Chesterfield County Probate Court
Chesterfield County Probate Court is led by Judge Gail B. Ingram. The office is at 200 West Main Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709, phone 843-623-2376, fax 843-623-9886, and email probatecourt@chesterfieldcountysc.com. Public hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM. The county page lists probate of estates, estate and trust disputes, involuntary commitments for alcohol or drug abuse and mental illness, marriage licenses, guardianships, conservatorships, and minor or wrongful-death settlement approvals.
South Carolina Probate Court is a county-level court with an elected probate judge. State judicial materials describe probate jurisdiction as covering estates of deceased persons, guardianships for incapacitated persons, conservatorships for minors or incapacitated persons, minor settlements under stated thresholds, involuntary commitments, trusts, and some powers-of-attorney issues. Court staff can explain process and forms, but the county page says staff cannot give legal advice.
Chesterfield County Probate Court
Judge Gail B. Ingram
200 West Main Street
Chesterfield, SC 29709
843-623-2376
Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Chesterfield County Probate Terms
Probate language can be dense, but the local process turns on a few recurring terms. Chesterfield County Probate Court explains probate as examining proof of whether a person left a valid will. Informal probate admits a will without a hearing. Formal probate requires a hearing to confirm validity. The estate may be testate, intestate, a small-estate affidavit matter, or a will-filed-only matter when there are no assets to administer.
- Testator
- The person who made a will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out estate duties, often called a personal representative after appointment.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, so priority and heirs are set by law.
- Guardianship
- A case appointing a guardian to make personal decisions for an incapacitated adult.
- Conservatorship
- A case protecting money, real estate, or other property for a protected person.
The SC Judicial Branch Probate Court page provides the statewide court context for those local probate terms.
That state source supports the Chesterfield County probate records split from Circuit Court and explains why marriage licenses, estates, guardianships, and commitments can all be Probate Court matters.
Search Chesterfield County Probate Records
The reliable first channel for Chesterfield County probate records is the local Probate Court. The statewide South Carolina Probate Search allows case-number or name searches and includes result columns such as case number, case name, party, type of case, filing date, county, appointment date, creditor-claim due date, and case status. The research capture did not clearly show Chesterfield in the county dropdown, so use that portal only if Chesterfield records appear or participate. Otherwise, call or visit Probate Court.
The South Carolina Probate Search source shows the statewide probate search interface.
The portal image is useful because it shows the searchable fields, but the Chesterfield caveat keeps the local Probate Court as the dependable path.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select County | Dropdown | Yes | Captured options did not clearly include Chesterfield, so verify participation before relying on it. |
| Include Surrounding Counties? | Checkbox | Optional | Broadens county scope. |
| Case# | Text | Optional | Search by known case number. |
| Last or Business Name | Text | Optional | May use the % wildcard in front. |
| First | Text | Optional | Name search. |
| Middle | Text | Optional | Name search. |
| All Parties / Case Name | Tab or radio | Optional | Search all party names or the case name. |
| Gray + | Expand control | n/a | Expands a result row for details. |
Chesterfield County Probate Estate Records
If a person dies owning assets that need administration, the county Probate Court FAQ says to contact Probate Court after receiving the death certificate and call for an appointment. A personal representative appointment is granted informally to a person with priority under South Carolina law, often the person named in the will. Priority can also result by law, renunciation, or termination. A person without priority may need formal proceedings.
Personal representative duties include collecting, protecting, and administering estate assets; giving notice to interested parties; filing inventory; securing assets; paying allowed claims; and distributing property to the proper people. The county material recommends an attorney for formal probate or appointment, strongly advises an attorney if the will is contested or a dispute exists, and notes that an attorney is needed to prepare a deed of distribution of real estate.
Small-estate caveat: Chesterfield County and captured SC Judicial Branch material reference $25,000 for small or minor estate contexts. Later legislative material may suggest different thresholds, so call Probate Court before relying on any higher amount.
