Aiken County Court Records Search

Aiken County court records are maintained through a mix of county and state systems. For most trial-level matters, the main record custodian is the Aiken County Clerk of Court, which supports the Circuit Court, General Sessions, and Family Court. Probate files and marriage-license records are handled separately by the Aiken County Probate Court. Online access is available for many case types, but not every document that exists in a courthouse file will appear on a public website, and some categories are restricted by law or court order.

In South Carolina, record seekers can usually start with the clerk’s office, the probate court, courthouse counters, and the state judiciary’s online case tools. The South Carolina Judicial Branch’s website, sccourts.org, may help users locate publicly available case information, county rosters, and court contacts. In Aiken County, the most practical starting points are the county’s Court Case Info page, the statewide case records search page, and the county clerk’s court rosters page.

How to Look Up a Court Case in Aiken County?

Aiken County uses different custodians and search tools depending on whether the case is civil, criminal, family, probate, or marriage-related. The best first step is to identify the court division, then decide whether you need case status information, a public index entry, or an actual copy of a filed document.

Main record locations

Court or Office	Address	Phone	Key Function
Clerk of Court	109 Park Avenue SE, First, Second, Third Floors, Aiken, SC 29801	(803) 642-1715	Circuit, General Sessions, Family Court support and copies
Family Court & Child Support	109 Park Avenue SE, First Floor / Judicial Center, Aiken, SC 29801	(803) 642-1715	Domestic and juvenile filings
Probate Court	109 Park Avenue SE, Room E126 / Judicial Center, Aiken, SC 29801	(803) 642-2002	Estates, marriage licenses, guardianships, conservatorships
Magistrates Department	Various county locations	Varies	Summary criminal, civil, traffic, bond matters

Practical search steps

Start with the Aiken County Public Index or the statewide South Carolina case search page if you need docket-style information.
Use the Aiken County clerk resources page for direct links to court case information, court rosters, forms, and jury information.
Visit or contact the clerk if you need certified copies, judgment records, or documents not available online.
For probate estates and old marriage-license records, contact the Probate Court records section.
If you are researching older estate files from 1873 through 1903, check with the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, which keeps the original records for that period.

Aiken County offices are generally open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., according to the county’s legal and judicial FAQ page. The county also notes that the courthouse, or Judicial Center, is located at 109 Park Avenue in Aiken, with accessible parking near the main public entrance.

Are Court Records Public in Aiken County?

Many Aiken County court records are open to public inspection, but public access is not absolute. In practice, access depends on the court division, the type of case, whether the file contains protected personal information, and whether a judge has sealed any portion of the record. South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act broadly recognizes public access to government records, while court-specific access is administered through judicial records systems, clerk offices, and probate records procedures.

The most useful county-level public access tool is the Aiken County Public Index. That site expressly warns that online material is not the official record, that official records remain on file in the responsible offices, and that website users rely on online information at their own risk. The public index also states that, as of January 1, 2026, home-address information is no longer displayed on the public index for new or existing cases.

The public index disclaimer also contains an important redaction rule. A person who finds a Social Security number, driver’s license number, state ID number, passport number, bank-account number, credit or debit card number, PIN, or password in an online image of an official record may make a written request to the clerk of court or register of deeds to have that information removed from the publicly available website. The request may be delivered by mail, fax, email, or in person, and there is no fee for that redaction request.

Not all records are public. In Aiken County, expect restrictions for:

juvenile matters;
adoption files;
many child-custody and child-protection records;
sealed files or sealed portions of files;
records containing protected personal identifiers;
mental-health and some conservatorship materials;
law-enforcement materials that reveal confidential informants or other protected investigative information.

For family matters, the South Carolina Family Court has exclusive jurisdiction over divorce, legal separation, custody, visitation, support, alimony, adoption, termination of parental rights, and name-change matters. That makes Family Court a frequent source of records, but it also means some filings in those cases are more likely to contain restricted personal information.

Aiken County Criminal Court Records

Criminal case files in Aiken County are primarily maintained through the clerk’s General Sessions function, while arrest and statewide criminal-history data are handled through state law-enforcement channels. For court-file research, begin with the Aiken County Public Index and then follow up with the Clerk of Court if you need certified copies, judgment materials, or documents not available online.

Where to search

General Sessions / Clerk of Court
Address: 109 Park Avenue SE, Third Floor / Judicial Center, Aiken, SC 29801
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 583, Aiken, SC 29802
Phone: (803) 642-1715
Fax: (803) 642-1718

Traffic Court
Address: 223 Park Avenue SW, Aiken, SC
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Bond Court / Detention Center
Address: 435 Wire Road, Aiken, SC 29801
Bond hearings: 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. weekends and observed holidays

Criminal-record search options

Use the South Carolina Judicial Branch case search or the county Public Index for case-level court information.
Visit the clerk to obtain copies from criminal court files.
Use the SLED criminal records check system for statewide criminal-history checks rather than court dockets.

For statewide criminal-history reports, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charges $25 per criminal-record check, plus a $1 convenience fee for online requests. Mail requests use the official Criminal Record Check Form and go to SLED Records Department, P.O. Box 21398, Columbia, SC 29221-1398.

If you need magistrate-level criminal or traffic matters, the county’s Magistrates Department handles warrants, summary criminal cases, traffic misdemeanors, and local civil paperwork in several service areas. That page also explains payment limits for traffic tickets and warns against mailing cash.

