York County Circuit Court Overview
The Circuit Court is South Carolina's trial court of general jurisdiction. In York County, it handles the most serious matters and divides into two operating sides. General Sessions hears criminal cases, including felonies and indictable charges. Common Pleas hears civil cases, such as lawsuits, foreclosures, money judgments, and lis pendens filings. The same Clerk of Court keeps records for both sides and for Family Court. That unified setup is why one office can point you to nearly every York County court record at the circuit level.
York County sits in the 16th Judicial Circuit, which it shares with Union County. The Circuit Court is not the only trial court here. Family Court covers domestic cases. Probate Court covers estates and marriage licenses. The Master in Equity hears non-jury civil cases and runs judicial sales. Magistrate and municipal courts handle lower-level matters. The Circuit Court sits above those lower courts but below the South Carolina Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of South Carolina.
List of York County Courts and Offices
York County spreads its court functions across several buildings. Most circuit-level work runs through Moss Justice Center in York, but Family Court and the Centralized DUI Court operate from Rock Hill, and township magistrates sit in Clover, Fort Mill, Hickory Grove, and Rock Hill. The table below lists the main courts and offices with address and phone, so you can match a York County court record to the right place.
| Court / Office | Address | Phone | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circuit Court / Clerk of Court | Moss Justice Center, 1675-1G York Highway, York, SC 29745 | 803-628-3036 | Clerk serves Circuit and Family Court. |
| Common Pleas (Civil) | 1675 York Highway, York, SC 29745 | 803-684-8507 | Civil Circuit filings; Mon-Fri 8-5. |
| General Sessions (Criminal) | Moss Justice Center, 1675 1G York Highway, York, SC 29745 | 803-628-3036 | Felony and misdemeanor prosecutions. |
| Family Court | 1555 West Main Street, Rock Hill, SC 29732 | 803-909-7100 | Domestic and family matters. |
| Probate Court | 1675 York Highway, York, SC 29745 | 803-684-8513 | Temporary Moss Justice Center location. |
| Bond Court Magistrate | 1675 York Hwy, York, SC 29745 | 803-628-3095 | Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. |
| Master in Equity | York County / Clerk records | 803-684-8507 | Non-jury civil cases and judicial sales. |
Circuit Court vs Magistrate Court vs Municipal Court
The three courts most people deal with in York County are the Circuit Court, the Magistrate Court, and the Municipal Court. They differ by case size, crime level, and where the case starts. The comparison block below shows how they split the work, which helps when you are trying to figure out which court holds your York County court record.
| Circuit Court | Magistrate Court | Municipal Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Trial court of general jurisdiction | Countywide lower court | City-level lower court |
| Criminal Reach | Felonies and indictable charges (General Sessions) | Lower-level crimes, traffic, bond hearings | City ordinance and municipal traffic matters |
| Civil Cases | Major lawsuits and judgments (Common Pleas) | Small claims and minor civil matters | Generally none |
| Warrants | Clerk receives criminal warrants | Magistrates issue search and arrest warrants | City-level warrants |
Note: A single arrest can touch more than one court, since a magistrate may set bond while General Sessions later prosecutes the felony charge.
How a Case Moves Through the System
A York County case usually starts in a lower court and moves up. A criminal case may begin with a magistrate or municipal court and a bond hearing, then move to Circuit Court for prosecution. A civil case can start in Common Pleas if the stakes are high enough. Appeals leave the trial level and go to the state appellate courts. The flow below shows the path.
Case flow: Magistrate or Municipal Court › Circuit Court (General Sessions or Common Pleas) › South Carolina Court of Appeals › Supreme Court of South Carolina
General Sessions receives criminal warrants, indictments, bond papers, and sentence sheets. Common Pleas takes in civil complaints, judgments, lis pendens, and real-property litigation. Both feed the same public docket through the Clerk of Court, which is why a York County court records search can return both criminal and civil hits under one name.
General Sessions, Common Pleas, and Family Divisions
Each division of the trial-court system handles its own slice of York County court records. General Sessions is the criminal side of Circuit Court. It manages felony charges, serious misdemeanors, indictments, and sentencing. The 16th Circuit Solicitor prosecutes these cases, and the Public Defender represents people who cannot afford counsel. Common Pleas is the civil side. It covers lawsuits, contract disputes, foreclosures, judgments, and lis pendens. The Master in Equity assists with non-jury civil cases and judicial sales of real estate.
Family Court is a separate trial-court division, not part of Circuit Court. It hears divorce, custody, visitation, child support, alimony, and orders of protection, and it operates from Rock Hill rather than the York Highway campus. Probate Court is independently run by an elected probate judge and handles estates, marriage licenses, guardianships, and involuntary commitments. So York County court records are split across General Sessions, Common Pleas, Family Court, and Probate Court, each with its own files.
The 16th Judicial Circuit
York County belongs to South Carolina's 16th Judicial Circuit, paired with Union County. The Circuit Court serves both counties, and the 16th Circuit Solicitor, Kevin Brackett, prosecutes General Sessions cases for the circuit. The Solicitor's Office also handles juvenile cases, pre-trial intervention, and victim and witness assistance. The 16th Circuit Public Defender provides representation for qualifying defendants in York and Union County.
Magistrate coverage in York County is unusually detailed. Township magistrates sit in Clover, Fort Mill, Hickory Grove, and Rock Hill, and the county also runs centralized courts. Bond Court stands out because it operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with a judge always on duty.
Specialty Magistrate Courts
York County runs two centralized magistrate courts that handle one job each. The Centralized DUI Magistrate in Rock Hill takes every first-offense DUI and Driving With an Unlawful Alcohol Concentration ticket, plus companion charges, from the Highway Patrol, the Sheriff's Department, Fort Mill Police, and the multi-jurisdictional checkpoint. The Centralized Fraudulent Check Magistrate handles dishonored-check cases countywide. Bond Court is the third key function, sitting inside the Detention Center and running around the clock.
- Centralized DUI Magistrate - 529 S Cherry Rd, Rock Hill; first-offense DUI and DUAC tickets.
- Centralized Fraudulent Check Magistrate - 1675 York Highway, York; dishonored-check cases.
- Bond Court - Moss Justice Center; bond decisions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
For traffic case detail and DUI handling, see York County court dockets and the arrest records page.
Federal Courts That Hear York County Cases
Some York County cases are federal, not state. Those cases move through the federal court system, which is separate from the Circuit Court. York County sits in the federal District of South Carolina. Federal civil, criminal, and constitutional cases can be filed there depending on venue. The screenshot below shows the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina hears federal trial cases arising in York County.
Federal bankruptcy is handled by a separate court, shown next.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Carolina handles federal bankruptcy filings for the region.
Federal dockets are filed and viewed electronically through CM/ECF, shown below.
The District of South Carolina CM/ECF system is the federal electronic filing and docket system.
Public access to federal case records runs through PACER, shown next.
PACER is the official federal case-record access service and requires registration.
Federal appeals from South Carolina go to the Fourth Circuit, shown below.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit hears federal appeals from the District of South Carolina.
Federal prosecutions are brought by the U.S. Attorney, shown next.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina handles federal prosecutions arising in York County.
Federal cases stay in this separate system; they do not appear on the state Circuit Court public index.