York County Probate Court Records
York County Probate Court is headed by elected Probate Judge Carolyn E. Woodruff. The court handles decedent estates, routine estate administration, contests and construction of wills, determination of heirs, sale in aid of assets of a decedent's real estate, guardianships, conservatorships, trust matters, minor settlements, wrongful death settlements, marriage licenses, and involuntary commitments for alleged chemical dependency or mental illness.
The current location is important. The Historical Courthouse at 2 South Congress Street is closed for renovations indefinitely, so Probate Court is temporarily on the second floor of Moss Justice Center at 1675 York Highway, York, SC. Parking is available in the main lot in front of Moss Justice Center. The mailing address remains P.O. Box 219, York, SC 29745. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with phone 803-684-8513 and fax 803-684-8536.
York County Probate Court
Judge: Carolyn E. Woodruff
Temporary location: 1675 York Highway
York, SC 29745
Mailing address: P.O. Box 219, York, SC 29745
803-684-8513
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
York County Probate Terms
Probate records use short legal labels that can be hard to read without context. These terms help decode estate, guardian, and conservator records in York County Probate Court files.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out estate duties, subject to court appointment.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, so heirs are determined under state law.
- Guardianship
- A court case about personal decision-making authority for an incapacitated adult or other protected person.
- Conservatorship
- A court case about management of money or property for an incapacitated adult or minor.
Search York County Probate Records
Estate records from 1975 to current are online through South Carolina Probate Search. Choose York Probate for estate cases and York Marriage for marriage license records. The system is updated every evening. York Probate Court states that documents may be viewed without charge the day after filing and printed for $2 per document. Public computers for estate files and marriage licenses are also available in the Register of Deeds office at the Government Center, 6 South Congress Street, York.
The South Carolina Probate Search source is the main online portal for York County probate records.
The statewide portal matters for York County because it separates York Probate estate records from York Marriage records in the county dropdown.
- Open South Carolina Probate Search and choose York Probate or York Marriage from the county dropdown.
- Search by case number, last or business name, first name, middle name, or a mix of name fields.
- Use exact spelling first because York Probate Court warns that name spelling matters.
- Use a percent sign before search criteria only when using the wildcard option described by the probate search system.
- Expand the gray plus control in the result grid when more detail is available.
- View available documents without charge after the nightly update, or print online documents for $2 each.
York County Probate Search Fields
The probate search form is useful because it supports both estate and marriage record paths. The county selection is the most important first field; choosing the wrong York option can send the user to marriage records instead of estate records, or the reverse.
| Field label | Type | Required | York County notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select County | Dropdown | Yes | Choose York Probate for estates or York Marriage for marriage records. |
| Include Surrounding Counties? | Checkbox | No | Expands the search outside the selected county. |
| Case# | Text | No | Best when the estate case number is known. |
| Last or Business Name | Text | No | Must match the estate record spelling. |
| First | Text | No | Optional first-name field. |
| Middle | Text | No | Optional middle-name field. |
| Do Search | Button | No | Runs the search. |
What York County Probate Records Show
South Carolina Probate Search result columns include case number, case name, party, type of case, filing date, county, appointment date, creditor claim due date, and case status. Those fields can show whether an estate has been opened, whether a personal representative appointment appears, and whether the creditor-claim period is still important. Case status should be read as it appears in the live result grid.
| Probate result field | What it helps show |
|---|---|
| Case Number | The estate or probate case identifier. |
| Case Name | The estate, party, or matter name used by the court. |
| Party | A linked or named party in the case. |
| Type of Case | Whether the matter is an estate, marriage, or other probate type shown by the system. |
| Appointment Date | A useful marker for estate administration status. |
| Creditor Claim Due | A key date for heirs, creditors, and estate administration tracking. |
| Case Status | The current status as shown in the result grid. |
Open York County Probate Cases
Estate administrations, guardianship administrations, conservatorship administrations, and marriage license applications require appointments. Call 803-684-8513 or email probate2@yorkcountygov.com to schedule. Users should bring the will, death certificate, applicant information, heir or devisee information, and asset or debt information when opening an estate, but the reviewed official text did not capture a full required-document checklist.
The Probate Judge holds monthly information sessions about inventory preparation at Moss Justice Center at 10 a.m. every third Wednesday. No appointment is needed for that information session, but attendees should check in with the Probate receptionist on the second floor for the exact location. Certified copy pickup and drop-off do not require an appointment, which is a separate rule from estate openings and marriage applications.
Note: Old forms or directions may point to the Historical Courthouse, but current Probate Court operations are at Moss Justice Center.
York County Probate Fees
The official York sources reviewed provided clear costs for online document printing, marriage licenses, and marriage-license copies. Estate filing or administration fee amounts were not located in the reviewed official county text, so those should be confirmed with Probate Court before filing.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Online estate document viewing | No charge to view, per York Probate Court |
| Online estate document printing | $2 per document |
| Marriage-license copy by mail | $5 per requested copy plus self-addressed stamped envelope |
| Marriage license application | $50 |
| Estate filing or administration fees | Not located in official York sources reviewed |
York County Probate Marriage Records
York County Probate Court also handles marriage licenses, so marriage record users should not start with Family Court unless they need a divorce case. In South Carolina Probate Search, the county dropdown separates York Marriage from York Probate. That distinction is small on the form but important in practice. York Marriage is the correct path for marriage-license records and copy ordering, while York Probate is the correct path for estate case records.
Marriage license applications have their own appointment and fee rules. Applications may be made between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, appointments are required because of filing volume, and the local fee is $50 by cash, check, or money order. A recorded marriage copy may be requested by mail for $5 per copy plus a self-addressed stamped envelope, or through South Carolina Probate Search. Certified copy pickup and drop-off do not require an appointment.
Divorce records follow a different route. A divorce decree is a Family Court order, not a Probate Court marriage record. York County divorce users should contact Family Court or the Clerk of Court when they need a certified decree or case-file access.
Restricted York County Probate Files
Most routine estate records are searchable, but not every probate-related file is fully public. Guardianship and conservatorship matters can contain medical, financial, or incapacity details. Minor settlements, wrongful death settlement approvals, and involuntary commitment proceedings may also involve sensitive information or access limits. Involuntary commitment paperwork begins outside the court process through Catawba Mental Health Center, the VA Clinic, Keystone Substance Abuse Center, Catawba Family Center for minors, or after-hours DMH Mobile Crisis before a Probate Court proceeding follows.
The South Carolina magistrate civil jurisdiction statute is a useful contrast source because probate, magistrate, and circuit matters are routed to different courts.
That jurisdiction split helps keep York County estate and guardianship users in Probate Court rather than a summary civil court.
The South Carolina driver-license point statute source is unrelated to probate filings, but it illustrates why record type matters when choosing a court or state agency.
Probate records should be requested from Probate Court, while driver records and other agency files follow their own state channels.