Search Richland County Probate Records

What Probate Covers in Richland County

Richland County Probate Court, led by Judge Amy McCulloch, handles a wide set of matters. It administers the estates of people who have died, hears trust and estate litigation, and appoints guardians and conservators for minors and incapacitated adults. It also issues marriage licenses and handles minor settlements and involuntary commitments. The Probate Judge is elected locally for a four-year term, which makes this court different from the statewide trial courts.

The office sits at the Judicial Center, 1701 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 207, Columbia, SC 29201, phone 803-576-1961. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. One local quirk to remember: UPS deliveries must go to the physical address, because the U.S. Postal Service will not accept UPS at the court's P.O. box. Plan mail and deliveries around that split so a package does not get turned away.

The Richland County Probate Court landing page is shown below.

The Probate Court page links marriage, estates, commitments, and contact information.

Probate Terms Defined

Probate filings use a set of legal terms. A quick guide helps you read an estate file without a lawyer at your side.

Testator

The person who made the will.

Executor

The person named in a will to carry it out, also called a personal representative.

Intestate

Dying without a valid will, so state law decides who inherits.

Guardianship

A court appointment to make personal or care decisions for a ward.

Conservatorship

A court appointment to manage another person's property or finances.

Personal Representative

The executor or administrator who settles an estate.

How to Search Richland County Probate Records

Estate records run from 1900 to the present. Files from 1900 through 1982 are on microfilm rolls, and files from 1983 forward are scanned and viewable on public computers in the office. Each file has an estate number, and you can search by the decedent's name or that number. Four public computers are available in the office, and online access is offered by subscription.

1. Decide whether you have the decedent's name or the estate number; pre-1983 numbers come from index books.
2. Search in person on a public computer, or online through the subscription data service.
3. For copies, pay $0.50 per page in office, or mail a request with the $3 search fee.

The estate records page explains date coverage, subscription access, and copy fees. It is shown below.

The estate records page also notes that mental health or lunacy information stays confidential.

Probate Court in Richland County

Richland County has one Probate Court, at the Judicial Center downtown. The contact card below lists the office, the judge, and the hours. Specific divisions, such as marriage licensing, estates, and commitments, each have their own staff and direct lines.

Mailing address is P.O. Box 288, Columbia, SC 29201, but UPS must use the physical address. Key staff include Lori Elrod, Clerk of Probate, and Andrew Dearden, Deputy Clerk of Probate.

Probate Copy Fees

The fees below are the published copy charges for estate records. Probate filing and application fees were not posted on the county pages reviewed, so call the office at 803-576-1961 to confirm a filing fee before you go.

In-office copies can be paid by check, credit card, or cash. Mail requests start with a $3 search fee, then a bill letter is emailed for copy costs before the copies are sent.

Full Estate vs. Small Estate in Richland County

The size of an estate decides the path through Probate Court. A full estate opens when the person owned real property or when probate assets are more than $45,000. A small estate uses a simpler process when there is no real property and assets fall under that threshold. The comparison below shows the main differences.

If the decedent left a will but no probate assets to transfer, the filer admits the will to probate with no probate assets. If a will is not original or interested parties disagree about the personal representative, a formal proceeding is required.

Online Subscription and Mail Copies

There are three ways to get Richland County estate records. You can view them in office on a public computer, order them by mail, or subscribe online. The online option uses a subscription through the county's data services, priced by day, week, month, or year, which is useful for title searchers and frequent users.

For a mail request, the office charges a $3 search fee first. After the search, a bill letter is emailed for the copy costs, and the copies are forwarded with a receipt once the fee is paid. In-office copies are simpler at $0.50 per page, paid by check, credit card, or cash. The estate records subscription search page is shown below.

Use the county's online data services to subscribe for online estate-record access.

What Richland County Probate Records Show

An estate file holds the documents filed by the executor or personal representative as an estate moves through the court. People use these records for genealogy, title searches, and legal matters. The type of estate decides which packet is filed: a full estate when there is real property or probate assets over $45,000, a small estate when assets fall under that and there is no real property, or a will-only filing when there is a will but no probate assets to transfer.

Common probate forms you may see in a file include:

• 300 ES Probate Application or Petition.
• 306 ES Filing of a Will for Record.
• 350 ES Inventory and Appraisement, long or short form.
• 361 ES Accounting.
• 370 ES Notice to Creditors and 371 ES Statement of Creditor's Claim.
• 420 ES Affidavit for Collection under small estate proceedings.

The probate forms and terms library is shown below.

The forms and terms page lists the full set of estate, guardianship, and conservatorship packets.

As an estate moves through the court, the personal representative files a sequence of documents. After the application opens the estate and an estate number is assigned, the representative files an inventory and appraisement, gives notice to creditors, responds to any creditor claims, files an accounting, and submits closing documents. A complete estate file therefore reads like a timeline, from the first petition to the final distribution. Each estate has its own number, which is the cleanest way to pull the file by computer for matters filed since 1983.

Restricted Probate Records

Most estate records are open, but some probate matters are not. Mental health records and files containing lunacy information are confidential and not available to the public. Involuntary commitments for mental health or substance use are handled by Probate Court and are treated as restricted medical and court records. Minor settlement and some guardianship details can also be limited.

If you need a restricted probate record, expect to show a statutory right of access or a court order. For general estate files, the public access rules apply, and you can view them in office, online by subscription, or by mail order.

Richland County Probate Contacts

Probate Court lists direct contacts by function, which can save time over the main line. The marriage license desk can be reached at license.marriage@richlandcountysc.gov or 803-576-1963. The contacts below cover the clerks and the commitment division.

• Lori Elrod, Clerk of Probate, 803-576-1984.
• Andrew Dearden, Deputy Clerk of Probate, 803-576-1997.
• Claire Griffiths, Judicial Law Clerk, 803-576-1989.
• Ashley Thomas, Commitment Division Director, 803-576-1979.

The probate contacts page lists staff names, titles, emails, and phone numbers. It is shown below.

The probate contacts page is the place to confirm the right staff member for your matter.

Related Richland County Records

For marriage and divorce, see marriage and divorce records. Clerk filing info is at Clerk of Court. For broader court records, see court records, and for the civil court that hears probate appeals, see Circuit Court.