McCormick County Probate Court
McCormick County Probate Court is the local probate office for the county. It is located at 133 S. Mine Street, Room 101, McCormick, SC 29835. The county identifies Judge John H. Gray as probate judge. Public hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; phone access is listed as (864) 852-2630. Emails captured in research include jhgray@mccormickcountysc.org and probatecourt@mccormickcountysc.org.
The court's local duties include estate administration, appointment of guardians and conservators, issuing marriage licenses, and hearings concerning persons alleged mentally ill or addicted to alcohol or other drugs. For mental-health proceedings, the county page directs people to contact McCormick Mental Health Center at (864) 465-2412 to initiate proceedings. That is a narrow procedural channel, not a public online case lookup.
The county Probate Court page is the local starting point for McCormick County probate records.
Use it to confirm the office workflow before relying on a statewide form or public-index search path.
McCormick Probate Terms
Probate records use terms that are precise but easy to mix up. These definitions help identify what kind of file or request belongs at McCormick County Probate Court and what details may appear in an estate or protective proceeding.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- A person named in a will to carry out estate duties, often called a personal representative after appointment.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which means South Carolina succession rules control distribution.
- Guardianship
- A court arrangement for personal decisions for a minor or protected adult when legal standards are met.
- Conservatorship
- A court arrangement for managing property or financial affairs for a protected person.
South Carolina Probate Court jurisdiction also includes minor settlements, trusts, powers of attorney in some contexts, and involuntary commitments. Not all of these records are viewed the same way by the public.
Search McCormick Probate Records
No official McCormick probate-specific online estate search was located in the research. The South Carolina Judicial Branch Public Index is useful for many court records, but probate estate coverage for McCormick was not confirmed. For McCormick County probate records, start with the Probate Court office, then use the state forms library or certified-copy statute when needed.
- Identify the file type: estate, will, guardianship, conservatorship, marriage license, or mental-health matter.
- Call Probate Court at (864) 852-2630 or email probatecourt@mccormickcountysc.org to confirm whether the record is public and how to request it.
- For estate openings, print or pick up the Probate Work Packet and complete it before scheduling an appointment.
- Use the state Probate Court forms library when a standard South Carolina form is required.
- Request certified copies from Probate Court for records in the judge's custody when copies are legally available.
The South Carolina Judicial Branch Probate Court overview explains county probate jurisdiction statewide.
That statewide overview helps frame the court's role, while McCormick County Probate Court remains the local record custodian.
McCormick Probate Court Contact
McCormick County has one Probate Court. The research found a fax number conflict: the county contact page lists (864) 852-0071, while the probate research also found (864) 852-1014. Phone or email confirmation is the best route before sending filings or copy requests by fax.
McCormick County Probate Court
Judge: John H. Gray
133 S. Mine Street, Room 101
McCormick, SC 29835
(864) 852-2630
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
McCormick Probate Record Fees
The local Probate Court Fees PDF was scanned or image-heavy, so exact local fee lines could not be extracted. The research did capture statutory copy authority. S.C. Code Section 14-23-620 says the probate judge shall search or examine office books, records, or papers and furnish certified copies of estate proceedings in the judge's custody. The statute lists nine cents per 90-word copy sheet and fifty cents per certificate, but the research cautions that this old statutory amount may not reflect every current local filing or copy charge.
| Item | Amount or source |
|---|---|
| Certified probate copy authority | S.C. Code Section 14-23-620 |
| Statutory copy sheet amount | Nine cents per 90-word copy sheet |
| Statutory certificate amount | Fifty cents per certificate |
| Local probate filing fees | Confirm with Probate Court, because the fee PDF was not text-extractable |
| Marriage certified copy | $5.00 each through McCormick County Probate Court |
Note: Treat the statutory copy amounts as legal authority, not a complete modern local fee schedule.
McCormick Probate Forms
McCormick County states that a Probate Court work packet has been developed to help determine how the court proceeds in each case. Users may print forms or pick up a packet at the office. After completing the packet, the county directs users to call and make an appointment. The packet itself was scanned or image-heavy, so the exact local field inventory was not captured.
The South Carolina Probate Court forms library includes common statewide forms such as Application/Petition for Probate of Will or Appointment, Affidavit of Distribution for Personal Property, Affidavit of Due Diligence, Affidavit of Heirs, Affidavit to Obtain Bank Balance, and guardianship or conservatorship forms.
State forms supply standardized filing documents, but the local packet and appointment process control how McCormick County Probate Court receives the case.
McCormick Small Estate Records
South Carolina Probate Code Section 62-3-1201 allows a small-estate personal-property affidavit after 30 days from death when statutory conditions are met and no personal representative application or petition is pending or granted. The research identifies the threshold as $45,000. The affidavit must be approved or countersigned by the probate judge and filed in probate court.
Section 62-3-1203 also allows summary administrative procedure when inventory and appraisal show that the entire probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed the statutory amount plus exempt property, administration expenses, reasonable funeral expenses, and reasonable necessary last-illness medical or hospital expenses. These procedures can reduce the scale of estate administration, but they still require proper filing and court approval.
What Probate Records Show
Public McCormick County probate records may show the deceased person's name, case file number, filing date, will information, petition or application, appointment of a personal representative, affidavits of heirs, inventory or appraisal, creditor notices, accountings, distributions, and closing documents. Guardianship and conservatorship files may show petitions, appointments, reports, bond information, and orders, but access can be more limited because protected persons and minors may be involved.
S.C. Code Section 14-23-660 requires probate files to be organized by case, apartment, or package and indexed alphabetically by surname of deceased persons and executors or administrators. That indexing rule is useful when no online McCormick probate search is available, because the office can often work from a name, date, and file type.
Restricted Probate Records
Not every Probate Court file is an open estate file. Mental-health proceedings are sensitive and should not be described as ordinary public probate records. Guardianship and conservatorship files can include medical, financial, and minor-related information. Sealed documents, confidential reports, and materials protected by court order may require party status, statutory authority, or a judge's order before review.
For nearby record needs, marriage licenses are handled by Probate Court, while divorce decrees route to the McCormick County Clerk of Court. Broader civil and criminal case lookup belongs with the court record channels rather than the probate office.