Orangeburg County Magistrate Court Court cases in Orangeburg County, Orangeburg, SC
Orangeburg County Magistrates Court in Orangeburg, SC, is a county-level magistrate (summary) court within South Carolina's Unified Judicial System. It handles lower-level criminal and traffic matters (misdemeanors punishable by up to 30 days in jail or up to a $500 fine, plus assessments), conducts bond hearings and preliminary hearings, and issues arrest and search warrants. In civil jurisdiction, it hears small-claims and landlord-tenant/eviction cases up to $7,500, as well as claim and delivery and other statutory civil actions within magistrate authority. The court provides six-person jury trials in qualifying cases. It does not hear divorces, child custody, or other Family Court matters, and it does not handle felony trials, which are heard in the Court of General Sessions.
Orangeburg County Magistrate Court Contact and Location Information
| Court Type: | Magistrate Court |
| County: | Orangeburg |
| Street Address: | 1540 Ellis Ave. |
| City: | Orangeburg |
| Zip Code: | 29115 |
| Phone: | 803-533-5879 |
| Fax: | 803-516-4011 |
| Hours: | Monday - Friday 8:30AM - 5:00PM |
| Website URL: | https://www.orangeburgcounty.org/180/Magistrate-Court |
| Forms & Filing: | https://www.sccourts.org/forms/searchType.cfm |
| Dockets / Schedule / Calendar: | https://publicindex.sccourts.org/Orangeburg/PublicIndex/PISearch.aspx |
| Jury Service: | https://www.orangeburgcounty.org/Faq.aspx?QID=93 |
| Languages: | Multiple |
| Linkedin: | https://www.linkedin.com/in/winnifa-clark-ba164040/ |
| ADA: | The office of the Risk Manager |
| ADA Phone: | 803-533-6151 |
| About / Additional Info: | There are approximately 300 magistrates in South Carolina, each serving the county for which he or she is appointed. They are appointed by the Governor upon the advice and consent of the Senate for four year terms and until their successor is appointed and qualified.Magistrates have criminal trial jurisdiction over all offenses which are subject to the penalty of a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or both. Magistrates may also hear cases transferred from general sessions, the penalty for which does not exceed one year imprisonment or a fine for $5,000, or both, upon petition by the solicitor and agreement by the defendant. |
Services and Case Types Handled in Orangeburg County Magistrate Court
Orangeburg County Magistrates Court serves the public as the county's summary court for limited civil and criminal matters.
- Case filings: small-claims disputes, landlord-tenant actions (including evictions), claim-and-delivery, and related civil summons/complaints.
- Criminal and traffic: traffic citations, misdemeanor and ordinance violations; issuance of arrest/search warrants; bond hearings; preliminary hearings in certain criminal cases.
- Protective orders: restraining orders for harassment or stalking and no-contact conditions as authorized by law.
- Jury services: juror qualification, summons, deferrals/excuses, and six-person jury trials for magistrate-level cases.
- Court hearings and support: scheduling and conducting hearings, bench and jury trials; accepting filings, fees, and fine payments; providing court-date information; processing subpoenas and continuance requests; maintaining case records and dispositions.
The court functions as a first point of contact for resolving minor disputes, addressing low-level offenses, and managing early stages of criminal cases.