Dorchester County
Founded in 1897, Dorchester County was carved out of Colleton County. The county is located in the southern part of South Carolina and had its name derived from Dorchester, England, by way of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Dorchester County is home to over 160,000 residents.
The court system in Dorchester County comprises municipal, magistrates, probate, family, and circuit courts. Municipal courts mainly handle municipal code violations, while the magistrate courts in Dorchester County hear cases of criminal or traffic offenses carrying a punishment of a fine or jail sentence of no more than 30 days. These courts have jurisdiction over civil disputes where the amount in controversy is up to $7,500. Dorchester County magistrate courts process evictions, and restraining orders, conduct preliminary hearings, set bails, and issue search and arrest warrants.
The family court has exclusive jurisdiction over matters about domestic and family relationships, such as adoption, divorce and legal separation, change of name, child support, alimony, division of marital property, custody, and visitation rights.
In Dorchester County, the probate court oversees marriage licenses, guardianships, conservatorships, estates of deceased persons, and minor settlements under $25,000. The court has exclusive jurisdiction over trusts and concurrent jurisdiction with the circuit courts on matters of powers of attorney. The Dorchester County Circuit Court is the county's court of general jurisdiction. A civil court, also called the Court of Common Pleas, exists within the circuit court. Also, the circuit court has a criminal court, called the Court of General Sessions. In addition to the court's general trial jurisdiction, the circuit court possesses limited appellate jurisdiction over appeals from all lower courts in the county.
The Dorchester County office of the Clerk of Court maintains court records as part of its administrative support for the county's court system. To obtain a public court record, you may visit the Dorchester County courthouse located at 5200 E Jim Bilton Boulevard, St. George. Also, in the family court, the clerk of the court keeps all records relating to family and domestic relationships. You may visit the court at Troy Knight Judicial Complex, 212 Deming Way, Summerville to request court records from the clerk of the court.
Case information for some of Dorchester courts may be accessed online via the South Carolina courts portal. Also, the state provides a family court public access portal to search family court case information online.
