South Carolina Vital Records - Births, Deaths and Marriages

Learn how and where to obtain birth, marriage, and death certificates and records in South Carolina, including the dates for which South Carolina vital records are available, where they are located, and links to online South Carolina state vital records databases.

• South Carolina Vital Records:
  Office of Vital Records
  SC DHEC
  2600 Bull Street
  Columbia, SC 29201
  Phone: (803) 898-3630
• What You Need to Know: Money order or a cashier's check should be made payable to SCDHEC. Please call or visit the website for current fees. Additional record copies ordered at the same time are $3.00 each. A photocopy of valid photo identification must accompany all South Carolina vital record requests. Phone and online orders are available through the VitalChek network.
• Web site: South Carolina Office of Vital Records

South Carolina Birth Records

Dates: From 1 January 1915*

Cost of copy: $12.00; expedited mail service $17.00 (plus $9.50 service fee)

Comments: Access to birth records in South Carolina is limited to the person named on the certificate, the parent(s) named on the birth certificate, or an adult child, guardian, or legal representative. Be sure to request a long copy for genealogical purposes.

* City of Charleston births from 1877 are on file at Charleston County Health Department. Copies can be obtained by mail from the Charleston County Library. Ledger entries of Florence City births are on file at Florence County Health Department. Ledger entries of Newberry City births from the late 1800's are on file at the Newberry County Health Department.

Online:

• South Carolina Delayed Births, 1766–1900 and City of Charleston Births, 1877–1901 (requires paid subscription to Ancestry.com)
• South Carolina Births and Christenings, 1681–1935 (free from FamilySearch)

South Carolina Death Records

Dates: From 1 Jan 1915*

Cost of copy: $12.00; expedited mail service $17.00 (plus $9.50 service fee)

Comments: Access to death records in South Carolina restricted for 50 years, and limited to immediate family members and the decedent's legal representative. Be sure to request a long copy for genealogical purposes. Death certificates become public records in South Carolina after fifty years and then any person may obtain the death long form certificate.

* City of Charleston deaths from 1821 are on file at Charleston County Health Department. Ledger entries of Florence City deaths from 1895 to 1914 are on file at Florence County Health Department. Ledger entries of Newberry City deaths from the late 1800's are on file at the Newberry County Health Department.

Online:

• South Carolina Deaths, 1915-1943 – Name index and images to South Carolina death certificates; free from FamilySearch.
• South Carolina Deaths, 1944-1955 – Name index to South Carolina death certificates; free from FamilySearch. 
• South Carolina Death Indexes, 1915–1962
  These are indexes only but include a few years of more recent deaths than the FamilySearch databases. Free from the S.C. vital records department.
• South Carolina Death Certificates, 1915–1963
  Select the camera icon to view and of the digitized microfilm rolls of S.C. death certificates available through 1963. Free from FamilySearch.

South Carolina Marriage Records

Dates: From 1 July 1911*

Cost of Copy: $12.00; expedited mail service $17.00

Comments: Marriage records from 1950 to the present can be obtained through the State Division of Vital Records. Licenses issued before 1950 can be obtained from the Probate Judge at the County Courthouse in the county where the marriage took place. Access to marriage records in South Carolina is restricted to the married parties (bride or groom), their adult child(ren), a present or former spouse of either married party or their respective legal representative.

* Some larger cities and counties have marriage records that pre-date 1911. Charleston marriage records 1877 to 1887 are available on Family History Library microfilm, and Georgetown returns of marriages 1884 to 1899 are available from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Online:

• Charleston County Probate Court – Marriage License Search – Search by groom's name, bride's maiden name, or license number to find marriages from 1879 to the present.

South Carolina Divorce Records

Dates: From July 1962*

Cost of Copy: $12.00; expedited mail service $17.00

Comments: Divorce records from 1962 to the present can be obtained through the State Division of Vital Records. Records since April 1949 should be available from the County Clerk of the county where the petition was filed. Access to divorce records in S.C. is restricted to the divorced parties (husband or wife), their adult child(ren), a present or former spouse of either divorced party or their respective legal representative.

* A few earlier divorce records dating back to 1868 can be found in county court records.