Search Clarendon County Court Records
The main online entry point for Clarendon County court records is the South Carolina Judicial Branch Case Records Search. That page routes users to trial court Public Index records, Family Court records, traffic ticket search, and court rosters. For local trial matters, the official county link is the Clarendon County Public Index, which covers publicly available trial-court case records. The Judicial Branch says cookies and JavaScript must be enabled, and some browsers need a pop-up exception before case detail opens.
Start with the court and record type. Common Pleas civil matters, General Sessions criminal matters, and many Magistrate or Municipal cases use different record paths. Family Court uses a separate public portal. Appeals are not searched in the county Public Index; they use C-Track for the Supreme Court of South Carolina and the Court of Appeals. If online search does not locate the file, the Clarendon County Clerk of Court provides criminal and civil copies in person, by mail, or by fax, subject to the county copy fee and turnaround rules.
- Open the Judicial Branch case-records landing page or the Clarendon County Public Index.
- Accept the portal terms, complete the security check, and allow pop-ups if case detail will not open.
- Search by case number when known, or search by party name and narrow by court type, case type, action type, or date range.
- Review the case detail, docket entries, parties, status, and hearing or roster information that the portal makes public.
- Request a copy from the Clerk of Court if the online record is incomplete, unavailable, or not enough for official use.
The state court roster search page is also relevant because a roster may show scheduled hearings or trial terms before a full case file is updated. The image below comes from that official roster source.
Rosters are best used as schedule tools. They do not replace the Public Index case record or a certified copy from the Clerk of Court.
Clarendon County Court Records Fields
Public Index records are strongest when the user has a docket or case number. Name searches can work, but the results may include people with the same or similar names, so date ranges and court type filters matter. South Carolina also changed Public Index display rules: home address information no longer appears for new or existing cases as of January 1, 2026. That change can make a current online record look different from an older printout.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case # | Text | No | Best search key when the court case number is known. |
| Name | Text | No | Search by party, defendant, plaintiff, petitioner, respondent, or business name. |
| Action Type | Text or dropdown | No | Can narrow by events such as motions, judgments, ADR, foreclosure action, or other docket activity. |
| Date Type and Date Range | Dropdown and date fields | No | Used to limit results by filing, event, disposition, or other date types exposed by the portal. |
| Court Type / Court Agency | Filter | No | Narrows results to Circuit, Family, Magistrate, Municipal, or other available agencies. |
| Case Type / SubType | Filter | No | Examples include civil, criminal, appeal, traffic, and related subtypes. |
| Accept / Security Check | Button and validation | Yes | Official materials say users must accept terms and complete validation before searching. |
For appellate matters, the South Carolina C-Track Public Access system is separate from county trial records. It supports case searches by appellate case number, case title, court, filed-date range, group, type, and open or closed status.
The image below is sourced from the official C-Track public access description.
C-Track is useful only after a case reaches the appellate courts. Ordinary Clarendon County Circuit, Family, Magistrate, and Municipal matters start in the trial-court systems.
Types of Clarendon County Court Records
Clarendon County court records are split by court function. Circuit Court is the general jurisdiction court and has a civil side, the Court of Common Pleas, and a criminal side, General Sessions Court. The Clerk of Court maintains Common Pleas records, schedules jury and non-jury rosters for Common Pleas, maintains Common Pleas judgments, and collects General Sessions fine payments. Family Court, Probate Court, Magistrate Court, and Municipal Court each create their own records for matters assigned to them.
Those distinctions matter when an online search fails. A divorce case is a Family Court filing, while a marriage license is a Probate Court matter. A lower-level traffic ticket may sit in Magistrate Court or Manning or Summerton Municipal Court, not in a Circuit Court file. A booking record from the Clarendon County Detention Center is not the same as a filed criminal case. A full case outcome belongs with Clarendon County criminal court records once prosecution reaches the court file.
- Civil records: Common Pleas filings, complaints, answers, motions, judgments, rosters, and appeal-related papers.
- Criminal records: General Sessions case files, charges, pleas, hearings, dispositions, sentencing, fines, and related orders.
- Family records: Divorce, child support, juvenile, custody, visitation, adoption, and related domestic matters, with many limits on juvenile and adoption access.
