A mugshot removal request usually hides two jobs under one name. The first is a listing published on this site, which a written request can take down. The second is the court file behind that listing, which follows state law and a clerk’s signature. Most people who write in want both handled at once, and the two answers rarely arrive together.
This page covers the request route for a listing here, the expungement routes that reach the court file, the fees and waits attached to each one, and the copies that stay on search engines after the page comes down.
How to Find the Listing You Want Removed
Start with the page itself, since a request about sc arrest records moves faster when it quotes the exact address, the name as printed and the booking date on the row. Send it through the contact page once you have those details.
The quick steps below cover a name lookup, a county page and the row details a removal request needs.
Open the expungement process on the official site
- Open sccourts.org in a new tab: Load the Judicial Branch home page, not the case index for this removal request
- Reach the Public Index: Choose Case Records Search and let the empty county field load, since this page spans the state
- Set the county and the court type: Pick the county printed on the listing, then General Sessions or Magistrate court
- Search the surname: Type the family name alone, then add the first name to find the matching row
- Try the spelling variants: Retry with a middle initial, maiden name, suffix, hyphen or apostrophe, one change at a time
- Read the row and compare the booking date: Copy the case number, charge and filing date, then check the booking date
- Ask the clerk and the jail desk: Call the clerk for the disposition and the jail desk for custody and release details
Keep in mind: A request that names the wrong page slows the work. Paste the address rather than describing the listing, and add the booking date so the row can be matched.
Two Separate Jobs
A takedown here and an expungement in court look like one problem to a family and behave like two. The first is a publishing decision. The second is a legal order that a clerk must enter before any record is sealed or destroyed.
The Listing on This Site
A listing here is a copy of a public row, and a removal request takes that copy down. We hold no original, so the jail keeps its record either way. The page comes down, and the court file stays where it was.
The Court Record Behind It
The court file answers to a judge and a clerk, not to a website. Only an expungement order, a pardon or a statutory destruction removes it. A takedown here has no effect on that file, and a court order does not delete third-party copies by itself.
Expungement Routes in South Carolina
Three routes cover most of the applications that reach a solicitor’s office. Each one depends on how the charge ended, not on how the arrest looked on the day.
Dismissed and Acquitted Charges
Section 17-1-40 covers a charge that ended in a dismissal, a nolle prosequi or an acquittal. No waiting period applies, and the application goes to the solicitor who handled the case. A certified disposition and the $250 SLED fee start the file.
The solicitor forwards the order to the arresting agency, the clerk and SLED. Each office then destroys or seals its copy within 30 days. A charge dismissed by a magistrate follows the same route with a shorter paper trail, and the magistrate’s order carries the same weight.
Conditional Discharge
Section 22-5-910 covers a first offence closed by conditional discharge. Three years must pass from the plea or the sentence before the application is accepted. A later conviction during that window ends the eligibility, and the clock does not restart.
The magistrate who took the plea holds the original order, and the application goes there first. A certified copy of the discharge and the sentencing sheet travel with it. The clerk then forwards the file to SLED once the judge signs.
Pardon and Juvenile Records
A pardon from the governor reaches the same file, and the application runs through the state probation office. Juvenile charges sit in family court, where a different set of confidentiality rules applies from the first hearing.
Neither route is quick. A pardon application can take a year, and a juvenile file may be sealed without any application at all. Ask the family court clerk which rule applies before paying a fee.
| Route | Statute | Wait | Where to file |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dismissed or acquitted | 17-1-40 | None | Solicitor who handled the case |
| Conditional discharge | 22-5-910 | Three years | Magistrate who took the plea |
| Pardon | State pardon rules | Varies | Probation, Parole and Pardon Board |
| Juvenile record | Family court rules | Varies | Family court clerk |
What the Order Covers
An expungement order reaches the arrest record held by the arresting agency, the case file held by the clerk and the fingerprint record held by SLED. Each office acts on its own copy, and the order that governs criminal records lists the charge it covers in full.
The order does not reach a newspaper archive, a screening company database or a copy on a private site. Those copies follow their own removal rules, which is why a clean court file can sit beside an old photograph.
Costs and Timelines
Two charges appear on almost every expungement file, and one of them is fixed by the state. The rest depends on the county and on how fast the solicitor acts.
The SLED Fee
SLED charges $250 for each application it processes. The fee is paid once per charge, so a file with three charges carries three fees. A money order or a certified check clears faster than a personal check.
Copy and Seal Charges
The clerk charges a page fee for a certified disposition and adds a seal fee. Most counties land between $5 and $25 for a short file. Ask for the total before the copy is made, since the rate changes from county to county.
How Long Each Step Takes
The clerk can produce a disposition in a day or two. The solicitor’s review runs two to six weeks in most circuits. SLED then takes up to 30 days to destroy its copy, and the arresting agency follows on its own schedule.
A takedown on this site runs on a different clock. A complete request is handled within a week in most cases, and a request that needs a county check takes longer.
When the Solicitor Declines
A solicitor can decline an application that names the wrong statute or arrives without a disposition. The reply usually states the reason, and a corrected filing can go back the same month.
