Process Server Rates in South Carolina by County

01How the table is built

Two Inputs Behind Every South Carolina County Rate

Each county in the table carries one Routine figure, and it comes from two inputs: how many people live there and how far its addresses sit from the nearest metro area where servers are based. A dense county close to Greenville, Columbia or Charleston means short drives between attempts. A county where the nearest metro is an hour or more away means longer drives, fewer attempts per trip and a higher starting point. The Greenville County process server page shows the low end of that scale.

Ten counties share the $125 Routine figure: Anderson, Berkeley, Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Lexington, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg and York. Another seven open at $130, among them Aiken, Beaufort, Dorchester, Florence and Sumter. From there the figures rise with distance until they reach Allendale County at $230, the top of the table. Our statewide South Carolina service overview explains how a single written quote covers any of them.

These are published starting rates, not invoices. Before the first attempt we confirm the county of the address, the tier you need and the total in writing, and nothing is charged beyond that quote unless you approve a change. If the defendant turns out to live in a different county, we tell you the new figure before driving there, and the Columbia process server page shows how that works for addresses that cross into Lexington County.

• Population of the county
• Distance from the nearest metro area
• The tier you choose: Routine, Urgent, Rush or Same Day Rush
• One figure per person served, by county

02Choosing a tier

Routine, Urgent, Rush and Same Day Rush in South Carolina

Routine is the base tier and suits most summonses with a comfortable deadline. Urgent is 1.5 times Routine and moves the first attempt up the schedule. Rush is twice Routine and is meant for papers that need prompt attention, such as a hearing on the calendar. Same Day Rush is three times Routine and asks the server to make the first attempt the day the papers arrive, where the timing and address allow. The same-day and rush service page describes what each tier commits us to.

In a $125 county such as Greenville or Charleston, those tiers work out to $188 Urgent, $250 Rush and $375 Same Day Rush. In a $130 county such as Beaufort or Florence, they come to $195, $260 and $390. At the far end, Allendale County's $230 Routine becomes $345 Urgent, $460 Rush and $690 Same Day Rush. The finder on this page computes those figures for any county you choose, and the written quote repeats them.

A faster tier changes how soon the first attempt happens; it does not change the rules for service. A summons still needs delivery to the right person or a qualifying resident at the dwelling, and the affidavit still needs the date, time and place. If you are racing the 120-day window in SCRCP 3(a), tell us the filing date so we can recommend a tier honestly, and see the attorney service page for how deadlines are tracked.

03Upstate and Midlands

Starting Rates Along I-85, I-26 and I-20

The Upstate counties on the I-85 corridor sit at the low end. Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson and Pickens all open at $125, Laurens and Cherokee at $135, and Oconee at $140. Union County, off the main interstates, starts at $165. Greer is split between Greenville and Spartanburg counties, so the Greer process server page explains why the street address, not the city name, decides which county appears on the quote.

In the Midlands, Richland and Lexington counties start at $125, and Kershaw and Sumter at $130. Newberry and Fairfield open at $150, Calhoun at $155, Orangeburg at $140 and Lee County at $180. The Lexington process server page covers the Westbrook Judicial Center on East Main Street, and the Sumter process server page covers the Sumter County Judicial Center on North Harvin Street.

North of Columbia, the Charlotte suburbs follow I-77. York County opens at $125, Lancaster at $130 and Chester at $150. A York County case can involve two courthouses: the circuit court and clerk at the Moss Justice Center in York, and the family court on West Main Street in Rock Hill. The Rock Hill process server page explains where each return is filed.

04Lowcountry and Grand Strand

Coastal Counties from Horry to Jasper

On the coast, Charleston, Berkeley and Horry counties open at $125 and Dorchester and Beaufort at $130. Georgetown County, between Charleston and the Grand Strand, starts at $140, and Colleton and Jasper at $150. North Charleston and Summerville each reach into three counties, so the North Charleston process server page and the Summerville process server page both stress confirming the county from the address before the quote is written.

Horry County's $125 figure covers Myrtle Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach and the rest of the county, including returns filed at the main clerk's office in Conway or the Central Coast Complex on Hinson Drive in Myrtle Beach. Summer traffic on U.S. 17 can stretch an attempt schedule, but the starting rate stays the same whether the address is on the oceanfront or inland near Aynor and Loris. The Conway process server page covers the county seat.

Farther south, Hampton County opens at $190 and Allendale at $230, both well away from Charleston and Savannah, and both fall in the 14th Judicial Circuit with Beaufort, Colleton and Jasper. Beaufort County's $130 covers Beaufort, Port Royal, Bluffton and Hilton Head Island, where gated communities can add attempts but not a different published rate. The Bluffton process server page explains how service along the US 278 corridor is planned.

05Pee Dee, Lakelands and the Savannah River

Where South Carolina Rates Climb Highest

In the Pee Dee, Florence County opens at $130, Marion at $145, Darlington at $150 and Dillon at $155. Chesterfield, Williamsburg and Clarendon start at $165, and Marlboro County at $190, the highest figure in that region. I-95 and the end of I-20 at Florence keep the central Pee Dee within reach, and the Florence process server page covers the county judicial center on North Irby Street.

The Lakelands and the upper Savannah River carry several of the highest starting figures. Greenwood opens at $150, Abbeville at $175, Edgefield and Saluda at $185 and McCormick at $225. Downriver, Aiken County starts at $130 thanks to its size and the I-20 link to Augusta, while Barnwell opens at $190, Bamberg at $195 and Allendale at $230. The Aiken process server page covers the Aiken County Judicial Center on Park Avenue.

