Anderson County Court Records

Anderson County sits in the northwestern Upstate region of South Carolina, with the city of Anderson as its county seat. The county's courts operate within the Tenth Judicial Circuit of the South Carolina Unified Court System, which also covers Oconee County. Court records in Anderson County — spanning criminal indictments, civil complaints, family court petitions, probate filings, and magistrate-level actions — are held by several different offices depending on the type of case. The Clerk of Court, the Probate Court, and the Family Court each maintain records for their respective case types, while the Register of Deeds holds certain administrative property records.

If you're starting your search, SouthCarolinaCourts.us can help you identify court locations, understand filing procedures, and find publicly available case information across South Carolina's unified court system. You can also go directly to the Anderson County offices described in this guide — in person, by mail, or through available electronic tools.

How to Look Up a Court Case in Anderson County?

The right search method depends on which court heard the case. Anderson County cases may have gone through the Court of General Sessions (criminal), the Court of Common Pleas (civil), the Family Court, the Probate Court, or one of the county's magistrate courts.

Online Case Search

The South Carolina Judicial Branch maintains a public case-index system for cases filed in the state's circuit and family courts. The South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index lets you search by party name, case number, or attorney name. Results typically show the case number, parties, case type, filing date, and disposition status. For Anderson County, the index covers Court of General Sessions, Court of Common Pleas, and Family Court filings.

The Magistrate Court Case Search may include summary court data for some magistrate cases, but not all magistrate records are fully digitized. Older records may require an in-person or mail request.

In-Person Searches

The Anderson County Clerk of Court's office keeps paper and electronic case files for circuit-level proceedings. You can review records in person during regular business hours:

Anderson County Clerk of Court
Address: 100 South Main Street, Anderson, SC 29624
Phone: (864) 260-4053
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Staff can help you find docket information, retrieve case files, and get copies of filed documents. Bring a valid photo ID.

Mail Requests

Written records requests can be mailed to the Clerk of Court at the address above. Include the full case number or the parties' names and approximate filing dates, a return mailing address, and payment of the applicable copy fees by check or money order made out to Anderson County Clerk of Court.

Magistrate Courts

Anderson County has several magistrate courts that handle minor criminal offenses, civil claims under $7,500, and preliminary hearings. Records are maintained locally and can be requested in person or by phone.

Court	Address	Phone
Anderson Magistrate Court	305 Camson Road, Anderson, SC 29621	(864) 260-4162
Belton Magistrate Court	306 Brown Avenue, Belton, SC 29627	(864) 338-5658
Honea Path Magistrate Court	210 North Main Street, Honea Path, SC 29654	(864) 369-0042
Williamston Magistrate Court	100 West Main Street, Williamston, SC 29697	(864) 847-7478

Are Court Records Public in Anderson County?

South Carolina law presumes court records are open to public inspection. The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (S.C. Code 30-4-10 et seq.) requires public bodies — including courts to a limited extent — to make records available upon request. That said, court records are primarily governed by the South Carolina Rules of Court and specific statutes rather than FOIA alone.

Records that are generally public include:

Criminal case files in the Court of General Sessions (indictments, warrants, plea documents, sentencing orders, and judgment records)
Civil case files in the Court of Common Pleas (complaints, answers, motions, orders, and judgments)
Probate records (wills admitted to probate, estate inventories, letters of administration, and guardianship/conservatorship petitions)
Real-property records maintained by the Register of Deeds
Magistrate court dispositions and civil judgments

Records that are restricted or confidential include:

Juvenile proceedings (S.C. Code 63-19-2020 restricts public access to juvenile criminal records)
Adoption records, which are sealed upon finalization
Records sealed or expunged by court order
Grand jury proceedings and records
Certain family court records involving minors, including abuse and neglect investigations
Victim identity information in sexual-assault cases
Mental health commitment proceedings
Records protected by a specific statutory confidentiality provision or judicial sealing order

When a public record contains both disclosable and restricted information, the office holding the record may redact the confidential portions and release the rest. If you're denied access to a record you believe should be public, you can petition the court or file a complaint under the FOIA enforcement provisions.

Anderson County Criminal Court Records

Criminal cases in Anderson County go through the Court of General Sessions, which handles all felonies and misdemeanors beyond the magistrate courts' authority. Less serious offenses and traffic violations are handled by the magistrate courts. The Tenth Circuit Solicitor's Office prosecutes criminal matters in both Anderson and Oconee Counties.