Where the file shows a conviction that the applicant did not mention, the route changes to a pardon or to nothing at all. Ask which statute the office applied before filing again.
What a Removal Request Needs
A short, specific message clears faster than a long one. Four details let the row be found without a second exchange of email.
Details to Include
Send the page address, the full name as printed, the booking date and the county. Add the case number when the court has one, and say whether the charge was dismissed, expunged or still pending.
Documents That Speed It Up
Attach the dismissal sheet, the expungement order or the pardon when you hold one. A document from the clerk settles the question in one pass, and a request without one may wait for a county check to come back.
Corrections Versus Removal
A wrong middle initial, a transposed birth date or a charge attached to the wrong person is a correction, not a removal. Send the row and the document that shows the error, and the entry is fixed rather than dropped.
A removal takes the page down. A correction keeps it up with the right detail, which matters where the booking happened and the record is accurate apart from the spelling.
What Happens After You Send It
The page is checked against the county record you name. Where the row matches, the listing comes down and a confirmation goes back to the address that wrote in. Where it does not match, a reply explains which county holds the row.
Most requests are handled within a week of the details arriving complete, and a simple takedown often clears in three days. A holiday week adds a few days, and a second message before the window closes slows the queue rather than speeding it.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Page address | Points at one listing rather than a county |
| Name as printed | Matches the row even when the spelling is odd |
| Booking date | Separates two arrests of the same person |
| Court order or dismissal | Removes the need for a county check |
Keep in mind: A request sent from a work address can land in a spam folder. Use an address you check, and reply to the confirmation so the thread stays open.
Search Results and Cached Copies
A page that comes down can stay visible in a search result for days. The copy in a cache belongs to the search engine, and only that company can clear it.
Google and Bing
Both companies run a removal request for a page that no longer exists, and both ask for the address that used to hold it. The result drops out of the index once the crawler confirms the page is gone, which can take a week or two.
A request for a page that still loads will be refused. Take the listing down first, then file the search removal with the dead address in hand.
Archive Copies
Archive services store snapshots of pages and keep them after the original disappears. Each service runs its own exclusion request, and each one asks for the address and a reason. None of them answer to a court order from another state.
Paid Removal Services
A paid service charges for a request you can send yourself. The same letter, the same address and the same fee apply, and the site\’s own process costs nothing. A company that promises a court record deletion is selling something it cannot deliver.
Social Media Posts
A post that shares a screenshot sits under the platform\’s own rules. The court order does not reach it, and the platform decides whether the image stays.
Report the post through the platform, then send the order to the person who posted it. A takedown follows the account, not the record.
Checking the Page After Removal
Open the old address in a private window once the confirmation arrives. A page that still loads has not been removed, and a page that returns a not-found error is gone from the server.
Search your name again after a week. A cached result can sit above the dead link for a few days, and a search with the county name shows whether the row still appears. Keep the confirmation email with its date, since a screening company may ask when the page came down. A fresh search in a private browser window gives the clearest answer.
What Removal Does Not Fix
A takedown changes what this site shows. Several other places can still hold the same fact, and each one answers to a different rule.
Background Check Companies
A screening company buys court data and keeps its own copy. An expunged case should drop out at the next refresh, and a report that still shows one is inaccurate. The dispute goes to the company, with the order attached.
News Coverage
A newspaper story and a television clip sit outside the court records. A publisher decides whether to update or remove its own work, and an expungement order does not bind that decision. Ask the newsroom directly, and keep the request short.
A Copy on Another Site
A private site can republish the same row under its own address. That copy answers to the publisher, and a request goes to that company rather than to the jail.
Most such sites run a removal form and ask for the court order. Send the same packet you sent here, and keep a copy of the reply with the date.
A New Arrest
A fresh booking creates a fresh row, and no earlier removal reaches it. Each arrest stands on its own record, and each one needs its own outcome before any deletion applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Six questions cover most of the messages that arrive about a photograph. Each answer names the office that can act on the request.
Can this site delete a mugshot without a court order?
Yes, where the listing is wrong or the charge ended in a dismissal. The request goes through the contact page with the address and the booking date, and the row is checked against the county before it comes down.
Does a takedown here remove the jail record?
No. The jail keeps its own booking file, and the clerk keeps the case file. Only an expungement order, a pardon or a statutory destruction reaches those records.
How much does an expungement cost in South Carolina?
The SLED fee is $250 per charge, and a certified disposition adds a copy and seal charge from the clerk. A lawyer’s fee sits on top where one is hired, and a single charge under 17-1-40 can be filed without one.
How long does the whole process take?
Allow two to six weeks for the solicitor’s review, then up to 30 days for SLED and the agencies to act. A takedown on this site usually clears within a week of a complete request.
Can I remove a charge that is still pending?
No. A pending charge has no outcome to expunge, and a listing tied to it stays until the case ends. Wait for the dismissal or the plea, then apply with the disposition in hand.
Arrest records are public information and describe an allegation, not a conviction. Every person is presumed innocent until a court finds otherwise. This site is not a consumer reporting agency.