Family Court

The FCCMS Family Court Public Portal is now available for viewing. This portal is only for Family Court Records.

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Access to the FCCMS Attorney Portal requires an ID and Password.

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The FCCMS public portal and the FCCMS attorney portal are fully functional now. You can access important case information about any family court cases (like, parties, filings, or hearing times) that have been filed in South Carolina by searching the public portal. Confidential cases do not populate here. The public portal also has public family court dockets for each county. You can access the portal here.

 

Every attorney has a profile in the attorney portal. To login to the attorney portal, use your bar ID and password. The attorney portal will populate each attorney's cases for the entire state. Confidential cases where the attorney has been linked to the case will appear here. There are lots of other useful tools there. The attorney portal can be accessed here.

 

Most of the time the information you need can be found here. This is a very useful tool that updates in real time. Please take advantage of the portals and share this information.

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Note - Adoption records are confidential and no information regarding any adoption can be given. Also, no information can be given pertaining to any other sealed files.

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Child Support Office

All child support payments should be directed to the South Carolina State Disbursement Unit. PO Box 100302, Columbia, SC 29202. Customer Service #: 1-800-768-5858

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Palmetto Automated Child Support System

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The Child Support Client Portal is also available at CLIENTPORTAL.DSS.SC.GOV

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Uniform Statewide Family Court System

The uniform statewide Family Court system was established by statute in 1976. The Family Court has exclusive jurisdiction over all matters involving domestic or family relationships. Pursuant to this provision, the Family Court is the sole forum for the hearing of all cases concerning marriage, divorce, legal separation, custody, visitation rights, termination of parental rights, adoption, support, alimony, division of marital property, and change of name. The court also generally has exclusive jurisdiction over minors under the age of seventeen alleged to have violated any state law or municipal ordinance. However, most traffic, fish, and game law violations are still triable in the magistrate or municipal courts. Serious criminal charges may be transferred to the Circuit Court.

At least two family court judges are elected for staggered six-year terms to each of the sixteen judicial circuits, and rotate primarily from county to county within their resident circuits. Occasionally they are assigned to other circuits based upon caseload requirements as directed by the Chief Justice.

The Family Court has exclusive jurisdiction to hear cases concerning domestic disputes. Among the many types of matters that the Family Court presides over are the granting of divorces, property disputes between husband and wife, and the granting of alimony. The Family Court is also charged with child custody matters, including child support orders, visitation schedules, the termination of parental rights, the finalization of adoptions, and legal name changes. Additionally, the Family Court hears paternity disputes and domestic violence incidents. The Court also hears most juvenile criminal cases where the juvenile is under the age of seventeen. Unlike the Circuit Court, the Family Court does not employ the use of juries. Appeals from Family Court cases are heard by the South Carolina Court of Appeals.

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The Family Court is a formal court of record, and operates under the South Carolina Constitution, the code of Laws of South Carolina, and the Rules of Family Court. A majority people having cases in Family Court are represented by attorneys. These attorneys have spent at least three years in law school studying the various laws and procedures. Laws regarding fairness and impartiality prevent the judges and the Clerk’s staff from giving legal advice to anyone, including those trying to represent themselves. We recommend that you consult an attorney for all Family Court legal matters.

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Orders of Protection

A court can order either a temporary or final order of protection to limit the behavior of someone who harms or threatens to harm another person. If you have been threatened or you feel threatened contact the Victims Advocates Office at 864-942-8577 or 864-942-8534 for help filing for an Order of Protection.

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Name Change Packet

Click here for the forms needed to petition the court for a name change. Please read the instructions carefully and follow the directions provided. As the Clerk of Court for Greenwood County, our office remains neutral in all matters before the courts we serve. Therefore, we cannot provide legal advice to anyone seeking to go before any court in Greenwood County. We cannot provide any further instructions beyond what we have provided. Thank you for understanding our constraints.

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Adoptions

South Carolina is a closed adoption state. This means that when the adoption was finalized, the record was sealed. In order to acquire copies of adoption records from the court, we strongly suggest speaking with an attorney about other options.

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Family Court filing fees:
Summons and Complaint $150.00
Summons, Complaint & Motion $175.00
Motion $ 25.00 (if filed individually)

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Please note that family court forms can be found at www.sccourts.org