Berkeley County Probate Records
The Berkeley County Probate Court is the local court for estate administration, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, marriage-license work, mental-health or alcohol and drug commitment matters, and minor settlements. The court is led by Probate Judge Hon. Keith Kornahrens. For record access, the key distinction is that probate is not a Circuit Court file. Estate and will matters do not route through the Clerk of Court in the same way as Common Pleas or General Sessions cases.
Probate records can include petitions, original wills, death certificates used for filing, appointment papers for a Personal Representative, inventories, appraisements, creditor materials, accountings, distributions, small-estate affidavits, and orders. Marriage-license records also sit with Probate Court because the Marriage License Division issues Berkeley County licenses, files executed licenses with the state public-health office, keeps permanent records, and prepares certified copies for Berkeley licenses.
The official Estates Division material is shown on the Berkeley County Probate Estates Division page.
That source is important because it gives the local walk-in rules, fee notes, estate-opening requirements, and staff routing by case-number ending.
Berkeley County Probate Terms
Probate filings use terms that are easy to mix up. Berkeley County publishes a local common-terms page, and the definitions below follow the way the Probate Court describes estate work. A Personal Representative is often called an executor in everyday speech, but the court term is broader because it can apply whether there is a will or not.
- Testator
- A person who died with a valid will.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, so heirs and priority rules matter.
- Personal Representative
- The person appointed to administer the estate and handle assets, debts, and distribution.
- Guardianship
- A court appointment for personal-care decisions, with children handled by Family Court.
- Conservatorship
- A court appointment to manage money or property for a protected person.
- Inventory and Appraisement
- A list of assets the decedent owned in their name.
The Probate Court common-terms page also defines encumbrance, heir, non-probate assets, Rule to Show Cause, Rule 4, venue, and Will for Record.
Those terms matter when reviewing an estate file because the search result may show a case status or filing label before it shows a plain-language explanation.
Search Berkeley County Probate Records
Online estate searching starts with the PAWS Portal or Estates Lookup linked by Berkeley County Probate Court. Use the court's own link first so the search begins from the official county source. The portal is separate from the statewide Public Index used for Circuit Court and from the Family Court public portal used for domestic cases.
- Open the Probate Court or Estates Division page and select the PAWS Portal or Estates Lookup link.
- Search by the decedent's name, estate case number, or other portal fields when available.
- Compare the result to the Probate Court's estate-opening rules before assuming a file is complete.
- Call or visit Probate Court for copies, certified records, sealed matters, or files that do not appear online.
The PAWS / Estates Lookup portal is the online search channel named by the county.
If a portal search fails, the next local channel is Probate Court's walk-in counter, drop box, or phone line, not a third-party estate search site.
Berkeley County Probate Court Contact
Berkeley County Probate Court is located at the county courthouse in Moncks Corner. The general office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but the Estates Division lists a narrower walk-in window. Estate walk-ins are accepted from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, on a first-come, first-served basis. Probate Court also has a front-courthouse drop box for documents between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Berkeley County Probate Court
Judge: Hon. Keith Kornahrens
300-B California Avenue
Moncks Corner, SC 29461
(843) 719-4519
Fax: (843) 719-4527
Office hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday
Estate walk-ins: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
Estate staff are also routed by case-number ending: 2, 5, and 8 to Kimberly Alteri at (843) 719-4512; 1, 6, and 9 to Jodi Privette at (843) 719-4525; 4 and 7 to Wendy Coleman at (843) 719-4253; and 0 and 3 to Pamela Hubbard at (843) 719-4563.
Berkeley County Probate Fees
The county's Estates Division publishes a few estate-specific payment rules. Cash or check is required for estate fees, checks should be payable to Berkeley County Probate Court, and the Estates Division says credit cards are not accepted for those fees. Marriage license fees are handled separately through the Marriage License Division.
| Item | Amount / Rule |
|---|---|
| Open estate with will | $25, cash or check |
| Open estate without will | $25, cash or check |
| Will for Record when there are no assets | $50 filing fee |
| Small estate threshold | Estate minus liens and encumbrances under $45,000, with no real estate |
| Estate payment method | Cash or check only, no credit cards for Estates Division fees |
Note: Copy and certification amounts were not located in the official Probate Court material reviewed, so confirm copy pricing with the court before mailing payment.
Open Berkeley County Estate Records
Every estate file starts with proof and identity. Berkeley County requires the original death certificate, valid picture ID for anyone executing documents, payment by cash or check, and mailing or email addresses for all heirs, whether the estate is testate or intestate. If there is a will, the original will and the named executor or Personal Representative should be brought to court. If there is no will, the person with priority should attend, such as the spouse, children, or parents, and renunciations may be needed from people with higher or equal priority.
| Situation | Berkeley County Filing Points |
|---|---|
| Will | Original will, death certificate, ID, $25 fee, heir and devisee contact details, minor years of birth. |
| No will | Priority person attends, possible renunciations, death certificate, ID, $25 fee, heir contact details. |
| Small estate | Wait 30 days, no real estate, zero-balance funeral bill receipt, asset list, bank balances, title values. |
| No assets | File original will for probate if one exists; if no assets and no will, Probate says no filing is needed. |
Restricted Berkeley Probate Records
Not every probate-related matter is open in the same way. Estate records often have public components, but guardianship, conservatorship, mental-health, alcohol or drug commitment, and minor-settlement matters may include medical, financial, minor, or protected-person information. Those records may require court permission, redaction, or a party-specific request. South Carolina's privacy law also protects personal identifying information such as Social Security numbers, bank-account numbers, driver's license numbers, and similar data.
Probate also overlaps with other record systems. Marriage licenses are issued by Probate Court, while divorce is handled in Family Court. State prison visitation, mail, and family information are not probate matters, but they can affect families managing a decedent's or protected person's affairs.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections publishes a family information page for state-prison visitation, mail, money, and packages.
Use that source only for state-prison family logistics. Probate records and certified estate papers still come from Berkeley County Probate Court.
Probate and Custody Records
Probate users sometimes need to distinguish court custody from jail custody. A guardianship, conservatorship, or estate file is not an inmate record, even when the same family is dealing with a jail or prison issue. Hill-Finklea Detention Center uses video visitation through SmartInmate for county jail visits, while SCDC has separate family rules for state prison. These systems do not replace Probate Court filings or estate access.
The county detention center links to SmartInmate for video visitation.
This distinction helps prevent a common filing error: jail visitation or inmate-account records are handled through detention channels, while estate authority and guardianship authority come from court orders.