Hampton County Probate Records Scope
Hampton County Probate Court is the local venue for probate records. The court handles wills, estates, informal and formal estate proceedings, small estate administration, guardianships, conservatorships, minor settlements, involuntary commitments for alcohol or drug abuse or mental illness, and marriage licenses. The Probate Court is located on the second floor of the Hampton County Courthouse, and the local court states that it cannot give legal advice.
Probate records differ from Circuit Court and Family Court records because the Probate Court focuses on estate and protective matters. The court may ask whether the decedent was permanently living in Hampton County at death, whether death occurred within the last 10 years, whether the decedent owned real estate in the county, whether personal property exceeds the applicable threshold, and whether property already has survivorship or beneficiary designations.
The county Probate Court page is the main local source for Hampton County probate records.
That local source is important because Hampton County publishes office contacts, hours, marriage details, estate fee notes, and small-estate instructions together.
Hampton County Probate Terms
Probate filings use words that are precise but not always plain. A short definition set helps separate estate roles from case types before a person reviews a Hampton County probate record or files a form. These terms also appear on state probate forms and in fee schedules.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named to carry out the will, often called a personal representative in estate forms.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which can require the court to decide heirs under state law.
- Guardianship
- Court-supervised authority over personal care decisions for a minor or protected person.
- Conservatorship
- Court-supervised authority over another person's money or property.
- Small estate
- A simplified estate path when the estate meets the value, time, and property limits set by law and court forms.
Search Hampton County Probate Records
The South Carolina Probate Search portal is the online search channel identified for Hampton County probate records. The research notes that the search criteria can be a case number or any combination of last, first, and middle name. The portal also supports a percent sign wildcard in front of search criteria. Result columns include Case Number, Case Name, Party, Type of Case, Filing Date, County, Appointment Date, Creditor Claim Due, and Case Status.
- Open the South Carolina Probate Search portal and choose a case-number or name-based search route.
- Enter the best known name or case data, using the percent sign wildcard only when a broader search is needed.
- Review the result columns for county, case status, filing date, and appointment information.
- Use the gray plus to expand grid details when the portal shows that option.
- Contact Hampton County Probate Court for certified copies, filed documents, or questions the search result does not answer.
The South Carolina Probate Search portal is the official statewide search path for probate index data.
Online results can identify a probate case, but the local court remains the source for copies, filing status questions, and certified records.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Parties / Case Name | Text | Unspecified | Search by case number or any combination of last, first, and middle name. |
| Wildcard | Text syntax | Optional | Use % in front of search criteria for broader matching. |
Hampton County Probate Court Contact
Hampton County has one local Probate Court contact block in the research. The court lists Judge Shannon Parker and Deputy Probate Judge Rachel Foster. Email contacts are sparker@hamptoncountysc.org and rfoster@hamptoncountysc.org. The court asks callers to allow 24 hours for return calls and to call back if no response is received.
Hampton County Probate Court
Judge: Shannon Parker
1 Courthouse Square Elm St.
P.O. Box 601
Hampton, SC 29924
803-914-2172
Fax: 803-914-2183
Mon-Thu 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; closed 1:00-2:00 p.m. daily
Hampton County Probate Fees
Probate fees depend on the type and value of the filing. Hampton County's local fee schedule includes estate value tiers, formal filing costs, copy costs, and search costs. Informal estate filing begins at $25 plus value-based charges. Formal proceedings, such as objections to personal representative appointments, will contests, lost or destroyed wills, and declaratory judgments on intestacy, require notice to interested parties and a hearing.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Regular estate $0-$4,999 | $25.00 |
| Regular estate $5,000-$19,999 | $45.00 |
| Regular estate $20,000-$59,999 | $67.50 |
| Regular estate $60,000-$99,999 | $95.00 |
| Regular estate $100,000-$599,999 | $95.00 plus .0015 over $100,000 |
| Regular estate $600,000 and above | $845.00 on first $600,000 plus .0025 over $600,000 |
| Formal filing | $150.00 |
| Certified copies | $5.00 |
| Search fee | $3.00 |
| Copies | $0.50 per page |
| Will file only | $10.00 |
| Reopen closed file | $22.50 |
Hampton County Probate Filing Forms
Estate filings often start with state Judicial Branch forms as well as local court review. Form 300ES captures county, decedent, case number, petitioner or respondent, informal or formal boxes, applicant contact, relationship, decedent date of birth, date of death, age, venue, heirs and devisees, estate values, will status, appointment priority, and notarized signatures. Form 420ES captures decedent data, venue, no-pending-personal-representative statements, successors, funeral expense proof, asset categories, liens, total value, and notarized affiant information.
The Hampton County form center is one local route for probate-related forms and submissions.
Form availability does not mean every case can be filed without court review, especially when a will contest, real estate, creditor issue, or protected person is involved.
Note: Hampton County says the court cannot give legal advice, so procedural questions and legal strategy should be separated.
Hampton County Small Estate Caveat
Hampton County's local page says small estate administration applies when the estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $25,000, cannot occur until 30 days after death, and includes no real estate. The research also identifies an important caveat: current 2026 South Carolina Judicial Branch Form 420ES and 2025-2026 state legislation use a $45,000 small-estate threshold. That conflict should be resolved with Probate Court before filing.
The South Carolina Probate Code estate chapter is the state law source for estate administration rules.
The threshold issue is not a small detail. It can determine whether a simplified affidavit route is available or a fuller estate case is needed.
What Hampton County Probate Records Show
Hampton County probate records can show whether a will was filed, who sought appointment, whether the matter was informal or formal, estate value ranges, heirs, devisees, creditor deadlines, appointment dates, case status, and filings tied to estate administration. Small estate files may show funeral expense proof, successor statements, asset categories, liens, total value, and sworn affiant information. Guardianship and conservatorship records may contain protected personal and financial details, so public access may be narrower than for an ordinary estate docket.
Anyone looking for marriage-license records held by Probate Court should use the local marriage copy process instead of treating those records as estate filings. Certified marriage-copy rules are covered with Hampton County marriage and divorce records, and the probate office remains the local source when the license was issued in Hampton County.
Restricted Hampton County Probate Records
Not every probate-related record is open in the same way. Involuntary commitment matters, minor settlements, guardianships, conservatorships, and cases involving protected persons may contain sensitive medical, financial, or personal information. The online search result may show only limited index fields, while documents may require court review, party status, proper identification, or a judge's order. Sealed documents and confidential filings should not be assumed available just because a case exists.
For Hampton County probate records that are not online, the access chain is direct: search the state probate portal, call or visit Hampton County Probate Court, request copies from the court that holds the file, and confirm fees before relying on the result. Broader Hampton County court records may be searched through the Public Index, but probate files have their own statewide portal and local probate office.