General Sessions

Criminal Record Check

General Sessions Court hears cases that are felonies or higher court cases. The criminal records that are within the jurisdiction of General Sessions court are the warrants, indictments, sentence sheets, bond papers and other related documents that have been filed with the Richland County Clerk of Court.

To request copies of criminal records, you may mail your request, or come in person at 1701 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201. The Criminal Records department is located on the 4th floor.

Full Criminal Background Check

The Clerk of Court’s office does not maintain records for charges that are within the jurisdiction of Magistrates Court, also known as Summary Court. These charges are usually referred to as misdemeanors or lower court cases.

Because our records do not include magistrate court cases, the Clerk of Court’s staff does not do a “certified records check”. If you need a Full Criminal Background Check, you can contact the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) at 803-737-9000 or go to SLEDCATCH at catch.sled.sc.gov

File a Pleading

To file a General Sessions pleading, please email it to gsfilings@richlandcountysc.gov.

Fine Payments

Forms of payment for an expungement order will be postal money order or cashier's check.
Orders will not be filed that do not have correct form of payment.

Mail money order payable to Richland County Clerk of Court to:

Richland County Clerk of Court
Attn: Criminal Records
P.O. Box 2766
Columbia, SC 29202

A receipt will be mailed to the return address on your envelope.

Bail Bonds License Information Sheet(PDF, 387KB)