How to Search Kershaw County Court Records
The main online search channel for Kershaw County court records is the South Carolina Judicial Branch Case Records Search, which links to the Kershaw County Public Index and the Kershaw County Court Rosters. The state directory identifies Kershaw as Circuit Number 5 and County Number 28. The Public Index is the best starting point for Common Pleas civil cases, General Sessions criminal cases, many Magistrate Court records, and some Municipal Court records where the city participates.
Use a case number when it is known. Name searches work, but they can return common-name matches, business-name variants, and cases from different court levels. The Public Index requires cookies and JavaScript, and some browsers need a pop-up exception before case detail opens. Court Rosters are a separate tool for scheduled appearances, so a docket date search should use both the roster and the case record when timing matters.
- Open the state case records directory and choose Kershaw County from the county list.
- Start with the case number if available, or search by party name or business name.
- Narrow the result with case type, court type, action type, party type, or date range when the search is too broad.
- Open the case number link, then review party, action, financial, and document-image tabs if available.
- Use the Clerk of Court copy route when the file is offline, older, sealed in part, or needed as a certified copy.
Kershaw County Court System
Kershaw County is part of South Carolina's Fifth Judicial Circuit with Richland County. South Carolina does not use a district court model for the main county trial court. Circuit Court is the general-jurisdiction trial court, with Common Pleas handling civil matters and General Sessions handling criminal prosecutions. Family Court, Probate Court, Magistrate Court, and Municipal Courts keep their own records and should not be treated as one Clerk counter.
For local users, the key split is practical. Circuit Court and Family Court records route through the Clerk of Court, Probate Court keeps estate and marriage-license records, Magistrate Court handles summary criminal, small civil, traffic, bond, preliminary hearing, and warrant matters, and the city courts in Bethune, Camden, and Elgin handle municipal tickets and ordinance cases. Appeals can move to the South Carolina Court of Appeals or Supreme Court and are searched in a separate appellate system.
Case flow: Magistrate or Municipal Court › Circuit Court appeal or General Sessions case › Court of Appeals › Supreme Court of South Carolina
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court | General jurisdiction and lower-court appeals | Common Pleas civil cases and General Sessions criminal cases |
| Family Court | Domestic and juvenile jurisdiction | Divorce, custody, support, adoption, name change, juvenile matters |
| Probate Court | Probate and protected-person matters | Estates, marriage licenses, guardianships, conservatorships, commitments |
| Magistrate Court | Summary court and lower civil jurisdiction | Traffic, small civil, bond, warrants, preliminary hearings |
| Municipal Court | City ordinance and city-level offenses | Bethune, Camden, and Elgin tickets and municipal cases |
Kershaw County Courthouse Offices
The current records-facing courthouse is the Kershaw County Courthouse at 1121 Broad Street in Camden. The Clerk of Court is in Room 313, Family Court is in Room 213, Probate Court is in Room 225, Magistrate Court is in Room 202, and Bond Court is listed in Room 118. That building is the practical destination for most county court records, even though Camden also has historic courthouse history tied to the Robert Mills courthouse.
Kershaw County Clerk of Court
1121 Broad Street, Room 313
Camden, SC 29020
803-425-7223
Kershaw County Magistrate Court
1121 Broad Street, Room 202
Camden, SC 29020
803-425-7226
Kershaw County Probate Court
1121 Broad Street, Room 225
Camden, SC 29020
803-425-1503
Kershaw County Court Record Types
Kershaw County court records include civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, warrant, inmate, marriage, and divorce records, but those labels do not all point to the same office. Civil Circuit Court records are mainly Common Pleas files. Felony and higher-level criminal cases are General Sessions files. Family Court keeps divorce, custody, support, adoption, juvenile, and domestic files. Probate Court handles estates, wills, marriage licenses, guardianships, conservatorships, and involuntary commitments.
Lower-level matters are split again. Magistrate Court handles many county traffic, small civil, bond, warrant, and summary criminal records. Camden, Elgin, and Bethune Municipal Courts can keep city traffic and ordinance cases. The Detention Center roster is a custody record, not the complete criminal case file, and the SCDMV driver record is not the same as a traffic court record.
- Criminal records identify charges, appearances, pleas, dispositions, sentences, fines, and related General Sessions or summary court activity.
