South Carolina Criminal Records

Use CATCH for South Carolina history, then verify the case

SLED CATCH provides a name-based South Carolina criminal-history check that can be viewed and printed. It is state-only and does not supply wanted-person information. CATCH also does not search the sex-offender registry; SLED links that separate service. An arrest or original charge is not the same thing as a conviction, and a history response is not the signed judgment in the court file.

Decide what the recipient needs before submitting: an ordinary name-based report, a notarized or certified response, a statutory fingerprint check, or a particular court order. SLED conducts fingerprint-based checks when required by statute. An ordinary CATCH search cannot stand in for an agency-specific fingerprint requirement.

Check the identifiers and the conflicting online fee notices

CATCH needs first and last name and date of birth, with Social Security number searched if provided. Aliases or differing identity data can produce an incorrect match or miss. Multiple possible subjects can produce a Special Processing Required message; that is a request for further handling, not a clean report.

The regular report costs a non-refundable $25. A notice effective July 1, 2026 lists a $1.43 online service fee per $25 report and $1.14 per approved $8 reduced-fee report, while older terms still mention a $1 convenience fee. The page does not clearly reconcile them. Check the displayed total or ask SLED before paying; do not add both notices yourself. Most major credit/debit cards are accepted; SLED lists no charge to local school districts for prospective teacher and substitute-teacher checks.

Mail a complete request when you need a certified response

Use SLED’s Criminal Records Check Form and provide the full name, aliases or maiden names and birth date accurately. The mail form permits the Social Security number field but notes that a private entity obtains it voluntarily. A $25 request needs a business check, certified or cashier’s check, or money order payable to SLED. Personal checks and cash are not accepted. Approved charitable organizations may qualify for the $8 rate and must include the assigned verification information.

Mail the form, payment and a self-addressed stamped envelope to SLED Records Department, P.O. Box 21398, Columbia, SC 29221-1398. State expressly if notarization or certification is required. Mail requests do not carry the online convenience fee. Keep a copy of the form and delivery details; the guidance reviewed does not promise a fixed mail turnaround, so resolve a deadline with SLED rather than assuming immediate return.

Find the county docket and request the disposition

The South Carolina Judicial Branch’s Trial Court Public Index guide begins with the county selection. Use the county of prosecution, not just the person’s present address. Available municipal courts are listed separately, so a county search should not be treated as a search of every municipal proceeding. Keep the docket’s court name, case number and outcome entry together before asking for copies.

The court’s case-number guide distinguishes General Sessions numbers, which include GS after the four-digit year, from Summary Court numbers using A. Both incorporate a two-digit county code; preserve leading zeroes. This is useful when a notice gives a number but no obvious county name. Check the exact record rather than interpreting the number alone as proof of an offense.

Ask the clerk holding the case for the judgment, dismissal or other disposition for the relevant count, and specify ordinary versus certified copies and the delivery you need. Request an itemized quote before payment. Missing online documents may still need a clerk request. Since January 1, 2026, the public index no longer displays home addresses, so an absent address is not itself evidence that a name match is correct or incorrect.

Resolve a processing problem or an inaccurate report with SLED

For CATCH results or special handling, contact the Public Dissemination Unit at 803-896-1443, Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., or [email protected]. Have the request reference and disputed entry ready. Ask how to submit supporting material securely instead of emailing a full identity packet before the agency tells you what is needed.

SLED’s CJIS guidance distinguishes state-repository corrections from errors in commercial reports. If an expunged charge remains on a recently purchased SLED check, its instructions call for a certified true copy of the expungement order, the check and a stamped return envelope to the Expungement Department. The replacement-check procedure applies when the original check was purchased within 30 days. A commercial report must be disputed with that company separately.

Keep a result that can be explained and checked

Retain the search criteria, response date and unaltered report alongside the court document used to resolve an outcome. If a later order changes the case, record both the earlier report date and the new order date rather than silently editing the report. Ask the recipient whether a newly issued report or a certified order is needed to close the discrepancy.

If no match appears, describe the actual South Carolina name search and its identifiers. Do not turn it into a nationwide finding or proof of no warrant. If the identity remains unresolved, the honest result is unresolved; seek SLED assistance rather than attributing another person’s record because the names resemble each other.