Richland County, SC Public Records
Under South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), records held by government departments are considered public records, except where exempted by law, and must be made available to persons who file requests. Richland County public records are thereby subject to the FOIA, including court records, property records, vital records, inmate records, and arrest records. Persons who want to obtain Richland County Government records or Richland County Council records are advised to submit a FOIA request.
To obtain vital records such as birth certificates and death certificates, interested persons can contact the South Carolina Department of Health. Birth certificates can only be requested by persons named in them, or by their parents and legal guardians. Applicants submitting a birth certificate request for a deceased person must provide a certified copy of the death record. Vital records requests for birth certificates can either be submitted online, by phone, by email or in person. The fee for an expedited birth certificate is $17 and the Department of Health takes between 5-7 working days to process and deliver certificates.
Persons who want to obtain a death certificate must submit a completed application form, provide valid proof of identity and pay the required fees. The fee for a death certificate is $12 but an expedited death certificate can be obtained for $17, and an applicant will be required to pay $3 for each additional copy requested.
Courts in Richland County
Court Records in Richland County, South Carolina
To find Richland County court records a person can either use the Richland County online court records search portal or the South Carolina judiciary records portal. It is also possible to make court records requests to the Richland Circuit Clerk of Courts. The Circuit Clerk of Courts is the official custodian of court records in Richland County. There are four courts with jurisdiction in Richland County: the Circuit Court, the Magistrate Court, the Probate Court, and the Family Court. Case records are maintained by each of these courts, so it is possible to query the Clerk of the court where a particular case was heard and obtain records.
The following court records are not available to the public in Richland County:
- Records whose disclosure could hinder an ongoing law enforcement investigation
- Records whose disclosure would reveal confidential law enforcement sources and intelligence gathering methods
- Records which contain intercepted communications obtained by law enforcement
- Records containing privileged attorney-client communications
- Juvenile records
- Records which contain trade secrets
Jails and Prisons in Richland County
Find Inmate Search and Jail Records in Richland County, South Carolina
To obtain Richland County inmate records an interested person can use the detainee information portal provided by the Richland County Jail, also known as the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. The portal allows interested persons to search for detainees by entering a first name and a last name. A Richland County inmate record will typically contain the inmate's name, date of birth, mugshot, date and time of arrest, arresting agency, offense, court date, and release details. The Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center is run by the Richland County Sheriff's Department. The Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center is a minimum, medium and maximum security facility which accommodates both pre-trial detainees and convicts.
Police Departments and Sheriff Offices in Richland County
Arrest Records in Richland County, South Carolina
Per South Carolina's FOIA S. C. Code Section 30-4, persons who want to find Richland County arrest records can file a request with the Richland County Sheriff's Department. Arrest records can also be sought from any of the other police departments in Richland County: the West Columbia Police Department, the Columbia Police Department and the City of Columbia Police Department. Police departments have the authority to carry out arrests, make bookings and keep records. A Richland County arrest record comprises such details as the subject's name, date of birth, mugshot, physical details, date and time of arrest, arresting agency, offense, and court details. However, it must be pointed out that certain arrest records are off-limits to the public. They include the following:
- Records whose disclosure would hinder a fair trial for a party to a case
- Records containing confidential personal information which should not be published
- Records which could jeopardize the confidentiality of a law enforcement investigation
- Records which would reveal the identity of a confidential law enforcement source
Other Counties in South Carolina
- Abbeville
- Aiken
- Allendale
- Anderson
- Bamberg
- Barnwell
- Beaufort
- Berkeley
- Calhoun
- Charleston
- Cherokee
- Chester
- Chesterfield
- Clarendon
- Colleton
- Darlington
- Dillon
- Dorchester
- Edgefield
- Fairfield
- Florence
- Georgetown
- Greenville
- Greenwood
- Hampton
- Horry
- Jasper
- Kershaw
- Lancaster
- Laurens
- Lee
- Lexington
- Marion
- Marlboro
- Mccormick
- Newberry
- Oconee
- Orangeburg
- Pickens
- Saluda
- Spartanburg
- Sumter
- Union
- Williamsburg
- York
Popular Cities in Richland
- Ballentine
- Blythewood
- Columbia
- Eastover
- Gadsden
- Hopkins
- Irmo
- State Park
- White Rock