- Civil records can include complaints, motions, orders, judgments, liens, lis pendens entries, and tax-map searches.
- Family and divorce records are kept through Family Court and may have confidentiality limits.
- Probate records include estate status, wills, guardianship, conservatorship, and certified probate copies.
- Traffic court records show citation and court status, while SCDMV records show points and license status.
What Kershaw County Court Records Show
Public Index case details can show case metadata, party names, action entries, hearing activity, financial tabs, document icons, and redactions. The exact fields depend on court type, online publication settings, and whether the case is public. Home addresses are no longer displayed on the public index for new and existing cases as of January 1, 2026, and confidential reference lists are not public.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case number | The unique court identifier and the link used to open case detail. |
| Case type and subtype | The category, such as civil, criminal, family, appeal, traffic, or related subtype. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, business party, or other party role. |
| Actions | Docket entries for filings, hearings, motions, orders, judgments, and other events. |
| Financials | Fines, fees, payments, costs, or balances where the financial tab is enabled. |
| Documents | Document icons may show images, but availability varies by county, case, date, and filing method. |
Kershaw County Court Records Access Laws
South Carolina public access starts with the Freedom of Information Act, but court records also follow court rules and confidentiality statutes. In practice, Kershaw County court records are accessed through the Public Index, Court Rosters, the Clerk of Court office, Probate Court, Family Court, Magistrate Court, Municipal Courts, and agency FOIA channels. The Clerk allows public records to be copied in person, but the office does not perform broad civil or criminal record searches for users.
Key Statutes and Rules:
S.C. Code § 30-4-30 gives a right to inspect, copy, or receive public records unless a law permits withholding.
S.C. Code § 30-4-40 lists exemptions, including certain law-enforcement, privacy, and confidential materials.
S.C. Code § 30-2-330 supports removal or redaction of protected identifiers from online official records.
Rules 41.1 and 41.2, SCRCP address sealing and personal-identifier protection in court filings.
Restricted Kershaw County Court Records
Not every Kershaw County court record is public. Juvenile court records, juvenile law-enforcement records, adoption hearings and records, termination-of-parental-rights records, sealed records, expunged records, confidential reference lists, and some mental-health or involuntary commitment records are restricted. Public Index search results also exclude sealed or confidential materials, and document images are not guaranteed for all cases.
Access to a sealed court record usually requires a court order or a motion process tied to the case. For criminal expungement, Kershaw County users work through the Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor because the county is in the Fifth Circuit. The solicitor process is also the route for many Magistrate and Municipal Court expungement requests, even when the case began in a summary court.
Kershaw County Specialty Courts
South Carolina treatment courts use court supervision, treatment, monitoring, and frequent appearances to address substance abuse, mental health, and related factors in criminal cases. Research located a Kershaw County Adult Drug Court Program order on the South Carolina Supreme Court order list, along with statewide treatment-court context. Eligibility details, current participant counts, and a Kershaw-specific program schedule were not published in the official pages reviewed.
The Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor also operates a Traffic Education Program for certain minor traffic offenses. The program applies to eligible offenses punishable only by a fine and a loss of four points or less. Requirements include program fees, community service, and an online traffic education course, and enrollment begins by appearing at the required court date and requesting a court referral.
Kershaw County Sheriff and Jail
The Kershaw County Sheriff's Office is in Lugoff and is led by Sheriff Lee Boan. The sheriff site links users to current inmates, but it also states that the Kershaw County Detention Center is not under Sheriff's Office jurisdiction. The Detention Center is a county facility at 101 Bramblewood Plantation Road in Camden, with public custody information available through the Zuercher inmate roster linked by county and sheriff pages.
The custody roster can help answer whether a person is currently detained and what hold reasons appear. It is not the final court disposition. For custody details, use Kershaw County inmate records. For active warrant questions, the research found no official public Kershaw warrant portal, so users must call the Sheriff's warrants division, Magistrate Court, or the correct Municipal Court.
Kershaw County Marriage and Probate Records
Kershaw County marriage licenses are issued by Probate Court by appointment only, while divorce records are Family Court and Clerk records in the county where the final hearing occurred. SC DPH can provide statewide marriage certificates for covered dates and divorce reports for qualifying divorces, but DPH does not issue divorce decrees. Estate status may be checked through the Probate Court estate index, but actual estate documents are not online.
