Berkeley County
Deriving its name from two of South Carolina's Lord Proprietors in the late 1600s - Sir William Berkeley and Lord John Berkeley, Berkeley County was established in 1682. It is home to over 229,000 people and covers 1,103.6 square miles of land area.
In order to meet the judicial requirements of the Berkeley County residents in a proficient and professional manner, the court system in the county is structured to include circuit courts, family courts, probate courts, and magistrate courts.
Magistrate courts have county wide jurisdiction over traffic matters, criminal cases, and civil cases falling within the guidelines of magistrate level cases. Probate courts handle matters relating to estates, marriage license, alcohol and drug addiction, mental health, guardians, conservators, and minor settlements.
Berkeley County family courts hear cases relating to family and domestic relationships, including divorce, marriage, custody and visitation rights, and alimony. The circuit courts in the county are the courts of general jurisdiction, having civil and criminal court sections to handle civil and criminal cases.
In addition, the Berkeley County court system has a solicitors office which maintains a pre-trial intervention program for first-time, non-violent adult offenders, including juvenile arbitration and diversion programs for juvenile offenders.
Except in cases, such as juvenile matters where documentation of proceedings are closed to the public, Berkeley court documents are public and are maintained by the county clerk of court. Public court records are information related to the proceedings of cases held in Berkeley County courts. The Berkeley Clerk of Court's Office maintains indices for civil and criminal case files. Family Court records in the county are confidential and can only be inspected with special permission. Juvenile delinquency, adoptions, terminated parental rights, abuse and neglect, and any other sealed records are all confidential. Note that there is a charge for obtaining copies of court records.
To obtain public court records for civil and criminal cases in Berkeley County, use the case record search resource provided by the South Carolina Judicial Branch. Family court dockets and circuit court dockets in Berkeley County can be accessed online via state-managed resources.