Searching Criminal Case Records

Online: Use the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index to search General Sessions cases by defendant name or case number. The index shows charges, court dates, dispositions, and sentencing information for cases in the statewide system.
Clerk of Court: Visit or call the Anderson County Clerk of Court at (864) 260-4053 to request specific criminal case files. The clerk holds indictments, plea agreements, trial transcripts, sentencing orders, and related filings.
Magistrate courts: For Class C misdemeanors, preliminary hearings, and bond proceedings, contact the relevant magistrate court directly.

Criminal History Background Checks

The Clerk of Court does not provide comprehensive criminal-history reports. For a statewide criminal background check, go through South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). SLED's Criminal Records Section processes requests submitted by individuals and authorized agencies. The process generally involves:

Submitting a completed request form (available on the SLED website)
Providing the subject's full name and date of birth
Paying the applicable fee (currently $25 for a state criminal-history check)
Fingerprint-based checks required for certain employment and licensing purposes carry additional fees

Results are returned by mail or electronically depending on the request method. SLED also participates in the FBI's national fingerprint-based background-check system for authorized requesters.

Anderson County Sheriff's Office

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office maintains arrest records, incident reports, and booking information. Incident reports and arrest information may be requested in person during business hours. The Sheriff's Office also makes current inmate information available through its online booking and detention resources.

Anderson County Sheriff's Office
Address: 305 Camson Road, Anderson, SC 29621
Phone: (864) 260-4400

Expungement

South Carolina law allows certain criminal records to be expunged under S.C. Code 17-22-910 et seq. and other applicable statutes. Eligible offenses include first-offense misdemeanors, charges that were dismissed or not prosecuted, youthful-offender convictions after the sentence is completed, and certain drug offenses after completion of a pretrial intervention program. Applications are filed with the Solicitor's Office and processed through the Court of General Sessions. Once an expungement order issues, SLED, the Clerk of Court, and the arresting agency are directed to destroy or seal the relevant records.

Anderson County Civil Court Records

Civil cases in Anderson County are heard by the Court of Common Pleas, which handles monetary claims exceeding $7,500, equitable relief, real-property disputes, and injunctions. Claims at or below $7,500 go to the magistrate courts.

Searching Civil Records

Civil case information is searchable through the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index, which covers Court of Common Pleas filings. Search by party name or case number to view the case type, filing date, assigned judge, hearing dates, and disposition.

For records not available online, contact the Clerk of Court at (864) 260-4053 or visit the office at 100 South Main Street, Anderson, SC 29624.

Civil Filing Fees

Filing fees in Anderson County follow the statewide schedule set by the South Carolina General Assembly. Key fees include:

New civil action (Court of Common Pleas): $150
Magistrate court civil filing (up to $7,500): $80
Motion filing fee: $25
Appeal from magistrate court to circuit court: $150
Jury-trial demand fee: $25

Copy fees at the Clerk of Court are typically $0.50 per page for standard copies and $1.00 per page for certified copies. Certification fees may also apply per document.

Small Claims

Small-claims actions for amounts up to $7,500 are filed in the appropriate magistrate court. Plaintiffs must complete a Statement of Claim and pay the filing fee. Hearings are informal, and parties generally represent themselves. Judgments from magistrate courts in small-claims matters are enforceable like any other civil judgment and may be appealed to the circuit court.

Property Records

Real-property records — deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, and easements — are held by the Anderson County Register of Deeds, not the Clerk of Court. You can search property records in person during business hours or use the county's online property-records search portal to look up recorded documents by grantor/grantee name, book and page number, or parcel identification number.

Anderson County Register of Deeds
Address: 100 South Main Street, Room 110, Anderson, SC 29624
Phone: (864) 260-4054

The Anderson County Assessor's Office provides property-tax valuations and parcel data.

Anderson County Family Court Records

Anderson County's Family Court is a division of the circuit court system with exclusive jurisdiction over domestic-relations matters — divorce, separate maintenance, child custody, child support, visitation, adoption, and domestic violence protective orders. The Family Court also handles juvenile delinquency and abuse-and-neglect proceedings.

Court Location and Contact

Anderson County Family Court
Address: 100 South Main Street, Anderson, SC 29624
Phone: (864) 260-4053
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Searching Family Court Records

Family Court case information can be searched through the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index for cases that aren't sealed or otherwise restricted. Many family-court filings — including divorce decrees, custody orders, and support modification orders — are generally accessible to the public. Cases involving juveniles, abuse investigations, and adoptions are not publicly searchable.

