Crime Numbers
Lexington County's annual crime statistics are collated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The agency’s latest crime data shows that Lexington County recorded 1,030 violent crimes and 8,267 property crimes in 2017. Compared to 2013 crime data for the county, both violent crime and property crime rates surged by 13.6% and 7.8% respectively. A breakdown of crime reports for Lexington County in 2017 reveals 16 murders, 140 sexual batteries, 142 robberies, and 732 aggravated assaults. Recorded incidences of property crimes in the same year include 1,255 burglaries, 5,950 larceny-thefts, and 1,062 motor vehicle thefts.
The most recent five-year crime trend for Lexington County indicates that burglary was the only crime to record a lower number in 2017 than 2013. In the same period, murder rate increased by 100% and sexual assault (62.8%), robbery (4.4%), and aggravated assaults (8.1%) also went up. Larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft rates in the county also rose by 84.4% and 7.8% respectively.
Criminal Records
The SLED provides criminal history reports for Lexington County on request. This report can be requested online or by mail and costs a non-refundable fee of $25. To submit an online request, visit the SLED CATCH page on the agency’s website. The SLED CATCH system allows users to search the database by name and print criminal records. The fee for SLED online criminal history search is payable by credit/debit card. Online request for criminal history records also incurs a $1 convenience fee.
For mail-in requests, complete the Criminal Records Check Form, attach a check (no personal check) or money order for the fee, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Send these to:
SLED Records Department
P.O. Box 21398
Columbia, SC 29221-1398
Requesters can also indicate on the form whether they want notarized or certified criminal history records. SLED only provides fingerprint-based criminal history report when required by a state or federal statute.
The Lexington County Sheriff's Department provides incident reports for the county. To obtain copies of incident reports completed by officers of the Sheriff’s Department, visit the Records Unit located at:
521 Gibson Road
Lexington, SC 29072
(803) 785-2417
Crime victims can request incident reports online and obtain copies free of charge. The Sheriff’s Department accepts requests for incident reports from third parties in person and charges a small fee for providing copies.
SLED also maintains the information on all sex offenders registered by the Lexington County Sheriff's Department and residing in the county. The agency makes the information available to the public online via its SORT system. Visit the SORT webpage to search for registered sex offenders living, working, or attending school in the county.
Jail Information
Lexington County Detention Center is the primary jail in the county. The Sheriff's Department oversees the operations of this jail. TheDetention Center is located at the Sheriff's Department headquarters and its mailing address and phone number are:
Lexington County Detention Center
P.O. Box 2019
Lexington, SC 29071-2019
(803) 785-2743
Family and friends can send funds to inmates in the facility by mail via money order only. Forward the money order to the address above and indicate the inmate's name, housing location, and number. Visitors to the facility can deposit funds into inmates’ accounts at the kiosks located in the front lobby of the Detention Center. The kiosks are available to the public between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekends. Acceptable deposits are limited to $140 per day. Alternatively, loved ones can also fund inmates’ accounts online.
Inmate Records
A list of inmates in custody at the Lexington County Detention Center can be found on the Sheriff's Department website. This list is updated daily and contains the name of the arrestee, primary charge, arrest date, and the booking agency. Select an arrestee's name to view the booking details. For further information, contact the Detention Center at the phone number provided above.
Court Records
Lexington County trial courts include a Circuit Court, a Family Court, a Probate Court, nine Magistrate Courts, and 12 Municipal Courts. Lexington Court Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction with two divisions: the Court of Common Pleas for civil matters and the Court of General Sessions for criminal cases. This court also holds limited appellate jurisdiction over appeals from the Probate Court and Magistrate Courts. Listed below are the addresses and contact information of the courts in the county:
Lexington County Circuit Court
205 East Main Street
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-8212
Fax: (803) 785-2215
Lexington County Family Court
205 East Main Street
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-8212
Fax: (803) 785-2215
Lexington County Probate Court
205 East Main Street
Suite 134
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-8324
Lexington County Magistrate Court - Bond Court (preliminary hearings)
521 Gibson Road
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-2845
Fax: (803) 785-8356
Lexington County Magistrate Court - Central Traffic Court
139 East Main Street
Suite A
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-2142
Fax: (803) 785-2530
Lexington County Magistrate Court - Criminal Domestic Violence Court
139 East Main Street
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-2886
Fax: (803) 785-2530
Lexington County Magistrate Court - District 1, Lexington
139 East Main Street
Suite B
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-2383
Fax: (803) 785-8155
Lexington County Magistrate Court - District 2, Irmo
111 Lincreek Drive
Columbia, SC 29212
Phone: (803) 785-2384
Fax: (803) 749-4050
Lexington County Magistrate Court - District 3, Batesburg-Leesville
231 West Church Street
Batesburg-Leesville, SC 29006
Phone: (803) 785-5013
Fax: (803) 332-0357
Lexington County Magistrate Court - District 4, Swansea
500 Charlie Rast Road
Swansea, SC 29160
Phone: (803) 785-6250
Fax: (803) 785-4078
Lexington County Magistrate Court - District 5, Oak Grove
428 Oak Drive
Lexington, SC 29073
Phone: (803) 785-6251
Fax: (803) 785-2571
Lexington County Magistrate Court - District 6, Cayce-West Columbia
650 Knox Abbott Drive
Cayce, SC 29033
Phone: (803) 785-6267
Fax: (803) 796-7635
Batesburg-Leesville Municipal Court
660 West Columbia Avenue
Batesburg-Leesville, SC 29006
Phone: (803) 532-4408
Fax: (803) 532-0357
