Horry County, South Carolina Court Filing
Fee Lookup

Court filing fees in Horry County, South Carolina are collected by the Horry County Probate Court in Conway according to South Carolina's statutory fee schedule, plus any local surcharges authorized by county ordinance. With 351,029 residents and ranked in the top quarter of South Carolina jurisdictions by population, Horry County operates within the Circuit Court (civil) / Family Court / Probate Court (county-level) / Magistrate Court (small claims) and follows both the state's base fee requirements and its own local additions.

Horry County encompasses the Grand Strand — Myrtle Beach and surrounding beach communities — making tourism the economic engine, supplemented by Coastal Carolina University and a growing retirement population. These local economic characteristics shape the types of legal proceedings filed in Horry County — from probate of estates that include commercial property or business interests near Conway to civil disputes arising from the county's primary industries.

The Horry County Probate Court handles the full range of case types for this community, with filing fees applying uniformly based on case type regardless of the underlying subject matter.

Horry County is known for landmarks including Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, Broadway at the Beach, Brookgreen Gardens. For residents and businesses in the areas surrounding these community anchors, knowing the applicable filing fees and court procedures in advance helps legal matters proceed efficiently at the Horry County Probate Court in Conway.

• Filing fees in Horry County are based on South Carolina's statutory schedule, which applies statewide, plus any local surcharges assessed by the county. For reference, the statewide base fees by case type are: probate and estate filings — $50–$150 (Probate Court — per county)
• civil complaints and appearances — $150–$260 (Circuit Court) / $80–$100 (Magistrate Court)
• family law matters (divorce, custody, support) — $150–$260 (Family Court)
• small claims filings — $80–$100 (Magistrate Court / Small Claims). These figures represent the state-level base
• the total amount due at the Horry County Probate Court in Conway may include additional local charges.

As one of South Carolina's larger jurisdictions, Horry County may assess higher local surcharges than the state's rural counties, reflecting the greater administrative cost of operating a high-volume court in Conway.

• Beyond the initial filing fee, Horry County litigants and estate administrators should budget for recurring court costs throughout the proceeding: fees for filing subsequent motions and responses, charges for certified copies of letters testamentary or court orders (typically $5 to $25 per document in South Carolina), jury demand deposits in civil cases, and in probate matters, fees associated with filing the inventory, accountings, and petition for discharge.
• For a complete picture of expected court costs in Horry County, request the full fee schedule from the Horry County Probate Court clerk in Conway before initiating the proceeding.

South Carolina has been expanding electronic filing (e-filing) capabilities across its court system. Horry County is among the jurisdictions where e-filing is more established.

For this major county, the Horry County Probate Court in Conway likely participates in the state's e-filing system, and represented parties in civil and family matters may be required to file electronically. Contact the Horry County Probate Court clerk directly to confirm the current e-filing requirements for your specific case type.

When e-filing is available in Horry County, the system charges a convenience fee per transaction — typically $2 to $8 — in addition to the applicable statutory court fees. This convenience fee is charged by the e-filing service provider rather than the court itself and is generally non-waivable even for litigants who have received a court fee waiver.

Self-represented litigants (pro se filers) are often exempt from mandatory e-filing requirements and may file in paper at the Horry County Probate Court clerk's window in Conway during regular business hours.

For probate and estate matters in Horry County, e-filing availability may differ from civil cases. Some South Carolina probate courts have been slower to adopt e-filing given the document-intensive nature of estate proceedings — original wills, certified death certificates, and original deeds often require in-person or mail submission regardless of whether other case types accept electronic filing.

Verify with the Horry County Probate Court in Conway which documents can be e-filed and which require physical originals before planning your filing strategy.

• Horry County residents who cannot afford court filing fees may apply for a fee waiver under S.C.
• Code Ann.
• § 8-21-310.
• To apply, file a declaration of financial condition with the Horry County Probate Court clerk's office in Conway at the time of your initial filing.
• The declaration lists all household income sources, monthly expenses, assets, and liabilities.
• A judge or court commissioner reviews the application and issues an order granting or denying the waiver, typically within a few days of submission.

• Eligibility for a fee waiver in Horry County generally requires that household income fall at or below 125% to 200% of the federal poverty level, or that the applicant is receiving qualifying public benefits — commonly Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or public housing assistance.
• The specific income thresholds and qualifying programs are defined in S.C.
• Code Ann.
• § 8-21-310 and may have been updated by recent legislation.
• Ask the Horry County Probate Court clerk in Conway for the current income guidelines before completing your declaration.

• A granted fee waiver covers filing fees charged by the Horry County Probate Court — including initial filing fees and subsequent filings in the same case — but does not cover costs owed to third parties.
• In Horry County probate proceedings, a fee waiver does not eliminate the cost of publishing a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation (a statutory requirement in most states), service of process fees paid to process servers or the sheriff's office, or costs for court-ordered appraisals.
• Budget for these additional costs separately even when a fee waiver is in effect.