Kershaw County Probate Records
Kershaw County Probate Court sits in Room 225 of the Kershaw County Courthouse at 1121 Broad Street, Camden, SC 29020. The county lists Debra B. Branham as Probate Judge. Probate Court handles estate administration, probate of wills, guardianships and conservatorships for incapacitated adults, minor conservatorships, marriage licenses, involuntary commitments, trust and estate litigation, related filings, and certified copies. Those records are separate from Circuit Court and Family Court records kept by the Clerk of Court.
The court's estate instructions are practical. To begin a decedent's estate, the county tells users to complete only the Estate Intake Packet listed under Probate Documents. The packet can be printed, picked up from the Probate Court office, or picked up on the right side of the security desk at the Kershaw County Government Center, 515 Walnut Street, Camden, SC 29020. The Probate Court cannot give legal advice, so case strategy, contested estate questions, and fiduciary duties may require counsel.
Kershaw County Probate Terms
Probate filings use terms that have a specific role in the estate or protective proceeding. These definitions help separate a will file from an estate administration, and a guardianship from a conservatorship.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out the will, often called a personal representative in probate practice.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, so estate distribution follows state law.
- Guardianship
- A court appointment for personal, care, living, and health decisions for an incapacitated adult.
- Conservatorship
- A court appointment to manage property or finances for an incapacitated adult or minor.
Search Kershaw County Probate Records
Kershaw County notes an online Estate Index for estate status information for estates filed from about 1980 or 1981 to the present. The research found a small conflict in official wording on the exact start year, so the safer public-facing rule is to treat it as an approximate cutoff and confirm older files with Probate Court. Actual estate documents are not online. If an index record points to an estate, the copy request still goes to Probate Court.
- Start with the Kershaw County Probate Court estate index when checking whether an estate exists or what its status is.
- Write down the estate name, case or estate number if shown, decedent name, and any status details.
- Contact Probate Court at 803-425-1503 or visit Room 225 for document copies, certified copies, or filing questions.
- Use the Estate Intake Packet only to begin a new decedent's estate, unless Probate Court tells you another packet applies.
- For property issues, check both probate authority and land records because the Register of Deeds does not check Probate Court records.
The South Carolina juvenile confidentiality law appears in the manifest for this probate page because some probate-adjacent family, minor, or protective matters are not treated as open files. The relevant statute page is the South Carolina Juvenile Justice Code.
That confidentiality context is important when a probate search touches minors, protected persons, or records that overlap with family-court restrictions.
Kershaw County Probate Court Contact
There is one county Probate Court for Kershaw probate matters. It is the right office for estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, marriage licenses, involuntary commitments, and probate certified copies. Do not route these requests to the Clerk's Circuit Court counter unless the issue is a separate Circuit or Family Court case.
Kershaw County Probate Court
Probate Judge: Debra B. Branham
1121 Broad Street, Room 225
Camden, SC 29020
803-425-1503
Fax: 803-425-1526
Hours: 8:30 AM-5:00 PM Monday-Friday
Kershaw County Probate Fees
Kershaw Probate Court publishes a detailed fee schedule. Estate filing fees depend on estate value, and some filing types have separate set fees. Notice to creditors is paid by check to The Chronicle Independent under the county schedule. Copy costs are separate from estate filing charges, so a person who needs certified proof of authority should ask which copy type the receiving institution requires.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Full estate $0-$4,999.99 | $25.00 |
| Full estate $5,000-$19,999.99 | $45.00 |
| Full estate $20,000-$59,999.99 | $67.50 |
| Full estate $60,000-$99,999.99 | $95.00 |
| Notice to creditors | $120.00 check to The Chronicle Independent |
| Filing fee | $25.00 |
| Copies | $0.50 per page |
| Certified copies | $5.00 + $0.50 per page |
| Research fee | $5.00 |
| Summons and complaint or petition | $150.00 |
Kershaw County Estate Files
A Kershaw County estate file may include an intake packet, application or petition for probate of will or appointment, affidavits, checklist items, private agreements, reopening worksheets, annual returns, accountings, creditor notices, and closing documents, depending on the type of administration. The county also lists an Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property, Informal Estate Filing Checklist for Attorneys, Affidavit of Personal Representative, Pro Se Formal Action Checklist, and a Centers for Heirs Property Legal Services Guide among Probate Documents.
The county's practical probate workflow starts by identifying the matter type: estate, will-only filing, small estate or personal property affidavit, guardianship, conservatorship, or trust and estate litigation. Estate work often requires asset details. That is why the Probate Estates page links to GIS mapping, Register of Deeds records, Auditor resources, South Carolina Unclaimed Property, Kelley Blue Book, and NADA. Probate authority and property recording are connected in practice, but they remain different record systems.
Kershaw County Guardianship Records
Guardianship and conservatorship records have more access limits than routine estate filings. The Probate Court FAQ explains that a guardian handles personal and custodial matters for an incapacitated adult, including living arrangements, care, comfort, maintenance, mental-health decisions, and health-care decisions. A guardian must make yearly reports to Probate Court about the ward's condition. A conservator manages money or property, protects assets, reports periodically on receipts and disbursements, and cannot make expenditures without written court order.
A lawyer must be appointed for the allegedly incapacitated adult according to the Probate FAQ, and prospective guardians must review an educational video. These requirements show why the public copy path may not be as open as an ordinary estate docket. Call the Probate Court before assuming that medical, incapacity, minor, or financial details can be inspected by any member of the public.
Restricted Kershaw County Probate Records
Probate Court handles involuntary commitments, and those matters are restricted by the nature of the proceeding and confidentiality rules. Adoption records are also confidential under South Carolina law. The South Carolina adoption confidentiality statute is one official source for that limit.
That restriction prevents adoption files from being treated like ordinary estate records, even when a probate or family-related office is part of the records path.
Rule 41.2 and the South Carolina Family Privacy Protection Act also protect personal identifiers in public records. Confidential reference lists are not public, and sealed materials are not displayed through ordinary public portals. Probate Court can identify the right procedure for its records, but it cannot give legal advice about whether a judge should open a sealed or confidential file.