Lancaster County Criminal Records Search

Lancaster County Clerk of Court

The Clerk of Court is the official recordkeeper for all court matters in Lancaster County. The office is located at the Lancaster County Courthouse and maintains General Sessions criminal case files, Common Pleas civil records, and Family Court documents. For criminal history purposes, the key records are indictments, warrants, bond paperwork, motions, sentence sheets, and judgment rolls.

Requests must be made in person. Bring a valid photo ID and know the case number or party name before you arrive. Staff will locate files, but they do not conduct open-ended research. Standard copy fees are typically $0.25 per page, with certified copies running $5.00 for the first pages plus per-page charges. Most requests are fulfilled the same day or within 24 hours when files are on site.

The Clerk does not give legal advice. Files that have been sealed or expunged do not appear in office records, and staff cannot acknowledge they existed. For the current courthouse address and direct staff contacts, use the SC Courts courthouse directory for Lancaster County.

The SC Courts courthouse directory lists addresses, phone numbers, and hours for the Lancaster County Clerk of Court and all magistrate courts in the county.

Lancaster County Criminal History on the Public Index

The South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index is the primary free tool for searching Lancaster County criminal history online. It is available around the clock and requires no account. Search by last name and first name, by case number, or by date range.

Each result shows the case number, charge description, filing date, court hearing schedule, current case status, the assigned judge, and attorney names. You can confirm whether a case was filed and how it was resolved. Actual court documents are not available through the Public Index. You must visit the Clerk's office in Lancaster for copies of filings, orders, or sentence sheets.

The system does not include juvenile records, sealed matters, or expunged cases. A fresh arrest may not appear for several business days after booking. The Public Index is a useful first step, not a complete record of all criminal activity.

Court rosters showing upcoming hearing dates in Lancaster County are also available through the SC Judicial Branch at sccourts.org/case-records-search. These rosters update more frequently than individual case records in the Public Index.

Lancaster County Arrest Records and the Sheriff's Office

The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office covers unincorporated parts of the county and operates the county detention center. Records kept by the Sheriff include incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and booking information for people held in the county jail.

Visit the Sheriff's Office in person to request records. Bring valid photo ID and as much detail as you can about the incident, including names, dates, and locations. You fill out a request form and pay any applicable copy fees. Processing time varies. The Sheriff's Office does not run official background checks. For criminal history purposes, you are directed to the SLED CATCH portal.

The Lancaster Police Department and other municipal agencies maintain separate records for incidents within their city limits. If the event occurred in Fort Mill or another incorporated area, the applicable municipality holds those records, not the Sheriff.

Statewide SLED Search for Lancaster County Records

SLED, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, runs the state criminal records repository. All counties, including Lancaster, report arrest and disposition data to SLED. The SLED CATCH portal lets individuals submit a name-based search for $25. Results reflect everything reported statewide, not just Lancaster County records.

Name-based SLED searches are not fingerprint-based. A record can be missed if the name was entered differently at booking. A false match is also possible when two people share the same name. For legal or official purposes, a fingerprint-based check through the SLED Public Dissemination Unit at 803.896.1443 is more reliable.

For sex offender searches in Lancaster County, use the SLED Sex Offender Registry, which can be filtered by county or zip code. State prison inmates appear in the SC Department of Corrections inmate search. People on community supervision are tracked by the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.

Lancaster County Criminal Records Law and FOIA

South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act at Title 30, Chapter 4 gives the public the right to access most government records, including court files. Written requests must be submitted. The agency has 10 business days for records under 24 months old and 20 days for older files. Fees reflect actual reproduction costs, usually $0.25 to $1.00 per page.

Court records at the Clerk of Court are requested directly from that office. Include the case number or party name and specify the documents you need. County government records outside the courthouse go through the county FOIA coordinator.

Lancaster County is in the 6th Judicial Circuit. The Solicitor's Office for the 6th Circuit manages felony prosecutions and prepares General Sessions dockets. Under South Carolina Code Section 23-3-120, the Clerk is required to report disposition data to SLED within set timeframes, keeping the statewide system current with Lancaster County outcomes.

Expunging Lancaster County Criminal History

Expungement removes a criminal record from public access. After the process is complete, the record does not appear in SLED searches or the Public Index. South Carolina's expungement statute is Section 17-1-40.

Eligibility depends on the offense type, what happened in the case, and how much time has passed. Cases that were dismissed or resulted in not guilty findings may qualify. Certain first-offense convictions become eligible after a waiting period. Drug charges and violent offenses are subject to stricter rules.

Start the process through the Solicitor's Office for the 6th Circuit. The Solicitor reviews and approves the petition before it goes to a judge. Once a judge grants the order, the Clerk handles the filing and record destruction. The timeline from application to completion can run several months.

Nearby Counties

Lancaster County borders several other South Carolina counties. Use the links below to access criminal history resources in neighboring areas.

View All 46 Counties