Chesterfield County Probate Forms
South Carolina provides official Probate Court forms through the SC Judicial Branch Probate Court forms search. Examples in the research include Form 300ES Application/Petition for Probate or Appointment, 332ES special administrator, 333ES successor personal representative, 334ES subsequent administration, 351ES appointment of appraisers, 375ES approval of compromise, 412ES application for settlement, and guardianship or conservatorship relief forms.
The Probate Court forms search source identifies the statewide form library used for local filings.
Those statewide forms are relevant in Chesterfield County probate records because Probate Court filings use state form families even though the case is handled locally.
| Form 300ES Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| County, matter, decedent, case number | Text | Case header. |
| Formal proceeding notice | Instruction | Formal filings use summons Form SCCA 401PC and a $150 statutory filing fee; hearing may be required. |
| Applicant or petitioner details | Text | Name, address, phones, email, and relationship to decedent. |
| Decedent details | Text/date | Legal name, known names, date of birth, date of death, and age at death. |
| Venue checkboxes | Checkbox | Domicile, non-SC property, county legal action, and last-address prompts. |
| Beneficiary and heir tables | Table | Names, birth years, addresses, email, relationship, and extra-list checkbox. |
| Survived 120 hours | Yes/no | Probate eligibility question. |
| Estate values | Currency/text | Approximate real estate and personal property values. |
Chesterfield County Probate Fees
The research identifies $150 as the statutory filing fee connected to formal probate proceedings on Form 300ES and basic adult guardianship process notes. The same guardianship process may include summons and petition, two examiners including one physician, a visitor, guardian ad litem, notice to specified relatives or interested persons, and a hearing. Other copy, certification, publication, bond, or accounting costs should be confirmed with Chesterfield Probate Court because the captured county research did not provide a full local fee schedule for every probate service.
| Probate Item | Amount / Rule |
|---|---|
| Formal probate filing referenced on Form 300ES | $150 statutory filing fee |
| Adult guardianship filing process | $150 filing fee in captured process notes |
| Small estate affidavit threshold on county page | Personal property only valued at less than $25,000, with caveat to verify current law |
| Certified marriage copy from Probate Court | $10, when the probate office is handling marriage-license copy requests |
| Other probate copies or service fees | Confirm with Chesterfield Probate Court before filing or requesting copies |
Chesterfield County Guardianship Records
Guardianship and conservatorship are Probate Court matters, but they do not create the same public record as a routine estate file. A guardian handles personal decisions for an incapacitated adult. A conservator protects money, real estate, or other property. Adult guardianship can involve medical examiners, a visitor, a guardian ad litem, notice, and a hearing. The potential ward has the right to be present and represented.
Mental-health commitments are even more sensitive. Chesterfield Probate Court directs people first to Tri-County Community Mental Health Center at 207 Commerce Avenue, Chesterfield, SC, phone 843-623-2229. The county instruction is not to come to Probate Court first. Probate acts after the mental-health center determines hospitalization need. If the person refuses examination, Probate may issue a detention order to take to the Sheriff's Office.
The South Carolina mental-health confidentiality statutes are the manifest source tied to those access limits.
That confidentiality source explains why some Chesterfield County probate records cannot be treated like ordinary estate indexes or public case files.
Chesterfield County Probate Records History
Judge Gail B. Ingram's official judicial biography adds a useful local records-history point. It states that she worked with the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and a private company to complete a project digitizing all Chesterfield County probate records beginning in April 1865, including estates and marriage licenses. That does not mean every record is freely available online, but it is a strong local clue for older estate and marriage-license research.
The official Judge Gail Blizzard Ingram biography is the source for the digitization note and her Probate Court role.
For Chesterfield County probate records, this local history helps explain why older estates and marriage licenses should still be routed through Probate Court or archive-aware channels.
Note: Historical digitization does not remove confidentiality limits for restricted probate, guardianship, commitment, or sealed records.