Probate users should start with the Estate Intake Packet for a decedent's estate and contact Probate Court for certified copies, filing fees, guardianship, conservatorship, and marriage-license questions. The marriage and divorce records page separates local license and decree routes from state vital-record reports.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named or appointed to carry out estate duties.
- Conservator
- A person appointed to manage property or finances for a protected person.
Kershaw County Court Records Fees
The Kershaw County Clerk's court records page gives the main copy route for Circuit and Family Court records. In-person public records may be copied at the Clerk's office. Written requests require a non-refundable search fee, then the Clerk determines page count and mails an invoice before copies are mailed. County sources conflict on the exact plain-copy and certification amounts, so exact fees should be confirmed before mailing payment.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Record copy, Court Records page | $1.00 per page |
| Certification, Court Records page | $2.00 if required |
| Written request search fee | $20.00 non-refundable |
| Accepted payment | Cash, cashier's check, or money order |
| Personal checks | Not accepted |
Interpret Kershaw County Court Records
A docket entry is a time-ordered note in the case. It may show a filing, hearing, motion, order, judgment, plea, disposition, or financial event. A charge is not the same as a conviction. Charges may be amended, reduced, dismissed, nol prossed, or resolved by plea or trial. A disposition is the outcome of a case or charge, while a sentence is the penalty or court order after conviction or plea.
The Public Index can show financial information and document icons, but an online entry is not a certified copy. Older images may be missing, and public image availability depends on county scanning, e-filing status, document date, and case type. When a legal, employment, licensing, or official filing depends on a record, the originating court office should supply the certified copy.
Accuracy and Record Limitations
Kershaw County online records can lag behind recent Clerk entries, roster changes, and agency updates. A traffic ticket may take three to five business days to appear in the online payment workflow. A person may leave the current jail roster after release. A court charge may appear before the final criminal case result. State prison status belongs in SCDC, not the county jail roster.
Note: Confirm time-sensitive case, warrant, custody, and payment status with the office that issued or keeps the record.
Kershaw County Court History
Camden is the county seat and one of South Carolina's oldest inland communities. Historic courthouse material found in official preservation sources centers on the Robert Mills courthouse in Camden, erected in 1826, remodeled in 1847, and used until 1906. That history gives local context, but modern court records are handled through the current courthouse offices, county records departments, and statewide court systems.
The South Carolina Judicial Branch Kershaw County court directory identifies the modern Circuit, Family, Probate, Magistrate, Clerk, Solicitor, public defender, and related court contacts. The directory page is shown in the image below, and it is one of the clearest official starting points when a record question turns on which office has the file.
The directory reinforces the main records rule in Kershaw County: court records access depends on court level, case type, and custodian, not just the county name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do online Kershaw County court records start?
Start with the South Carolina Judicial Branch Case Records Search and choose Kershaw County. Use the Public Index for case history and the Court Rosters link for scheduled court appearances. If a file is not online, the Clerk page says a two-day notice may be needed for cases that must be pulled.
Does the Clerk search records for the public?
No. Kershaw County's Clerk page says the office maintains court records but does not perform civil or criminal record searches. Members of the public may appear in person and copy public records, or use the written request process with the required search fee.
Are divorce decrees available from SC DPH?
No. SC DPH can provide certified divorce reports for qualifying dates, but it does not issue divorce decrees. A divorce decree must come from the Clerk or Family Court in the county where the final divorce hearing was held.
Is there a public Kershaw warrant search?
No official public Kershaw County active-warrant portal was found in the research. Warrant questions should go to the Sheriff's warrants division, Magistrate Court, or the municipal court tied to the city case. Jail roster hold reasons can be useful, but they are not a warrant search.
Which office handles probate records?
Kershaw County Probate Court handles estate records, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, marriage licenses, and involuntary commitment matters. The estate index can show status for many estates, but actual estate documents are not available online.
Are traffic court records the same as DMV records?
No. A traffic court record comes from Magistrate Court, a Municipal Court, or the state traffic-ticket system and shows the ticket or case. An SCDMV driver record shows points, license status, suspensions, convictions reported to DMV, and driving history.