Beaufort County Circuit Court
The South Carolina Circuit Court is the state's general jurisdiction court. In Beaufort County, Circuit Court sits in Judicial Circuit 14. The county courthouse listing places the Circuit courthouse at 102 Ribaut Road, Room 119, Beaufort, SC 29901, while the Clerk of Court office is at 102 Ribaut Road, Suite 208, Beaufort, SC 29902. The Clerk's office is the practical record counter for Circuit Court case files.
Circuit Court divides its work by function. Common Pleas is the civil division. It handles lawsuits, judgments, motions, appeals, lis pendens filings, and other civil matters. General Sessions is the criminal division. It handles criminal prosecutions, indictments, pleas, hearings, dispositions, sentencing, and related docket events after a case reaches the Circuit Court level.
The South Carolina court structure also matters below Circuit Court. The state Magistrate Court overview explains the lower-court level that sends some appeals and related records toward Circuit Court.
That lower-court context helps separate Beaufort County Circuit Court records from Magistrate traffic, criminal, bond, and preliminary-hearing records.
Common Pleas and General Sessions
Common Pleas records usually concern civil disputes. The Beaufort County Clerk fee schedule lists civil filings such as summons and complaint, foreign judgment, restored case, civil appeal, motions requiring a judge's signature, judgment transcripts, confessions, lis pendens filings, releases, and records searches. Civil case users should keep the case number, party names, and document name ready when calling or mailing a request.
General Sessions records concern criminal prosecutions. The Clerk's Criminal Matters number is 843-255-5057. Criminal case records may show the charge, indictment or charging document, plea, hearing history, motions, bond status, disposition, sentence, probation terms, and related financial entries. The Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor prosecutes General Sessions cases for Beaufort County and the other counties in Circuit 14.
| Division | Record Type | Record Office |
|---|---|---|
| Common Pleas | Civil cases, judgments, motions, appeals, lis pendens | Beaufort County Clerk of Court |
| General Sessions | Criminal cases, pleas, hearings, dispositions, sentencing | Beaufort County Clerk of Court and Solicitor context |
| Family Court | Divorce, custody, support, adoption, juvenile matters | Family Court and Clerk of Court |
| Lower-court appeals | Appeals from Magistrate, Municipal, or Probate Court | Circuit Court where allowed by law |
Search Beaufort County Circuit Records
Public Beaufort County Circuit Court records are searched through the Judicial Branch case-records path and the Beaufort County Public Index. The Public Index is linked from the Clerk of Court page and from the state case-record search page. It is the first place to look for public Common Pleas and General Sessions case summaries before requesting a certified copy from the Clerk.
- Open the South Carolina Case Records Search and select Beaufort County.
- Use a case number when available, or search by party name with date and case-type filters where the portal allows.
- Confirm the court agency and division before relying on a match, especially when a name appears in several courts.
- Review events, hearing dates, status, disposition, and financial entries that appear on the public case screen.
- Contact the Clerk of Court for certified, exemplified, or staff-produced copies.
The Public Index is a public access tool, not the same thing as a complete court file. Home address information is no longer displayed on the Public Index for new and existing cases as of January 1, 2026, and sealed or confidential materials are not available to ordinary public users.
Lower Courts in Beaufort County
Circuit Court is not the only court a record user may need. Magistrate Court handles many traffic, criminal, bond, preliminary-hearing, and lower civil matters. Municipal Court handles ordinance, traffic, and lower-level criminal matters inside city or town limits. Probate Court handles estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, marriage licenses, and commitments. Family Court handles domestic and juvenile matters.
The lower court that issued a ticket, summons, warrant, bond order, or probate ruling may be the best first contact for that record. Some appeals from Magistrate, Municipal, and Probate Court can move to Circuit Court, but the originating court still matters when a user needs a docket, payment deadline, or document copy.
| Court or Office | Location | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court / Courthouse | 102 Ribaut Road, Room 119, Beaufort, SC 29901 | 843-255-5050 |
| Beaufort Magistrate Court | 104 Ribaut Road, Beaufort, SC 29902 | 843-255-5700 |
| Bluffton Magistrate Court | 4819 Bluffton Parkway, 2nd Floor, Bluffton, SC 29910 | 843-255-5610 |
| Probate Court | 102 Ribaut Road, Beaufort, SC 29902 | 843-255-5850 |
| City of Beaufort Municipal Court | 1901 Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC 29902 | 843-525-7036 |
The South Carolina Municipal Court overview describes city and town court jurisdiction.
Municipal courts are most relevant when a Beaufort County traffic or local criminal case began inside a city or town boundary.
Beaufort County Court Officials
The state courthouse page lists Clerk Jerri Ann Roseneau and Register of Deeds Patsye M. Greene. Circuit Court judges listed for Beaufort include Robert J. Bonds, Marvin H. Dukes III, and Carmen T. Mullen. Family Court judges listed include Douglas L. Novak, Gerald C. Smoak Jr., and Larry W. Weidner II.
Magistrate judges listed include LaShonda G. Scott, Erin G. Vaux as Chief Magistrate, Richard A. Brooks as Associate Chief Magistrate, Robert E. Ferguson Jr., Jose A. Fuentes, Thomas A. Holloway, Charles R. Keep III, Dustin Lee, Jean K. McCormick, Bernard McIntyre, and Nancy D. Sadler. Roster questions for Common Pleas jury and motions can route to Clerk Jerri Roseneau's county email, while Master-in-Equity questions use the named office contacts from the county page.
Roster questions are not all handled by the same office. General Sessions roster questions may route to the Solicitor, Public Defender, or private attorney.
Treatment and Diversion Courts
The South Carolina treatment-court overview describes treatment courts as problem-solving courts focused on rehabilitation, frequent court review, treatment, and testing. The research did not locate Beaufort-specific participant counts or graduation rates, so county users should confirm program availability through the court, Solicitor, or defense counsel for a pending case.
The Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office offers diversionary and court-alternative programs for first-time nonviolent offenders. Pre-Trial Intervention can include a prison tour, community service, and charge-specific education such as alcohol programming. These programs affect criminal case handling but are separate from a public records search.
The state treatment court page gives statewide context for Beaufort County court alternatives.
Diversion and treatment programs can change the outcome path of a case, but eligibility must be confirmed through official court or solicitor channels.
Federal Court Distinction
Federal civil, criminal, bankruptcy, and appellate records are not Beaufort County Circuit Court records. Beaufort County is within the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Federal records use federal clerk offices and PACER, not the county Public Index.
The federal District Court states that case records are filed and retrieved by case number. If the case number is unknown, a party-index search can be performed at staffed federal clerk offices in Charleston, Columbia, Florence, and Greenville from 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. If the federal Clerk's Office performs a name search, the listed fee is $34 per name, payable in advance.
The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina is separate from Beaufort County Circuit Court.
Federal court jurisdiction depends on federal law, parties, or bankruptcy status, not the county court structure.
The federal court case information page explains party-index and search-fee access.
Use the federal case-information route only when the matter is in federal court, not when it is a Beaufort County Circuit Court file.
PACER is the federal electronic records system for many civil and criminal case documents.
PACER access does not replace the South Carolina Public Index for county Circuit Court records.