Williamsburg County Probate Records Access
Williamsburg County Probate Court is the local court for estates, marriage licenses, guardianships, conservatorships, minor settlements, and involuntary commitments. The county's most important access statement is direct: there is no online access to estate and marriage license records. A person searching Williamsburg County probate records should call or email Probate Court to schedule an appointment rather than relying on a county web database.
The Williamsburg County Probate Court page names Judge Betty F. Matthews as Probate Judge and LaKeshia Huell as Associate Probate Court Judge. Staff listed in the research include Taylar Brown and Alicia Brown. The court is at 147 W. Main Street, mails at P.O. Box 1005, Kingstree, SC 29556, and can be reached at 843-355-9321 ext. 6200 or probatecourt@wc.sc.gov.
The Williamsburg County probating estate source is shown below.
That county estate page supports the appointment-first workflow and lists local estate proceeding types, including testate, intestate, small estate affidavit, will-file-only, special administrator, and determination of heirs.
Important: Williamsburg County has no online estate record access, so Probate Court phone, email, mail, and appointment contact are the primary routes.
Williamsburg County Probate Terms
Probate terms affect which form, fee, and access rule applies. The terms below are used in South Carolina estate and protective-proceeding records and help separate an estate case from a guardianship, conservatorship, or commitment matter.
- Testator
- A person who died after making a will.
- Executor
- The person named to carry out a will, often called a personal representative after appointment.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which means heirs are determined by law.
- Guardianship
- A court case appointing someone to make residence, care, medical, or personal decisions for an incapacitated adult or minor.
- Conservatorship
- A court case appointing someone to manage and protect property or financial affairs for a minor or incapacitated person.
Search Williamsburg County Probate Records
Probate records in Williamsburg County are searched through office contact, not a county online index. Once a requester has a death certificate, the county estate page says to call Probate Court for an appointment. Staff will ask what assets the decedent owned at death so the office can identify which probate proceeding may be needed.
- Call 843-355-9321 ext. 6200 or email probatecourt@wc.sc.gov to ask what documents are needed and to schedule an appointment.
- Gather the death certificate, known will or codicil information, asset details, heir or devisee information, and any case number if one already exists.
- Use the South Carolina Judicial Branch probate form that matches the proceeding, such as an estate application, small-estate affidavit, or inventory form.
- Bring or send the required documents to Probate Court using the office route staff provides.
- Ask the office how public copies are handled for the specific case type, because guardianship, conservatorship, minor, and commitment materials may have limits.
Note: The county says it does not probate estates for persons deceased for 10 years or more.
Williamsburg County Probate Court Contact
Williamsburg County has one county Probate Court for these local probate matters. The same office handles estate appointments, marriage license functions, guardianship and conservatorship matters, minor settlements, and commitment proceedings. The office should be contacted before a visit because the county uses an appointment workflow for estate openings.
Williamsburg County Probate Court
Probate Judge: Betty F. Matthews
147 W. Main Street
Kingstree, SC 29556
Mail: P.O. Box 1005, Kingstree, SC 29556
843-355-9321 ext. 6200
Fax: 843-213-6997
Email: probatecourt@wc.sc.gov
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Williamsburg County Estate Forms
The county Probate Court Fees page links to the South Carolina Judicial Branch probate forms index. The form index is important because South Carolina probate forms control the information an estate requester must provide. Common forms include 300ES for probate of a will or appointment, 420ES for small-estate collection, and 350ES SF for inventory and appraisement.
The state probate forms source is shown below.
State forms are not an online Williamsburg County estate search. They are the paperwork route used after the correct proceeding and appointment path are confirmed with the county probate office.
| Form | Common Fields |
|---|---|
| 300ES Application or Petition | County, case number, decedent, applicant, heirs or devisees, will search, property values, venue, prior fiduciaries, and death details. |
| 420ES Small Estate Affidavit | Decedent names, date of death, domicile, successor names, relationship, property, debts, and county or nonresident property location. |
| 350ES SF Inventory | Real estate, stocks, cash accounts, life insurance payable to estate, vehicles, digital assets, transfers, powers, annuities, and gross value. |
Williamsburg County Probate Fees
The Williamsburg County Probate Court Fees page exists, but the research notes that its fee images did not extract as text. The statewide probate fee statute fills the estate filing schedule. Marriage license and certified marriage copy fees come from county probate materials.
The county probate fees source appears below.
Because local fee images were not readable in the research pass, the table uses the captured statewide statute and county text amounts that were available.
| Gross Probate or Protected Estate Value | Fee |
|---|---|
| Less than $5,000 | $25 |
| $5,000 to less than $20,000 | $45 |
| $20,000 to less than $60,000 | $67.50 |
| $60,000 to less than $100,000 | $95 |
| $100,000 to less than $600,000 | $95 plus 0.15% of value between $100,000 and $600,000 |
| $600,000 or more | Prior amount plus 0.25% of value above $600,000 |
Other captured fees under S.C. Code Section 8-21-770 include certified copy $5, exemplified or authenticated copy $20, correcting a marriage record $6.75, demand for notice $5, conservatorship accountings $10, reopening a closed estate $22.50, special or temporary fiduciary $22.50, filing and indexing a will $10, and certifying an appeal record $10. Notice to creditors and legal ad costs are additional.
Williamsburg County Small Estates
Small-estate rules should use the current state statute rather than older county text. The research identifies a gap or conflict in the county page and says S.C. Code Section 62-3-1201 now controls. The current threshold is $45,000 for the entire probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, if 30 days have elapsed since death and no personal representative appointment is pending or granted.
The South Carolina Probate Code source is shown below.
The statute source is used here because 2025 Act No. 26 changed the small-estate threshold from $25,000 to $45,000 effective May 8, 2025.
Williamsburg County Guardianship Records
Probate Court appoints guardians and conservators for minors and incapacitated adults and monitors estate administration. A guardian makes residence and care decisions, including medical or health care decisions. A conservator manages and protects property and financial affairs. Annual accounting is required, and extraordinary expenditures need court approval before disbursement.
The county guardian and conservator page says guardianships and conservatorships must be set up through an attorney's office. It also notes that bond is required in most cases to secure assets and that a minor conservatorship remains until age 18. Funds exceeding $10,000 require appointment of a conservator for minors.
The county guardian and conservator source appears below.
This source limits self-service expectations because these protective proceedings involve attorney setup, bond, annual accounting, court approval, and protected-party information.
Restricted Williamsburg County Probate Records
Not every probate-related record is an ordinary public copy. Commitment proceedings are especially restricted. Williamsburg County Probate Court assists local mental health, alcohol and drug abuse, and disability agencies with sworn petitions and hearings, but the county commitment page states that records relating to involuntary commitment are confidential.
The county commitment process source is shown below.
Commitment records may be accessed only by consent of the individual or guardian, by court order, or when disclosure is necessary for cooperation with law enforcement, health, welfare, or other agencies or for the welfare of the patient or family.