Small Claims Court
S.C. Code 22-3-10 — the magistrates court hears claims up to seven thousand five hundred dollars, and every landlord and tenant case
Up to $7,500. South Carolina's magistrates hear civil cases on a contract for money, for injury to a person or property, for fraud in the sale of personal property, or to recover personal property, where the amount claimed does not exceed $7,500.
Magistrates also hear all matters between landlord and tenant and the possession of land, at any amount, and counterclaims up to the same limit. They may hear claims for earnest money under a real estate contract and for rented property not returned within seventy-two hours.
Jurisdiction is concurrent, so the same claim may be brought in the circuit court. A claim over the limit belongs there. Filing and procedure are set by the court rules. A particular claim is a question for the magistrate's office or a licensed South Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- S.C. Code 22-3-10 — Magistrates; concurrent civil jurisdiction
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.