A higher rate in these counties reflects the drive, not a different standard of work. The server still makes logged attempts at varied times, and you still receive a signed affidavit of service. If a rural defendant also works in a metro county, telling us both addresses can lower the total, and the page on defendants who avoid service explains how attempts are spread across them.

06What the rate does not include

Filing Fees, Sheriff Fees and Witness Pay Are Separate

Our published rate covers the private serve: the attempts, the travel and the signed affidavit. It does not include the clerk's filing fee, which you pay the court, or a sheriff's fee if you choose the sheriff instead. As examples, the Richland County Sheriff's Department posts $15 per defendant for a summons and complaint and $10 for a subpoena, payable before any attempt, and the Dorchester County Sheriff posts the same two figures. Our registered agent service page notes another separate cost.

That separate cost is the Secretary of State's ten-dollar fee under S.C. Code 15-9-245 when an unregistered out-of-state corporation is served through that office. Witness pay is separate as well. Under SCRCP 45, a witness receives $25 a day plus mileage, tendered when the witness arrives in accordance with the subpoena rather than at service, so it is not part of the serving fee. The subpoena service page covers those rules.

Publication costs are also outside our rate. If the court orders service by publication under S.C. Code 15-9-710, the newspaper bills for running the summons once a week for three weeks under 15-9-740. Our role in that situation is the documented attempt history counsel uses to show due diligence, and the service by publication guide walks through the order and the affidavit.

• Clerk filing fees, paid to the court
• Sheriff fees, if you use the sheriff instead
• Witness pay of $25 a day plus mileage
• Newspaper charges for court-ordered publication

07Budgeting a case

Pricing a South Carolina Case With Several Defendants

Each person served is priced separately at the rate for the county where that person will be found. A suit naming a Greenville County business, its Spartanburg County manager and a third defendant in Pickens County would carry three Routine figures of $125 each, one per serve. When a business and an individual share an address, we still treat them as two serves, because each needs its own affidavit. The Spartanburg process server page covers the county courthouse on Magnolia Street.

Out-of-state firms often send South Carolina papers alongside service in Georgia or Virginia. The multistate rate map shows those states side by side, and the Georgia process servers page covers defendants who have moved across the Savannah River. A single written quote can list every county and state in the case, so the client sees the full cost before any server is assigned.

If an address fails and a new one turns up in a different county, we requote that serve before going, and the earlier attempts stay in the log for the affidavit. For papers that start elsewhere and end in South Carolina, the out-of-state papers page explains how we match the affidavit to the issuing court's rule while charging the South Carolina county rate.

All 46 counties

South Carolina process server rates for all 46 counties

Routine starting rates in South Carolina run from $125 to $230. Every figure is a published starting rate; the final price is confirmed in writing before the first attempt.

Services

South Carolina Serves Priced From This Table

• Summons and complaintCommon pleas and family court summonses served by hand or at the dwelling, priced at the county rate where the defendant lives or works.Learn more
• Service after failed mailWhen restricted-delivery certified mail comes back unsigned, a hand serve at the county rate gives counsel a record that supports a default.Learn more
• Registered agent serviceCorporations and partnerships served through a registered agent, officer or managing agent, priced at the county rate of the agent's office.Learn more
• Witness subpoenasTrial, hearing and deposition subpoenas under SCRCP 45 or SCRMC 23, priced at the rate for the county where the witness is served.Learn more
• Family court papersDivorce, separation, custody and support summonses served under Rule 4, with the setting chosen to limit conflict and the affidavit ready for filing.Learn more
• Landlord-case papersSummonses in suits for unpaid rent or damages and subpoenas for hearing witnesses, at the rate for the county where the papers go.Learn more
• Magistrate court summonsesCivil claims up to $7,500 served under SCRMC 6(c) by a qualifying private adult, with an affidavit of service under SCRMC 6(g).Learn more
• Hard-to-serve defendantsVaried attempt days and times at the same published rate, with every visit logged and the full history attached to the affidavit.Learn more
• Papers from other statesOut-of-state summonses delivered in South Carolina at the county rate, with the affidavit matched to the rule of the issuing court.Learn more

How it works

From Rate Table to Signed Affidavit

1. 01

   Find the county

   Use the finder or the full table to see the Routine starting rate and the Urgent, Rush and Same Day Rush figures for the county where the person will be served.

2. 02

   Send the papers

   Upload the filed summons or subpoena with every known address, the answer or hearing date, and any description that helps the server confirm who is being served.

3. 03

   Get the written quote

   We confirm the county, the tier, the total and the assigned server in writing before the first attempt, and requote before any change of county or tier.

4. 04

   Receive the affidavit

   The server logs each attempt and signs an affidavit giving the date, time and place of service and the person served, ready for the clerk of the issuing court.

Compare

Sample South Carolina County Starting Rates by Tier

Statewide coverage

South Carolina City Pages With Local Rates

Each city page repeats its county's published rate alongside the courthouse where the return is filed. Start with the Charleston process server page for the Judicial Center on Broad Street, the Greenville city service page for the courthouse on East North Street, or the Myrtle Beach process server page for the Grand Strand. For the Charleston suburbs east of the Cooper River, use the Mount Pleasant process server page. Every rate on those pages is confirmed in writing before a server makes the first attempt.

• Greenville
• Columbia
• Charleston
• Myrtle Beach
• Spartanburg
• Florence
• All of South Carolina

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Service areas

Process servers across South Carolina