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Greenwood County, SC Probate Information
Quick facts
| Item | Greenwood County detail |
|---|---|
| Court | Greenwood County Probate Court |
| Courthouse address | Greenwood County Courthouse, 528 Monument Street, Room 205, Greenwood, SC 29646 |
| Mailing address | P.O. Box 1210, Greenwood, SC 29648. Use the post office box for mail to the court and ask the court what may be submitted by mail. |
| Phone | (864) 942-8625 |
| Fax | (864) 942-8620 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Call before travelling, because the court's own FAQ sheet gives a shorter hours block. |
| Estate court cost | The estate filing fee is set by S.C. Code Ann. § 8-21-770, under the statewide schedule currently tied to 1995 Act No. 15, effective April 4, 1995 and retroactive to August 15, 1994. Greenwood County's probate court page does not publish additional local charges. |
| Forms and guides | The court links to the statewide South Carolina Judicial Branch Probate Court forms and publishes its own guides, Administering an Estate and Probate Court FAQs. Its page does not publish a local numbered form set or local cover sheet. |
| Electronic filing | Greenwood County's probate court page does not publish an electronic filing system, attorney portal, email filing channel, or drop box. South Carolina has no statewide probate e-filing system; the statewide E-Filing system described in the court rules is for the Court of Common Pleas and is attorney-only. |
| Estate lookup | Greenwood County publishes an Estate Records Search for Greenwood County estates at scportal.hostedbyspartan.com/GreenwoodPublicPortal/. |
| Remote participation | South Carolina's statewide Remote Communication Technology order, as amended February 19, 2025, gives the probate judge discretion in non-criminal matters. Ask the Greenwood County Probate Court how the judge applies that order in a particular estate. |
| Website | https://www.greenwoodcounty-sc.gov/probate-court |
Before you begin — know the assets and liabilities
Before you call the Greenwood County Probate Court, make a working list of the decedent's assets, debts, beneficiaries, and any accounts that may pass outside probate. Greenwood's own guidance says the court needs the family's information before it can advise what the first appointment requires.
Sunset's estate settlement tools help families find accounts across more than 2,300 institutions, organize asset information, and prepare for the court's first questions before the appointment with the estate clerk assigned by the decedent's last name.
Which court handles jurisdiction
The Greenwood County Probate Court serves Greenwood County from Room 205 of the Greenwood County Courthouse in the county seat of Greenwood. The county's own materials list the City of Greenwood, the Town of Ninety Six, and the Town of Ware Shoals among its cities and towns.
Greenwood's court says an estate is processed there when the deceased person was a permanent resident of Greenwood County, was a nonresident holding property in Greenwood County, or had a right to take legal action in the county. That local statement follows South Carolina's venue rule for estates, S.C. Code Ann. § 62-3-201. The room number matters: the Probate Court is Room 205 at 528 Monument Street, not the Clerk of Court's Room 114 and not the county switchboard address at 600 Monument Street.
The jurisdiction process
- Call the Greenwood County Probate Court at (864) 942-8625 before preparing a first filing. The court's own guidance says testate personal representatives and intestate next of kin should call for an appointment, and that the estate clerk assigned by the decedent's last name will say what is needed for the first appointment.
- Gather the will, death certificate, asset information, debt information, names and addresses of heirs or devisees, and any title or account documents the assigned estate clerk asks you to bring. Greenwood's guide says the estate clerk can help with filing the will and completing the forms needed to open the estate.
- Use the South Carolina Judicial Branch's statewide Probate Court forms. Form 300ES is the starting form for an informal application or formal petition, and Greenwood County's page links to the statewide form set rather than publishing a local numbered form set.
- File with the Greenwood County Probate Court in Room 205 at 528 Monument Street. If you plan to use the court's P.O. Box, ask the assigned estate clerk what the court will accept by mail and how payment should be handled.
- Pay the estate filing fee required by S.C. Code Ann. § 8-21-770, under the statewide schedule currently tied to 1995 Act No. 15, effective April 4, 1995 and retroactive to August 15, 1994. Greenwood County's probate court page does not publish a separate local fee schedule, so ask what payment methods the office accepts when you schedule the first appointment.
- Complete the notices, service, and creditor steps the statewide probate rules require. If the will has erasures, white-out, or other markings, Greenwood County's own guide says the court requires a formal probate proceeding, and its guide recommends an attorney for formal probate or formal appointment.
- Attend any hearing the Greenwood County Probate Court sets. For remote participation, use the statewide Remote Communication Technology order as amended February 19, 2025, as the starting point and ask the court how the probate judge applies it in the estate.
