Richland County
Named for its rich land that supported the indigo and cotton plantations for decades, Richland County is located in the heart of South Carolina and is home to more than 416,000 residents. The county was created out of the Camden District in March 1785 and is the second most populated county in the state. Its county seat is Columbia.
The court structure in Richland County consists of municipal courts, magistrates' courts, probate courts, family courts, and circuit courts. Municipal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction as they typically handle cases related to municipal ordinance violations. They sometimes impose fines of up to $500 or imprisonment for up to 30 days.
The magistrate's court in the county hears civil cases involving landlord tenant matters and injury or property damage where the claim is under $7,500. Richland County magistrate's court also hears traffic and criminal cases in which the fine is no higher than $2,000 or where the imprisonment term is no higher than 90 days.
Probate courts in the county administer estates of decedents, appoints guardians and conservators for incapacitated persons and minors, issues marriage license, orders involuntary commitments of chemically dependent or mentally ill persons, and decides trust and estate litigation.
Richland County family courts hear cases relating to domestic or familial relationships, such as child custody issues. Circuit courts are the chief courts in the county. They have general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases. They have two divisions; the court of common pleas which handles civil cases, and the court of general sessions which handles criminal cases.
The Clerk of Court office maintains court records in Richland County. You may visit the address of the clerk to obtain copies of public court records. The office address of the Richland County Clerk of Court is at:
Richland County Judicial Center1701 Main Street, Room 205 (29201)
Columbia, South Carolina 29202
To access public court records remotely, you can use the case record search resource provided by the South Carolina Judicial Branch.
