Your County Clerk vs. Vital Records: The Real Path to a South Carolina Divorce Record

If you walk up to a courthouse counter and ask for “my divorce papers,” the clerk’s first question back is usually, “Do you need a certified divorce decree from the county file, or the state’s certified Report of Divorce?” Those are two different records kept by two different offices. Pick the wrong one and you’ll spend money and time and still come back for the other.

Here’s the plain-language version we give folks every day at the counter: the county’s Family Court keeps the case file and can issue a certified copy of the judge’s Final Order and Decree of Divorce. The state’s Vital Records office can issue a certified Report of Divorce for divorces finalized from July 1962 through December 2023, but Vital Records does not have your decree. In most legal settings that ask for “divorce papers,” they mean the county’s certified decree, not the state report.

First choice: decree or state report?

Decide what you need before you leave home. If you need the state’s version for a DMV name change or similar administrative task, order a certified Report of Divorce from the South Carolina Department of Public Health’s Vital Records division. The baseline fee is $12 for a standard search by mail that includes one certified copy, with $3 for each extra copy ordered at the same time. If you want Vital Records to process it faster, the expedited search fee is $17 and typically turns around in about five business days or less. VitalChek ordering adds a separate third‑party processing charge of $12.85.

If you actually need the judge’s Final Order and Decree of Divorce, go to the county Family Court where the case was granted. That’s a county office, not a state one. Counties set their own copy and certification fees. For example, Charleston County Family Court charges $0.10 per page and $1.00 per document for certification. In Greenville County, standard copies are $0.25 per page and a Clerk’s certification is $10.00 per document. Those two numbers alone save a lot of back‑and‑forth when an agency insists on a “court‑certified” copy.

If you prefer to handle state vital records in person, the Vital Records counter in Columbia is at 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201. As of 2026, lobby hours statewide are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Phone support at the Columbia state office runs 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday–Friday at 803‑898‑3630. Mail requests should go to “Vital Records, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171.”

Where the court file lives and what you can actually see

South Carolina’s divorce cases are heard in Family Court. Each county’s Clerk of Court is the custodian of those files. Some kinds of Family Court filings are public and can be pulled at the counter; others are confidential by law or sealed by a judge. Charleston County spells it out plainly in its public FAQ: juvenile files, abuse and neglect files, and Grand Jury materials are confidential; adoption and termination‑of‑parental‑rights files are sealed and require a court order to access. Ordinary divorce case files are generally viewable unless the court has entered a specific sealing order.

Counties also differ in how far back the files are kept at the main Family Court counter. Greenville keeps Family Court records after April 1996 at the Family Court office at 301 University Ridge, and the Family Court records from 1925 through April 1996 at the courthouse at 305 E. North St. Expect a short wait for off‑site boxes. Greenville advises that older files pulled from records storage are typically ready within a couple of business days, so plan accordingly if you’re traveling in.

Online search is a starting point, not a substitute for the file. The statewide “Public Index” lets you look up cases by party name and county and see a case number, filing date, caption, and a register of actions. For Family Court, the online index often omits the document images themselves and limits what you can view without going to the counter. That is by design. The Judicial Branch treats court records as presumptively open, but sensitive personal data and certain case types are restricted from public web display.

Ordering from the county clerk without a false start

Charleston County example

Walk‑ins for Family Court records in Charleston go to 100 Broad St., Suite 143. The Family Court office is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday–Friday. If you mail a request for a certified decree, the FAQ instructs you to include the parties’ names and, if you know it, the case number and approximate month and year, plus a $10.00 payment for the certification. If you come in person and make your own copies, plan on $0.10 per page and $1.00 to certify the document.

Greenville County example

At the Greenville Clerk of Court, copies and printouts are $0.25 per page, and the office can certify and seal copies and printouts for $10.00 per document. If your decree is in an older case stored off‑site, staff will place the retrieval request and tell you when to return. Family Court records after April 1996 are at the Family Court office at 301 University Ridge. Older Family Court files are at the downtown courthouse, 305 E. North St., Greenville.

Richland County example

In Columbia, Richland County Family Court sits at 1701 Main St., 1st Floor West Wing, with a main line at 803‑576‑3320. The county’s Family Court page confirms a $150 filing fee for new Family Court cases, but copy and certification charges for decrees are set locally at the Clerk’s counter, so it’s best to call ahead if you need an exact total for a mail request. The Family Court and Clerk’s public counters keep regular business hours on weekdays inside the Judicial Center at 1701 Main Street.

Two practical tips that save a second trip: first, bring a government photo ID if you’re asking staff to pull a file under a married name you no longer use. Second, if you need an exemplified copy for use in another state or a federal process, ask for that exact term. In Greenville, for example, exemplified copies carry a $10.00 fee per document in addition to copy charges.

Using the Public Index without chasing ghosts

Many people start with the free statewide Public Index to confirm a case number and county. That’s a good move. Here is what to expect so you don’t over‑promise what you can pull online. You’ll typically see the case caption, the filing and disposition dates, and a docket listing of events such as “Complaint,” “Hearing,” and “Final Order.” You usually will not see the decree or other filings as downloadable PDFs for Family Court matters; you still need the Clerk’s counter for that.

Watch out for pay‑per‑record websites that mirror the index and then charge you to download “public records.” Those services don’t control the county’s certified‑copy seal, so if an agency told you to present a certified decree, a download from a third‑party site won’t check that box. In Charleston County, official copies made at the counter are $0.10 per page and $1.00 to certify the document. In Greenville County, it is $0.25 per page and $10.00 to certify. Those fixed clerk fees are usually less than what you’d spend buying an uncertified download that the requesting agency won’t accept.

