South Carolina Probate Court

South Carolina has multiple courts in a court structure that flows from limited, local jurisdiction all the way up to the state's Supreme Court. For the sake of this article we'll specifically focus on the probate court.

Each county in the state has a probate judge that is elected within the county. This judge will serve a term of four years. The probate court of each county has jurisdiction over deceased persons' estates and settlements under $25k. These courts also have exclusive jurisdiction in regards to trusts and joint jurisdiction with circuit courts in regards to powers of attorney.

There are 46 counties in South Carolina and thus 46 courts and 46 judges. If there are matters that are unsettled within the limited jurisdiction of the probate court, the case may escalate to a circuit court. There are 16 circuits with 48 judges and 22 masters-in-equity.