunged records, and law enforcement home addresses. SC motor vehicle records are restricted under the federal DPPA.
SC's Safe at Home program lets eligible survivors use a state-provided substitute address on public records. If you cannot find a subject who you believe is a survivor, that may be the reason.
More South Carolina Record Tools
Combine a people search with South Carolina-specific record searches for a complete profile. These companion directories are already live on PublicRecordCenter.com:
Search People in Other States
Every state's public records system works differently. Click any state for its dedicated people-search directory.
Frequently Asked Questions — South Carolina
Are South Carolina criminal records public?
Yes. Most adult SC criminal court records are public and searchable via the SC Public Index across all 46 counties.
How do I find someone in South Carolina by name only?
Start with SCVotes.gov, Business One Stop, SCDC inmate search, and LLR license verification.
Can I look up SC property owners for free?
Yes. Each of SC's 46 counties maintains free online Auditor, Assessor, and Treasurer portals.
How do I check if someone is in SC state prison?
Use the SCDC Inmate Search at doc.sc.gov.
What is the SC Public Index?
A unified free statewide court search covering all 46 counties — one of the best such tools in the nation.
What's the difference between General Sessions and Common Pleas in SC?
General Sessions is criminal; Common Pleas is civil. Both are Circuit Court divisions.
How far back do SC public records go?
Public Index: 10–15 years online. Property: often to 1800s. Colonial records at SC Archives.
Is it legal to run a background check on someone in SC?
Yes for informational use. For employment, tenancy, or credit, use an FCRA-compliant agency or order official records from SLED.