Orangeburg County Clerk Contact
Orangeburg County uses a unified Clerk of Court structure. The research identifies Winnifa Brown-Clark, also listed as Winnifa B. Clark in county directory material, as the Orangeburg County Clerk of Court. The Clerk's local mission is to maintain complete, accurate, and secure court records while making them accessible in accordance with South Carolina law.
The Clerk's Office is the right starting point for Circuit Court Common Pleas civil records, General Sessions criminal case files, and Family Court records such as divorce files. The office is not the probate-record custodian, and it is not the jail or sheriff records office.
Orangeburg County Clerk of Court
Clerk: Winnifa Brown-Clark
151 Docket Street
Orangeburg, SC 29115
803-533-6260
Family Court: 803-533-6155
Fax: 803-534-3848
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Orangeburg Clerk Court Records
The Clerk of Court keeps records tied to South Carolina's Circuit Court and Family Court systems. Circuit Court is divided into the Court of Common Pleas for civil matters and the Court of General Sessions for criminal matters. Family Court handles divorce, custody, visitation, support, alimony, adoption, name changes, and juvenile matters, although juvenile and adoption records are restricted.
- Common Pleas records include civil complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, settlements if not sealed, and appeals from lower courts.
- General Sessions records include indictments, pleas, motions, dispositions, sentencing orders, and hearing data for serious criminal cases.
- Family Court records include divorce and domestic case filings, but juvenile and adoption files are not routine public records.
- Court rosters show scheduled court activity and are separate from the full case file.
The South Carolina marriage statutes appear in the project image set because marriage-license custody and Family Court divorce records often get confused.
In Orangeburg County, marriage licenses are Probate Court records, while divorce decrees are Family Court records requested through the Clerk channel.
Search Orangeburg Clerk Records
The main online route is the South Carolina Judicial Branch Case Records Search, which links to the direct Orangeburg County Public Index. The Judicial Branch states that cookies and JavaScript must be enabled and that some browsers may need pop-up exceptions to view details. As of January 1, 2026, home address information is no longer displayed on the Public Index for new or existing cases.
Court dates and rosters use the Court Roster Search and the direct Orangeburg Court Rosters link. Family Court also has a statewide portal for family records, while Probate Court and traffic tickets have separate search tools.
| Search Channel | Use It For | Important Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Public Index | Circuit, many summary, and some municipal case records | Not a certified copy and may require browser settings. |
| Court Roster Search | Dockets and court schedules | Roster fields were not fully accessible during research. |
| Family Court portal | Family Court record access | Juvenile and adoption material is restricted. |
| Clerk counter or mail | Certified copies and older files | Copy fees specific to Clerk files were not located in county pages. |
Request Certified Clerk Copies
A certified copy is a Clerk-issued copy that can be used where proof of the court record is required. Online viewing is useful for case lookup, but it is not the certified record of court action. If the record is for court use, title work, legal filing, background verification, or a government process, ask the Clerk's Office what certification is needed.
- Identify the case number, party names, court type, and document needed.
- Check whether the case appears in the Orangeburg Public Index or court roster.
- Contact or visit the Clerk of Court at 151 Docket Street for copy availability and current fees.
- Use mail to PO Box 9000, Orangeburg, SC 29116 when the Clerk confirms that mail handling is appropriate.
The South Carolina probate judge certified-copy statute is assigned to this page because certified-copy rules vary by record custodian.
Use the Clerk for Circuit and Family Court certified copies, and use Probate Court for estate and marriage-license certified copies.
Orangeburg Clerk FOIA Fallback
If a Clerk-related public record is not available through the case systems or direct office contact, Orangeburg County provides a central FOIA route. The county FOIA form asks for the requester name, mailing address, email, phone, a clear description of the records requested, requester status, fee agreement or waiver information, preferred format, delivery method, and signature. The form may be delivered by email to FOIA@orangeburgcounty.org, by mail to Orangeburg County, ATTN: FOIA REQUESTS, P.O. Drawer 9000, Orangeburg, SC 29116-9000, or in person at the Administrative Centre.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name and contact information | Unspecified | Used for response and delivery. |
| Records requested | Yes in practice | Identify specific documents, files, dates, case numbers, or parties. |
| Fee agreement or waiver | Required on older form | State willingness to pay all fees, a capped amount, or waiver basis. |
| Preferred format | Unspecified | Paper or electronic if available. |
| Delivery method | Unspecified | Pick up, email, or mail with postage costs if needed. |
Orangeburg Clerk Fees
The research did not locate a county-published plain-copy or certified-copy fee list specific to Circuit and Family Court files. Statewide court filing schedules were found. Circuit Court filing fees include no-fee categories and $10, $35, $100, $150, and $200 categories, with new civil cases and several appeals or transfers listed at $150. Family Court filing fees list $150 for divorce, support, custody or visitation, name change, adoption, paternity, and non-DSS termination of parental rights.
| Item | Amount / Status |
|---|---|
| New civil case, several appeals or transfers | $150 statewide Circuit Court fee schedule |
| Divorce, support, custody, visitation, name change, adoption, paternity | $150 statewide Family Court fee schedule |
| Clerk plain copy | Fee not located in official county sources inspected |
| Clerk certified copy | Fee not located in official county sources inspected |
| Probate certified copy | Handled separately by Probate Court |
The South Carolina DPH vital records fee page is included because vital-record fees are separate from Clerk court-copy costs.
That distinction matters for divorce reports, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and court-certified copies because each record type has a different custodian.
Records Outside Orangeburg Clerk
Federal records are outside the Orangeburg County Clerk of Court. Federal civil and criminal cases arising in Orangeburg County route to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, and bankruptcy cases route to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina. Federal dockets and filings are accessed through PACER or the federal court's own systems, not through the county Clerk.
The PACER lookup for the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina is assigned to this Clerk page to separate county court records from federal court records.
When a case is federal, the Orangeburg County Clerk cannot certify or update the federal docket.
Note: If a case is sealed, juvenile, expunged, too old, or federal, the Clerk's online search may not show it.