Search Kershaw County Court Records Online
The main online channel for Kershaw County court records is the South Carolina Judicial Branch case records search directory, which links to the Kershaw County Public Index. The directory identifies Kershaw as Circuit Number 5 and County Number 28. The county Clerk of Court page also directs users to the Public Index and to Kershaw Court Rosters, so the state and county sources point to the same core trial court tools.
Use the Public Index for case history and the roster tool for scheduled appearances. The Public Index can show Circuit Court, General Sessions criminal, Common Pleas civil, Family Court, Magistrate Court, and some Municipal Court records when the case is included in the statewide system. It is not a certified copy source, and it excludes sealed, confidential, expunged, and protected material. The Judicial Branch also states that cookies and JavaScript must be enabled, and some browsers need a pop-up exception for case detail pages.
- Start at the South Carolina case records search directory and choose Kershaw County from the county list.
- Open the Kershaw Public Index and search by case number when known because it is the most precise path.
- When the case number is not known, search by party name or business name, then narrow by court type, case type, date type, and date range.
- Open the case-number link to review parties, actions, case dates, financial details where enabled, and available document icons.
- Use the Kershaw Court Rosters when the goal is a hearing date or appearance list instead of a full case history.
- Contact the Clerk of Court if the case is older, not online, or needs certification for legal use.
The official Public Index screenshot comes from the Kershaw County Public Index.
This image is tied to the primary lookup route for Kershaw County court records and shows why search terms should be chosen before opening a detail page.
Kershaw County Court Records Search Fields
The Public Index gives several filters, so a broad Kershaw County court records search can be narrowed without guessing at the exact spelling of every docket entry. The official guide describes search tools for civil, criminal, judgment, and property-linked matters. A common-name search can return unrelated people, while a case number or a date-limited search keeps results tighter.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case # | Text | No | Direct case-number lookup. |
| Name | Text | No | Party or business name search. |
| Action Type | Dropdown/filter | No | Can narrow motions, judgments, foreclosures, ADR entries, and other action types. |
| Date Type | Dropdown/filter | No | May include filed, disposed, judgment, or arrest date context. |
| Date Range | Date range | No | Used with the chosen date type. |
| Tax Map # | Text | No | Useful for real-estate, lis pendens, or judgment research. |
| Court Type | Dropdown/filter | No | Narrows trial-court category. |
| Case Type / SubType | Dropdown/filter | No | Separates civil, criminal, appeal, and narrower case groups. |
| Party Type | Dropdown/filter | No | Examples include plaintiff and defendant. |
| Judgment For / Against | Filter | No | Used for judgment and lis pendens style searches. |
For scheduled court appearances, the source image comes from the Kershaw County Court Rosters.
Court rosters support Kershaw County court record research when the immediate question is when a case is scheduled, not which document was filed.
Kershaw County Court Record Types
Kershaw County court records are split by court function. Circuit Court is the main trial court for larger civil cases and felony criminal cases. Its civil side is Common Pleas, and its criminal side is General Sessions. Family Court handles divorce, custody, support, adoption, name change, and juvenile matters. Probate Court keeps estate, guardianship, conservatorship, marriage-license, and commitment records. Magistrate Court and Municipal Court handle summary criminal, traffic, small civil, ordinance, warrant, and bond matters.
These divisions matter because one person may have more than one public record path. A civil judgment can be in Common Pleas, a traffic ticket can be in Magistrate Court or a city court, and an estate status entry can be in the Probate Court index while actual estate papers remain offline. The Clerk's Circuit Court counter is not the right place for every court file.
- Civil records include complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, lis pendens entries, and appeals from lower courts.
- Criminal records include General Sessions files, charges, pleas, motions, dispositions, sentences, fines, costs, and docket actions.
- Family records include divorce, custody, support, visitation, name change, and domestic case files, with juvenile and adoption limits.
- Probate records include estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, trusts, marriage licenses, and commitments.
- Summary court records include Magistrate and Municipal Court traffic, small civil, ordinance, misdemeanor, bond, and warrant matters.
What Kershaw County Court Records Show
A public case result may show case metadata, parties, events, dates, financial details, and document links, but the exact fields depend on the court and case type. The official Public Index guide says case-number links open case detail pages, action entries may be searched, financial tabs may appear where enabled, and document icons may display images when the county has scanned or published them. Images are not guaranteed for every Kershaw case.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case number | The unique court identifier and link to the case detail screen. |
| Case type / subtype | The civil, criminal, family, appeal, traffic, or other category used by the court. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, business party, or other case roles. |
| Actions | Docket entries such as filings, hearings, motions, orders, judgments, or other events. |
| Dates | Filing, disposition, judgment, or arrest dates where the search context supports them. |
| Financial information | Fines, fees, payments, costs, or balances when the financial tab is active. |
| Documents / images | Icons for scanned or filed documents, subject to county practice and case limits. |
| Redactions | Home addresses, confidential reference lists, sealed documents, and protected identifiers are excluded or masked. |
Kershaw County Court Records Access Rules
South Carolina access law and court rules work together for Kershaw County court records. S.C. Code Section 30-4-30 gives a right to inspect, copy, or receive electronic transmission of public records unless a law allows or requires withholding. S.C. Code Section 30-4-40 lists exemptions, including law-enforcement, privacy, and confidential materials. Court-specific rules also control sealing, redaction, and public display.
The Clerk of Court remains the practical copy source for Circuit and Family Court files. The Clerk does not perform broad civil or criminal background searches for the public. Written copy requests require a non-refundable search fee and then payment of copy or certification costs when the record is located. The Clerk page also notes that cases not online require two days of notice so staff can pull the file.
Note: Public Index data helps locate records, but certified copies must come from the court office that keeps the file.
The statewide image for appellate access comes from South Carolina Appellate Court Public Index information.
Appellate records are separate from Kershaw County trial court records, so Court of Appeals or Supreme Court matters use C-Track instead of the county Public Index.
Restricted Kershaw County Court Records
Not all Kershaw County court records are public online records. Juvenile court records are confidential under the South Carolina Juvenile Justice Code. Adoption hearings and adoption records are confidential unless a statute or court order allows access. Termination-of-parental-rights records, sealed case materials, expunged criminal records, confidential reference lists, protected personal identifiers, and some mental-health or involuntary-commitment records are also outside ordinary public access.
Rule 41.1 and Rule 41.2 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure are important for access. Rule 41.1 governs sealing when a court finds a sufficient basis. Rule 41.2 requires filers to protect identifiers such as Social Security numbers, driver-license numbers, financial account numbers, PINs, passwords, and minor names in protected contexts. The Public Index also no longer displays home address information for new or existing cases as of January 1, 2026.
Kershaw County Court Record Requests
When online Kershaw County court records do not include the needed file or image, use the office that owns the record. The Clerk of Court handles Circuit Court and Family Court records, including Common Pleas civil and General Sessions criminal files. Probate Court handles estate and marriage-license records. Magistrate Court handles many summary criminal, traffic, warrant, bond, and small civil records. Municipal Courts in Bethune, Camden, and Elgin handle city ordinance and city traffic matters.
Kershaw County Clerk of Court
1121 Broad Street, Room 313
Camden, SC 29020
803-425-7223
Circuit and Family Court records
County-level court access also depends on rules maintained by the South Carolina Judicial Branch, shown in the source image from South Carolina court rules.
The court-rules source supports the limits that shape Kershaw County court records access, including sealing and privacy protections.