- After appointment, the personal representative qualifies and receives authority from the court. South Carolina's probate code calls that authority document letters, including letters testamentary and letters of administration (S.C. Code Ann. § 62-1-201), and administration begins when the court issues them (§ 62-3-103). The document banks and transfer agents usually ask to see is the Certificate of Appointment, Form 141PC, with the court's raised seal.
- Administer the estate, use Greenwood's estate records search to follow the case when useful, complete the required inventory, accounting, and distribution steps under statewide law, and return to the assigned estate clerk for the forms and instructions needed to close.
Forms and documents
Probate forms in Greenwood County
Greenwood County's probate court page links families to the South Carolina Judicial Branch's statewide Probate Court form set. It does not publish a separate local numbered form set, local cover sheet, or local fee schedule of its own.
The court does publish two estate settlement guides of its own: Administering an Estate and Probate Court FAQs. Those guides explain how Greenwood assigns estates to an estate clerk by the decedent's last name, how to start with a first appointment, and when the court recommends counsel. For statewide forms, expect Form 300ES for an informal application or formal petition, inventory and accounting forms, creditor claim forms, and Form 420ES for a small estate under S.C. Code Ann. § 62-3-1201, with the current $45,000 threshold effective May 8, 2025.
Local nuance
Greenwood County-specific considerations
| Local point | What it means |
|---|---|
| Estate clerk assignment | Greenwood assigns estates based on the decedent's last name. The court's published starting point is to call for an appointment, then the assigned estate clerk tells the family what to bring. |
| Marked wills | If a will has erasures, white-out, or other markings, Greenwood County's guide says the court requires a formal probate proceeding. Its guide recommends an attorney for formal probate or formal appointment. |
| Right room | The Probate Court is Room 205 at 528 Monument Street. The Clerk of Court is in the same building in Room 114, and the county's general address is 600 Monument Street. Those are not the estate filing counter. |
| Estate search | The county publishes its own Estate Records Search for Greenwood County estates, with search fields that include case number and last name. |
| Hours | The live Probate Court page prints Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Because the court's own FAQ sheet gives a shorter hours block, call before travelling. |
Recent updates
Scenarios
| Situation | Likely Greenwood County path | Where Sunset helps |
|---|---|---|
| Surviving spouse with co-owned home | Call the Greenwood County Probate Court before assuming the home controls the filing. The court's estate clerk can explain what opening paperwork is needed, and the statewide forms may still be needed for assets that pass through probate. | Sunset helps identify accounts, insurance, debts, and title issues so the spouse can talk with the assigned estate clerk with a clearer asset list. |
| Out-of-state adult child with small estate | Start by calling (864) 942-8625 for the first appointment instructions. If the estate may qualify for the small estate affidavit process under S.C. Code Ann. § 62-3-1201, the current threshold is $45,000, effective May 8, 2025, and the court must approve and file the affidavit before it is used. | Sunset helps gather institution information before travel, prepares a probate packet, and helps the family decide what questions to ask about mailing, payment, and the first appointment. |
| Parent settling predeceased child's estate, home must be sold | Call for the assigned estate clerk and expect a full administration path if a deed, sale, creditor issue, or dispute requires court supervision. If there is family disagreement or a contest risk, Greenwood's own guidance strongly advises talking with an attorney. | Sunset organizes asset discovery, creates a task list for estate settlement, and connects the parent with a vetted South Carolina probate attorney when a home sale or dispute makes counsel important. |
Self-help resources
| Resource | How it helps | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Greenwood County Probate Court | The court says it provides support for family members and attorneys handling a deceased person's affairs. Its estate clerk can help with filing the will, completing opening forms, preparing the inventory, and getting forms and instructions for distribution. The court cannot give legal advice in contested cases and does not write wills. | 528 Monument Street, Room 205, Greenwood, SC 29646. Mailing: P.O. Box 1210, Greenwood, SC 29648. Phone: (864) 942-8625. Fax: (864) 942-8620. Website: https://www.greenwoodcounty-sc.gov/probate-court |
| Greenwood County estate records search | The county's own online lookup for Greenwood County estates, searchable by case number or last name. | https://scportal.hostedbyspartan.com/GreenwoodPublicPortal/pages/InquiryMainPage.aspx |
| Greenwood County estate guides | The court publishes Administering an Estate and Probate Court FAQs from its probate page. These guides explain the first appointment, estate clerk assignment, and common probate terms. | Linked from https://www.greenwoodcounty-sc.gov/probate-court |
| South Carolina Judicial Branch Probate Court forms | The statewide numbered Probate Court forms used in Greenwood County estate filings. | https://www.sccourts.org/court-forms/?courtType=PC |
| South Carolina Judicial Branch self-help resources | Explains what court staff can and cannot do. Court staff can provide approved forms and instructions and can make sure papers are complete, but they cannot tell you what to say or give legal advice. | https://www.sccourts.org/resources/general-public/self-help-resources/ |
| South Carolina Bar Lawyer Referral Service | Connects the public with a lawyer in the area. As published by the Bar on August 30, 2026, participating lawyers agree to charge no more than $50 for a 30-minute consultation, and the Bar states that these lawyers do not take pro bono cases. | (803) 799-7100, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Online referral is available 24/7 at https://www.scbar.org/public/get-legal-help/ |
When to hire an attorney
Greenwood County's own guidance says an attorney is usually not necessary for an informal appointment or probate in a relatively simple estate, but it recommends an attorney for formal probate or appointment and strongly advises counsel if someone may contest the will or if there is family discord. If a will has erasures, white-out, or other markings, the court says a formal probate proceeding is required. Sunset connects families with a vetted South Carolina probate attorney.