Cayce Municipal Court
City Hall
1800 12th Street
Cayce, SC 29033
Phone: (803) 550-9550
Chapin Municipal Court
157 NW Columbia Avenue
P.O. Box 183
Chapin, SC 29036
Phone: (803) 575-8052
Fax: (803) 575-8053
Gaston Municipal Court
186 North Carlisle Street
Gaston, SC 29053
Phone: (803) 796-7725
Fax: (803) 739-5793
Irmo Municipal Court
Town Hall
7300 Woodrow Street
P.O. Box 406
Irmo, SC 29063
Phone: (803) 781-7050
Fax: (803) 749-2743
Lexington Municipal Court
111 Maiden Lane
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 951-4634
Fax: (803) 358-7277
Pelion Municipal Court
1010 Main Street
P.O. Box 7
Pelion, SC 29123
Phone: (803) 894-3535
Fax: (803) 894-2549
Pine Ridge Municipal Court
Town Hall
2757 Fish Hatchery Road
West Columbia, SC 29172
Phone: (803) 755-2500
Fax: (803) 955-0605
South Congaree Municipal Court
119 West Berry Road
West Columbia, SC 29172
Phone: (803) 755-2760 ext. 103
Fax: (803) 755-0456
Springdale Municipal Court
Town Hall
2915 Platt Springs Road
Springdale, SC 29170
Phone: (803) 794-0408
Fax: (803) 791-0567
Swansea Municipal Court
320 West Third Street
Swansea, SC 29160
Phone: (803) 568-3366
Fax: (803) 568-3034
West Columbia Municipal Court
200 North 12th Street
P.O. Box 4044
West Columbia, SC 29171
Phone: (803) 791-1880
Fax: (803) 739-2662
Lexington County court records are filed with the county's Clerk of the Court. These court records are available for review online via the South Carolina Judicial Branch website. The search tool on the site allows users to query the record database by a number of criteria including court type, court agency, case number, case type, name of the subject, etc. To obtain certified physical copies of these court records, contact the Clerk of Court at:
205 East Main Street
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-8212
Fax: (803) 785-2215
Vital Records
Lexington County divorce reports are provided by the Office of Vital Records of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). However, the Lexington County Clerk of Court's Office provides copies of divorce decrees filed in the county. The DHEC provides certified copies of the Report of Divorce for dissolutions recorded between July 1962 and December 2014. To obtain copies of divorce records outside these dates, contact the Lexington County Clerk of Court at the address above.
For divorce reports maintained by the DHEC, complete and submit this application form to make a request. The fee for the first certified copy of a divorce report is $12. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time costs $3. The DHEC accepts in-person and mail requests for divorce records. To make an in-person request, walk into the DHEC State Vital Records Office in Columbia with the completed form, the appropriate fee, and a valid photo ID. The State Vital Records Office is at:
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 898-3630
The office's business hours are between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. from Monday through Friday. Cash and card payments are accepted for walk-in requests. For mail-in requests, enclose a money order or cashier's check for the fee and a photocopy of a valid ID with the completed form. Send the mail request to the address provided above.
Lexington County's marriage records are provided by the DHEC and the county's Probate Court. Records of marriages that occurred in the county between July 1950 and December 2016 are maintained by the DHEC Vital Records Office. Lexington County's marriage records prior to and after these dates are available from the Lexington County Probate Court at the address listed above. To obtain a copy of a marriage record from the DHEC Vital Records office, follow the same procedure as described above for requesting divorce records. Download and complete the same application form above to request a copy of a marriage record.
The DHEC Vital Records Office also maintains birth and death records for Lexington County. The fee and requirements are the same as for divorce and marriage records. When making a request, complete and submit a birth application or death application form. Aside from the State Vital Records Office, requests for Lexington County birth and death records can also be made at the Vital Records regional offices in Aiken County and York County. Their addresses and contact information are:
Aiken County
222 Beaufort Street NE
Aiken, SC 29801
(803) 642-1686
York County
1070 Heckle Boulevard
Building 302
Rock Hill, SC 29731
(803) 909-7307
Are Property Records Open to the Public in Lexington County?
The South Carolina Freedom of Information Act provides public access to property records in Lexington County. Under the law, anyone interested in obtaining property records may send applications to the county's record keeper.
Where and How to Find Property Records in Lexington County
The Lexington County Assessor's Office maintains official records of all properties in the county. The Assessor's Office is responsible for assessing and valuing real property. This office, however, does not maintain records of manufacturing facilities, as these properties are under the South Carolina Department of Revenue's purview. Members of the general public may access the Assessor's Office records online and offline. Parties interested in physical copies of Lexington County property records must submit requests to the Assessor's Office. Requests should contain all available details such as owner's name, property address, did information, and other known specifics. Requests should be submitted to the:
Lexington County Assessor's Office
212 South Lake Drive
Suite 201
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-8190
Fax: (803) 785-9249
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays
How to Look Up Lexington County Property Records
Online property records are available through the Lexington County Property Tax – Data Search. The page offers several options, including property, tax, mobile home, sales, and assessment notice searches. Users may find property records on the property information search by providing the owner's name, property location, deed and book information, land use code, and acres.
Records for each property display a billing name, owner's information, tax details, taxable value, land assessment, and improvement assessment.
Location of Lexington County Property Assessors
Lexington County Assessor's Office
212 South Lake Drive
Suite 201
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: (803) 785-8190
Fax: (803) 785-9249
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays
