South Carolina 24 Hour Booking
South Carolina 24 hour booking records show who was arrested and processed at county detention centers across the state. These records are public. They list names, charges, booking dates, and arresting agencies. South Carolina has 46 counties. Each one runs its own detention center that logs all booking activity around the clock. You can search 24 hour booking records through county sheriff websites, the SLED CATCH system, or the South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index. This page covers how to find and access booking records across South Carolina.
South Carolina 24 Hour Booking Quick Facts
Find 24 Hour Booking in South Carolina
South Carolina offers several ways to look up 24 hour booking records. The fastest option is an online search. Most county sheriffs post recent bookings on their websites. These lists update throughout the day. Many show arrests from the past 24 to 72 hours. You can view names, charges, bond amounts, and booking dates at no cost on most county sheriff sites across South Carolina.
The SLED CATCH system is the state's main criminal records search tool for South Carolina 24 hour booking history and arrest data.
SLED CATCH is a name-based search. It requires a last name, first name, and date of birth. The system checks South Carolina records only. A search costs $25 with a $1 convenience fee for online requests. Results come from fingerprint submissions by law enforcement agencies across all 46 South Carolina counties. SLED does not include wanted persons in CATCH reports. Social Security numbers can help narrow results if provided.
You can also check 24 hour booking records in person. Under S.C. Code Section 30-4-30(d), documents identifying persons confined in any jail or detention center must be available for walk-in inspection. No written request is needed. Copies must be provided on the spot. This applies to booking records from the past three months at any South Carolina detention facility.
South Carolina SLED CATCH System
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division at sled.sc.gov runs the statewide criminal records database used by all law enforcement in South Carolina.
SLED serves as the central repository for criminal history in South Carolina. All agencies submit arrest data to SLED. The division processes expungement orders and handles record destruction. SLED also runs the South Carolina Sex Offender Registry, which is free to search. CATCH does not check sex offender records. You must search that registry on its own.
Mail-in requests for 24 hour booking history go to SLED Records Department, PO Box 21398, Columbia, SC 29221-1398. No convenience fee applies for mail requests. Accepted payment includes business checks, certified checks, cashier's checks, and money orders. Personal checks and cash are not accepted. Call the SLED Public Dissemination Unit at 803.896.1443 for help. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 4:30 PM. SLED headquarters is at 4400 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29210.
Charitable organizations that meet South Carolina statute requirements pay a reduced fee of $8 for records checks. School districts receive criminal records checks for prospective teachers at no charge.
How 24 Hour Booking Records Work
When someone is arrested in South Carolina, the booking process starts at the county detention center. A booking officer receives the person. The officer records the full name, date of birth, and place of birth. Property is searched and cataloged. The SLED criminal records check requires a minimum of the person's last name and date of birth to run.
The person is then photographed and fingerprinted. South Carolina law requires this within 24 hours of arrest. Fingerprints go to SLED for processing and storage. Under S.C. Code Section 23-3-50, SLED retains fingerprints for identification purposes and may notify agencies of new criminal charges. These records feed into the CATCH system that the public can search.
A 24 hour booking record in South Carolina typically includes the person's full name, date of arrest, charges filed, bond amount, and arresting agency. Most county detention centers post this data to their websites within hours of the arrest.
Note: Fingerprint-based searches through SLED are the most reliable and least likely to produce false results in South Carolina.
South Carolina County Detention Centers
South Carolina has 46 county detention centers. Each one holds pre-trial detainees and inmates serving short sentences. The South Carolina court roster search shows scheduled proceedings by county for those moving through the system.
Most people go to the county detention center where the arrest took place. If sentenced to state prison, they transfer to the South Carolina Department of Corrections. SCDC runs 21 state institutions with over 20,000 inmates and 5,700 employees. The SCDC inmate search does not include county jail detainees. For recent 24 hour booking records, always search the county detention center first.
The South Carolina detention centers directory lists contact details for every county facility. You can also call VINE at 1-866-727-2846 to check custody status and sign up for release notifications in South Carolina.
Note: The SCDC inmate search only covers state prisoners, not those held at county detention centers in South Carolina.
24 Hour Booking and Court Records
After a booking, the case moves through the South Carolina court system. The South Carolina Appellate Court Public Index provides access to appeals from the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Sessions.
The South Carolina Judicial Department Public Index lets you search traffic and criminal case records by county at no cost. The system shows defendant names, case numbers, court dates, charges, and disposition details. Some municipal court records are also available. As of January 2026, home addresses no longer display on the public index for any South Carolina cases.
The court system requires a browser with cookies and JavaScript. Data scraping and automated querying are not allowed on the South Carolina court records system.
South Carolina Records Access Laws
South Carolina law protects public access to 24 hour booking records. The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act gives any person the right to inspect or copy public records held by government agencies. This right does not extend to people serving prison sentences in South Carolina.
Law enforcement records from the past 14 days must be available for walk-in requests at any South Carolina agency. Jail records identifying confined persons must be available for the past three months. No written request is needed for these documents. Copies must be provided at the time of the in-person request. The South Carolina FOIA Handbook states that a detention center is a public body under FOIA. Arrest warrants are also disclosable. Weekend and holiday access to incident reports must be provided at South Carolina sheriff offices.
24 Hour Booking Expungement Rules
Not all 24 hour booking records remain public in South Carolina. Under S.C. Code Section 17-1-40, when charges are dismissed or a person is found not guilty, the arrest and booking record must be destroyed.
This destruction covers bench warrants, mug shots, and fingerprints tied to the case. No agency at any level in South Carolina may keep evidence of an expunged record. Law enforcement and prosecution agencies retain records under seal for three years and 120 days. Detention facilities hold sealed booking records for the same period. Sealed records are not public. They are exempt from disclosure except by court order in South Carolina.
Agencies may keep data for ongoing investigations, hearings, or defense in litigation. But sealed records cannot be released to the public.
Note: Expunged booking records do not appear in SLED CATCH search results in South Carolina.
Record Publication Rules in South Carolina
S.C. Code Section 17-1-60 governs the publication of arrest and 24 hour booking records in South Carolina.
It is unlawful to charge a fee for removing 24 hour booking records when charges are dismissed or a person is found not guilty in South Carolina. Publishers must remove records within 30 days of a written request. The request must include the person's name, arrest date, arresting agency, certified documentation of the outcome, and the URL where the record appears online. If charges were reduced through a plea, the publisher must update the record to reflect the lesser offense. Violations carry a fine up to $1,000, jail time up to 60 days, or both. This law does not apply to state or local government agencies in South Carolina.
South Carolina 24 Hour Booking by County
Each county in South Carolina runs its own detention center that processes 24 hour bookings. Pick a county below to find local booking records, detention center contact info, and search resources.
24 Hour Booking in South Carolina Cities
City police departments in South Carolina book arrested persons into their county's detention center. Pick a city below to find local 24 hour booking information and resources.