South Carolina Public Records

To request South Carolina public records, you must either be the person whose record you’re requesting or a family member (if the person is deceased). The Vital Records department in South Carolina maintains these public records and they have strict privacy laws about who may access them. Another requirement is that you fill out a request form and provide a copy of photo identification and a fee of $12 for each record search. Pay by check or money order, payable to South Carolina DHEC. Even though the Freedom of Information Act opened access to many public records, each state can make its own decision about privacy and identification laws. After you complete the application to view the record, you may send it, along with a co2py of identification and the fee to the following address:

SC Dept. of Health
Vital Records Department
2600 Bull St.
Columbia, South Carolina 29201
Phone: (803) 898-3432

Keep in mind that the fee for the search is non-refundable, even if no record for the person is found. Some records may date back to 1915, although others may be found even further back in date. It helps with the accuracy of the search to know the county in which the event took place or the record number you’re searching for. Enter all of the data that you have about the record and the search will be more accurate and will take less time to find. You can reveal many types of public records in a state-based search, including birth, death, marriage, divorce, criminal background and arrest records.

SC Public Records

The information you can find in a records search may be extremely important in making a decision about someone in your life – such as whether or not to hire him or her for your business or to let them near an elderly person or child as a caregiver. It’s also important to be sure the data you receive is accurate and timely. You can further ensure the accuracy of a search by using one of the private, Internet search sites. These sites make sure that the report they provide contains the information you need to make a decision about a person. The search engines can cross-reference other states to glean even more data – and, the databases can reveal much more information than states may because of stringent rules and regulations. All you have to do is submit a small amount of information about the person in question and let the site do the rest. Within moments you should receive a full report about the person and can make a vital decision that could stave off harm to you or your family or to save your financial well-being. Click on the link to discover more about how to use an Internet search site to find South Carolina public records.