Chester County
Chester County was formed in 1785 from the old Camden District in South Carolina. It covers about 750.5 square miles with an estimated population of 32,171. The county seat is the City of Chester.
Chester County court structure consists of a Circuit Court, a Family Court, a Probate Court, a Magistrate Court, and Municipal Courts. The Circuit Court is a court of general jurisdiction. It has a Civil Court, which deals with civil cases of more than $7,500 in disputes, a Court of Common Pleas, a Criminal Court, and a Court of General Sessions. The Family Court handles domestic relations, juvenile, divorce, and family-related cases. On the other hand, the Probate Court deals with the probate of estates, appoints and supervises guardians and conservators, and issues orders of detention for mental health issues and alcohol/drug abuse. The Magistrate Court conducts preliminary hearings for General Sessions level cases and jury trials for all magistrate-level cases. It presides over misdemeanors, traffic infractions, and civil cases with disputes less than $7,500. The Municipal Courts addresses traffic infractions and ordinance violations. In addition, per Title 22 of the South Carolina Code of Laws Unannotated, it may hear cases transferred from the General Sessions Court.
In Chester County, public court records include documents, dockets, exhibits, orders, and judgments received or created during legal proceedings. The Chester County Clerk of Court's office maintains court records and allows the public to access the following records:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Traffic records
- Family law records
- Probate records
Under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act, anyone may access court records in Chester County. To obtain court records, individuals may submit their requests by mail or in person by visiting the clerk's office at:
140 Main Street
P.O. Box 580
Chester, SC 29706
Phone: (803) 385-2605
Fax: (855) 935-3708 (Criminal)
Fax: (855) 946-0423 (Civil)
Copies of Chester County court records may be obtained atfee of $0.25 per page. The South Carolina Judicial Branch also provides public access to Chester County court records through the Case Records Search Portal. In addition, the SC Probate Search Portal provides public access to the county's probate court records.