If you are traveling to the Vital Records counter in Columbia instead, remember that the state will give you a certified Report of Divorce only for divorces from July 1962 through December 2023. It is not the Final Order and Decree of Divorce, and Vital Records will not have your decree to print. For mail orders, enclose the standard $12 search fee and a clear copy of your ID; the mailing address is “Vital Records, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171.”

Older divorces, sealed files, and other edge cases

Divorce became lawful again in South Carolina in 1949. If you are searching for a divorce between 1949 and June 1962, start with the Family Court file in the county where the case was heard, because the state’s Vital Records system does not issue divorce reports for those years. For much older county materials, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History maintains large holdings of county records on microfilm and in its research room in Columbia. The Archives’ online Summary Guide lists county series and can point you to where an older docket book or minute book is stored if the county’s own counter staff needs a lead on an archival reference.

Not everything in Family Court is viewable without a judge’s order. Juvenile matters are confidential by statute. Adoption and termination‑of‑parental‑rights files are sealed. Abuse and neglect dockets are confidential. A run‑of‑the‑mill divorce file is presumptively open in South Carolina unless a judge specifically seals it, but don’t expect the online index to display filings that include Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, or medical details. If you spot one of those in an online image, you can ask the Clerk to redact it from public display.

One more storage quirk we see catch people: older or oversized exhibits (like photo boards or binders) may be boxed separately or archived off‑site. Greenville County publishes that some older files are held at an off‑site retention facility and are typically ready for viewing within a couple of business days. If you’re flying in to pick up a decree on a tight schedule, call the county clerk in advance and ask whether the case number you have is on‑site or needs retrieval.

What to bring and how to pay (county vs. state)

For a county‑certified decree, bring the case number if you have it, the parties’ names as they appeared in the case, a photo ID, and a method of payment the county accepts. Charleston’s Family Court counter accepts cash, money orders, cashier’s checks, and credit cards during 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. business hours; copies are $0.10/page and a certified stamp is $1.00 per document. Greenville accepts cash, money order, business check, or card; copies are $0.25/page with a $10.00 certification fee per document and $10.00 for exemplified copies if you need that higher tier.

For a state Report of Divorce from Vital Records, bring or send the application, your ID copy, and your fee. By mail, send the standard $12 search fee to the West Columbia P.O. Box for Vital Records and expect about four weeks. If you choose the expedited search at $17, processing typically runs five business days or less. If you order via VitalChek, include the $12.85 VitalChek processing charge on top of the state search fee and any shipping you choose.

If you are ordering from Richland County Family Court in Columbia, the public counter is at 1701 Main St. in the courthouse complex and can be reached at 803‑576‑3320. If you’re mailing a request instead, include the parties’ names, the case number if known, your return address, and a daytime phone number the clerk can call if the file is off‑site or if the number of pages changes the copy total.

Finally, if someone tells you only a “raised seal” or “court gold seal” will do, that’s a cue to ask the Clerk for a certified copy from the county file, not the state Report of Divorce. In practical terms, that is the document most banks, title companies, and out‑of‑state agencies are looking for when they say “certified divorce decree.”

When you’ve decided between the county decree and the state report, narrow it one more step using where you live and what you need tomorrow morning. If you only need to confirm the date and county for your own records, the state’s $12 report by mail is fine. If an agency is asking for a “court‑certified decree,” head to the Family Court counter in the county where your case was heard and budget for the local copy and certification fees listed above.

Key things to know before you go

• The state Vital Records office at 2600 Bull St., Columbia issues certified Reports of Divorce for divorces from July 1962–December 2023. Standard search is $12 by mail; expedited is $17; extra copies are $3 each.
• Counties issue certified decrees. Charleston Family Court charges $0.10/page and $1 to certify. Greenville charges $0.25/page and $10 to certify; exemplified copies are $10 per document.
• Greenville stores pre‑May 1996 Family Court records at 305 E. North St. and later files at 301 University Ridge. Off‑site retrieval usually takes a couple of business days.
• Charleston Family Court is at 100 Broad St., Suite 143, open Mon–Fri 8:30–5:00, main line 843‑958‑4400. Vital Records phone support is 803‑898‑3630.
• As of 2026, Vital Records lobby hours statewide are Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 8:30–5:00 and Wed 9:30–5:00. Mail requests go to “Vital Records, P.O. Box 2046, West Columbia, SC 29171.”
• Divorce has been legal in South Carolina since 1949. For 1949–1962 cases, start with the county Family Court file; Vital Records does not issue divorce reports for those years.

Reader Q&A

Can anyone see my divorce file online?

You can usually see the case listing, the parties’ names, and the docket entries on the free statewide Public Index. For Family Court, the actual filings and decree are usually not posted as downloadable images. To get a certified decree, you’ll still go to the county Family Court counter and pay the local copy and certification fees described above.

I need a certified divorce paper tomorrow. Which office is faster?

For a certified decree, go to the county Family Court counter where your case was heard. Charleston and Greenville both produce clerk‑certified copies over the counter during weekday hours. If you only need the state’s Report of Divorce, Vital Records offers an expedited search option for $17, but that is not the court decree.

What if I don’t know my case number?

Use the statewide Public Index to search by name and confirm the county and case number, then take that to the county Family Court. If the online search doesn’t turn it up, the county clerk can search by party name at the counter. Include full names and an approximate year if you mail a request.

My divorce was in the 1950s. Where do I start?

Start at the Family Court clerk in the county where the case was heard. The state Vital Records office issues Reports of Divorce only from July 1962 forward. If you (or the clerk) need help locating older county records, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History maintains county holdings and a Summary Guide that points to archival series.

Published: September 9, 2026