How Sunset helps
Find the accounts and assets. Sunset helps families locate financial accounts, insurance, retirement assets, real property clues, and other estate information before the first call with the Greenwood County Probate Court.
Generate the probate packet. Sunset organizes what you have found into an estate settlement packet, so you can work through the statewide South Carolina forms and the Greenwood court's first-appointment instructions with fewer gaps.
Find a local probate attorney. When Greenwood's own guidance points toward counsel, such as a formal proceeding, a marked will, a contest risk, or family disagreement, Sunset can connect you with a vetted South Carolina probate attorney.
Sunset is free for families. Families can use Sunset to organize estate settlement tasks, prepare for probate, and understand what to ask the court without paying Sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file probate in Greenwood County?
Start with the Greenwood County Probate Court, Room 205 of the Greenwood County Courthouse, 528 Monument Street, Greenwood, SC 29646. The court's published guidance says the personal representative named in a will, or the next of kin if there is no will, should call (864) 942-8625 for a first appointment with the estate clerk assigned by the decedent's last name.
Is the Greenwood County Clerk of Court the place to open an estate?
No. The Probate Court is Room 205 at 528 Monument Street. The Clerk of Court is in the same building in Room 114 and handles other court functions. For estate settlement, use the Greenwood County Probate Court.
Does Greenwood County have probate e-filing?
Greenwood County's probate court page does not publish an electronic filing system, attorney portal, email filing channel, or drop box. South Carolina has no statewide probate e-filing system; the statewide E-Filing system described in the court rules is for the Court of Common Pleas and is attorney-only.
Can I look up a Greenwood County estate online?
Yes. Greenwood County publishes an Estate Records Search for Greenwood County estates. The search page is branded for Greenwood County Estates and includes fields for case number and last name. For questions the search does not answer, call the Probate Court at (864) 942-8625.
Does Greenwood County publish local probate forms?
Greenwood County's probate court page links to the statewide South Carolina Judicial Branch Probate Court forms. It does not publish a local numbered form set or local cover sheet. It does publish its own Administering an Estate guide and Probate Court FAQs.
What is the filing fee for probate in Greenwood County?
The estate filing fee is set by S.C. Code Ann. § 8-21-770, under the statewide schedule currently tied to 1995 Act No. 15, effective April 4, 1995 and retroactive to August 15, 1994. Greenwood County's probate court page does not publish additional local charges or probate payment methods, so ask what payment the office accepts when you call for the first appointment.
Does Greenwood County allow remote probate hearings?
Greenwood County's probate court page does not publish a local remote-hearing practice. South Carolina's statewide Remote Communication Technology order, as amended February 19, 2025, gives the probate judge discretion in non-criminal matters unless the judge finds remote participation would likely cause substantial prejudice or affect fairness. Ask the Greenwood County Probate Court how that order applies to your hearing.
Do I have to travel to Greenwood to start?
Call first. The court's own guidance says to call for an appointment and let the assigned estate clerk tell you what is needed. The court publishes a mailing address at P.O. Box 1210, Greenwood, SC 29648, but it does not say what may be submitted by mail, so confirm before sending original papers or payment.
What if the will has markings or white-out?
Greenwood County's guide says that if a will has erasures, white-out, or other markings, the court requires a formal probate proceeding. The same guide recommends an attorney for formal probate or appointment.
Shaped by the families we've helped
Thank you to the thousands of families who have trusted Sunset to help settle their loved ones' estates. This page is shaped by the questions they actually asked and the obstacles they actually hit — and that hard-won experience is what keeps it accurate, current, and genuinely useful to the families who come next.