Family Court Filing Fees

Complaint for divorce: $150
Complaint for separate maintenance: $150
Motion to modify custody or support: $25
Petition for adoption: $150
Petition for domestic violence protective order: No filing fee (S.C. Code 16-25-30 prohibits charging a fee for protective-order petitions)

Fee waivers are available for indigent litigants who file a completed affidavit showing inability to pay.

Divorce Records

Divorce decrees are entered by the Family Court and kept in the Clerk of Court's records. Certified copies can be obtained from the Clerk of Court for the applicable copy fee. If you only need verification of a South Carolina divorce, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) issues certified verification letters — though DHEC does not provide copies of the full decree. Only the court can do that.

Marriage Licenses

Marriage licenses in Anderson County are issued by the Anderson County Probate Court, not the Family Court. The fee is $95.00 and there is no waiting period in South Carolina. Both parties must apply in person and present valid photo identification and their Social Security numbers.

Birth and Death Certificates

Vital records including birth and death certificates are maintained by DHEC Vital Records. Certified copies can be ordered online through DHEC, by mail, or in person at a local DHEC office. Current fees are:

Birth certificate: $12.00 for the first copy, $3.00 for each additional copy ordered at the same time
Death certificate: $12.00 for the first copy, $3.00 for each additional copy

Eligible requesters include the registrant, a parent, a legal guardian, a spouse, an adult child, or an authorized agent with proper documentation.

Adoption Records

Adoption records in South Carolina are sealed upon entry of the final adoption decree. Access is limited to the adoptive parents, the adopted person upon reaching adulthood, and parties authorized by court order. The South Carolina Adoption Reunion Register maintained by the Department of Social Services allows voluntary mutual-consent contact between biological parents and adult adoptees.

Anderson County Probate Court Records

The Anderson County Probate Court handles administration of decedent estates, probate of wills, guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, and marriage licenses. It operates as a separate court from the circuit court system with its own elected judge.

Court Location and Contact

Anderson County Probate Court
Address: 100 South Main Street, Room 207, Anderson, SC 29624
Phone: (864) 260-4049
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Searching Probate Records

Probate case records are kept at the Probate Court office. Because probate records are not always included in the statewide judicial case index, the most reliable approach is to contact the Probate Court directly or visit in person. Staff can search by decedent name, estate case number, or petitioner name. Some Anderson County probate index data may also be available through the Anderson County government website.

Probate Filing Fees

Filing fees for probate proceedings follow the schedule set by South Carolina statute. Selected fees for Anderson County Probate Court include:

Filing a petition for probate of a will or letters of administration: $25.00 (with additional costs depending on estate value)
Filing a small-estate affidavit (estates valued at $25,000 or less with no real property): $25.00
Guardianship or conservatorship petition: $25.00
Certified copy of a probate document: $1.00 per page (plus a per-document certification fee)
Marriage license: $95.00

Fees are payable by cash, check, or money order. Some offices may accept credit or debit cards — contact the Probate Court to confirm current payment methods.

Estate Administration

When a South Carolina resident dies holding assets solely in their own name, the estate generally must go through probate. The personal representative (executor or administrator) files a petition with the Probate Court in the county where the decedent lived. Under the South Carolina Probate Code (Title 62 of the S.C. Code), the court may grant informal probate for uncontested estates or formal probate when disputes arise among heirs or creditors.

Key steps in estate administration include:

Filing the original will (if one exists) and a petition for appointment of personal representative
Receiving letters testamentary or letters of administration from the Probate Court
Publishing a notice to creditors in a local newspaper
Inventorying and appraising the decedent's assets
Paying valid claims and debts of the estate
Filing an accounting with the court
Petitioning for final distribution and closing the estate

Guardianship and Conservatorship

Petitions for guardianship of an incapacitated adult or conservatorship of an individual's estate are filed in the Probate Court. South Carolina law requires the appointment of a guardian ad litem to investigate the circumstances and report to the court before any guardian or conservator is appointed. Guardianship records are generally public, though medical and psychological evaluation reports filed in the case may be restricted from public access.

Wills on File

South Carolina law permits individuals to deposit a will with the Probate Court for safekeeping during their lifetime (S.C. Code 62-2-901). A deposited will stays sealed and confidential until the testator's death, at which point it is opened and made available for probate proceedings. To ask about a deposited will, contact the Probate Court at (864) 260-4049.