Aiken County Civil Court Records

Civil court records in Aiken County are usually held by the clerk for Circuit Court and related civil divisions, with some lower-value civil matters handled in Magistrate Court. Civil records may include complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, liens, foreclosures, tenancy disputes, and other filings tied to private disputes or equitable relief.

Main civil records office

Civil Division, Clerk of Court
Address: 109 Park Avenue SE, Second Floor / Judicial Center, Aiken, SC 29801
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 583, Aiken, SC 29801
Phone: (803) 642-1715
Fax: (803) 642-1718

How to request civil records

Search the Aiken County Public Index to identify the case number and party names.
Use the clerk’s Court Case Info and Court Rosters links to narrow the case.
Request copies from the clerk if you need pleadings, orders, or certified documents.
If you are representing yourself, review the South Carolina court forms page and the county clerk’s forms list.

The county clerk’s office says it performs support functions for both Circuit and Family Court, including copying legal instruments and collecting fees and fines. For civil users without counsel, the clerk also points to statewide self-represented litigant divorce packets and reminds users that court staff cannot give legal advice.

Aiken County’s online systems are useful, but they are not complete substitutes for the courthouse file. The public index itself warns that online information is not the official record and may be incomplete, outdated, or subject to redaction. If the filing matters for title work, certified copies, or litigation, request the record directly from the clerk.

Aiken County Family Court Records

Aiken County Family Court records cover divorce, legal separation, custody, visitation, support, alimony, domestic relations, name changes, adoptions, termination of parental rights, and many juvenile matters. The county’s Family Court page and the statewide Family Court overview both confirm that Family Court is the exclusive forum for most domestic-relations cases.

Family Court contact information

Aiken County Family Court & Child Support
Address: 109 Park Avenue SE, First Floor / Judicial Center, Aiken, SC 29801
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3047, Aiken, SC 29802-3047
Phone: (803) 642-1715
General Fax: (803) 642-1718
Child Support Fax: (803) 502-1823

How to find family-court records

Search the county Public Index for case entries that appear on the public site.
Use the state’s Family Court public portal for available family-court access.
Request certified copies or ended divorce records from the clerk’s office.

Aiken County’s legal FAQ adds an important practical point: completed divorce records are kept in the Clerk of Court’s Judgments Division. That matters because pending family filings and finalized judgments may not be handled by the same counter. The same FAQ also explains that all divorces begin through filing in the Family Court division, and once they are decided by a judge they are filed in Judgments.

For child support matters, the county says there are three common starting points:

file on your own;
hire an attorney; or
use the South Carolina Department of Social Services child-support process.

The clerk’s forms page includes links to child-support applications, support worksheets, and divorce packets. Because family files can contain sensitive information about children, finances, and domestic allegations, not every document in a family case will be available for unrestricted public copying even when the case itself appears in public indexes.

Marriage and divorce certificates are separate from the court file. The South Carolina Department of Public Health issues certified marriage certificates from July 1950 through December 2023 and certified divorce reports for divorces decreed between July 1962 and December 2023. For records outside those date ranges, requesters are directed back to the probate court or the county court that issued the original record, using the DPH marriage certificates page and divorce reports page.

Birth and death certificates are not court records, but they often matter in family and probate matters. Current DPH birth-certificate guidance and death-certificate guidance direct mail requests to the state Vital Records Section in West Columbia and in-person requests to the Columbia office or regional vital-records offices. The standard mail search fee is $12, which includes one certified copy if the record is found, and additional copies are $3 each under the DPH vital-records fee schedule.

Aiken County Probate Court Records

Aiken County Probate Court handles estates, trusts, marriage licenses, guardianships, conservatorships, minor and wrongful-death settlements, and certain mental-health and commitment matters. For many record seekers, the probate court is the right office for estate files, old marriage-license records, guardianship orders, and certified probate copies.

Probate Court contact information

Aiken County Probate Court
Address: 109 Park Avenue SE, Room E126 / Judicial Center, Aiken, SC 29801
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1576, Aiken, SC 29802-1576
Main Phone: (803) 642-2002
Fax: (803) 642-2007

Specialized probate contacts

Conservatorships / Guardianships: (803) 642-2008
Marriage Licenses: (803) 642-2009
Mental Health: (803) 642-2105
Probate Records: (803) 642-2149

Probate records access

Original estate records from 1904 to the present are kept by the probate court.
Original estate documents from 1873 through 1903 are held by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, though the probate court has microfilm copies for public viewing.
Marriage-license records are retained from 1911 to the present, with microfilm available for public viewing.
The public can search estate-file names and case numbers through the South Carolina probate search site.

The probate court’s Marriage Applications / Licenses page is the key source for marriage-license procedure in Aiken County. Both applicants must appear in person. Applications are taken Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is a 24-hour waiting period, the license fee is $45, and card payments carry a 3% service fee. The court does not perform marriage ceremonies, but it does issue certified copies of recorded marriage licenses for $5 each.

For estate and probate copies, the county’s source materials indicate that certified probate copies start at $5, and the court also posts a separate Probate Fees schedule for more detailed charges. If you are opening an estate or preparing filings, the county also provides probate records guidance and related probate resources through its Probate Court pages.