- Probate records: Estates, wills, marriage licenses, guardianships, conservatorships, commitments, trusts, and minor settlements under county Probate Court jurisdiction.
- Summary and municipal records: Magistrate and Municipal Court records for traffic, warrants, preliminary hearings, lower-level offenses, and local ordinance cases.
The official C-Track appellate case search shown below is another layer. It is for Supreme Court and Court of Appeals records, not a local county trial search.
Use appellate search when a Clarendon County case has been appealed or when a participant is tied to an appellate docket.
What Clarendon County Court Records Show
A court record is not just a name match. It can show the court agency, case type, filing date, parties, status, docket actions, hearing information, financial entries, and redactions. Transcript requests use still more detail, including court type, county, docket number, proceeding date, presiding judge, opposing counsel contact, parties, and court reporter. A Public Index view helps locate a case, but it may not include every document, exhibit, or restricted detail in the physical or official electronic file.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The court's unique docket identifier and the best key for copy requests. |
| Court / Agency | Whether the matter is in Circuit, Family, Probate, Magistrate, Municipal, or appellate court. |
| Case Type | The broad category, such as civil, criminal, family, probate, appeal, traffic, or municipal case. |
| Party Names | Plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, businesses, or appellate participants when public. |
| Docket Entries | A dated list of filings, hearings, motions, orders, judgments, and other court events. |
| Status or Disposition | Whether the case is open, closed, disposed, pending, dismissed, convicted, or otherwise resolved, if shown. |
| Financial Fields | Fines, fees, court costs, bonds, restitution, or copy costs when applicable and public. |
Participant searching can be useful when the appellate case number is not known. The official C-Track participant search accepts a last name or organization, first and middle name, SC Bar number, SCDC inmate number, court, and closed-case option.
Participant search is a supplement. It should not be used as proof that no county trial case exists.
Public Access for Clarendon County Court Records
South Carolina law supports access to public court records, but that access has limits. The South Carolina Constitution states that courts are public, subject to lawful restrictions. The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act defines public records, requires access at minimum cost or delay, and lists exemptions. Final opinions and orders in adjudicated cases are public unless another law or court order restricts access.
Rules for sealing and redaction are especially important in Clarendon County court records. Rule 41.1, SCRCP requires a motion and judicial balancing before court records are sealed. Rule 41.2, SCRCP requires redaction of Social Security numbers, taxpayer IDs, financial account numbers, minor names, certain addresses, and dates of birth except year. S.C. Code Section 30-2-330 also addresses protected personal identifying information in county filings.
Note: Public access helps locate cases, but certified copies and complete files still come from the correct court office.
Restricted Clarendon County Court Records
Not every Clarendon County court record is open online or open at the counter. Juvenile records, adoption records, sealed records, expunged criminal records, protected identifiers, and non-public appellate cases are restricted. Family Court juvenile and adoption records are not treated like ordinary adult civil records. C-Track also states that sealed, confidential, or non-public cases, events, and documents are not available online.
An expungement is different from a sealed record. Expungement removes a qualifying arrest, charge, or conviction from public access and seals or destroys state records as allowed by law. The South Carolina Judicial Branch separates expungement information into General Sessions, juvenile, and Magistrate or Municipal matters. The starting office depends on the court that handled the case, so a user should identify the case number, court, charge, and disposition before asking about eligibility.
The image below comes from the official Judicial Branch transcript request instructions.
Transcript requests require case and proceeding details that a basic public search may not show, so docket review often comes before transcript contact.
Clarendon County Court Record Requests
The Clarendon County Clerk of Court is the main local copy channel for criminal and civil court records. Copies can be made in person, requested by mail, or requested by fax. The county states that each method requires a 24-hour turnaround, with more time possible when a file is not located in the courthouse. The copy fee is $10.00 for the first 4 pages and $0.25 per page after that. The office also says it does not provide research, legal advice, or help filling out court documents.
Clarendon County Clerk of Court
P.O. Box 136
Manning, SC 29102-0136
803-435-4443
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed major holidays
Bring or provide the case number if known, party names, the court type, an approximate filing or hearing date, and the kind of copy needed. Family Court questions about divorce, child support, juvenile filings, and related proceedings route to Family Court at 803-435-4210, while Probate Court records route to the county Probate Court at 411 Sunset Drive Suite 1304.