Magistrates

Mission

• The mission of the Magistrate Court is to provide the citizens of Richland County with a fair and impartial Summary Court. The fourteen full time and three part-time magistrates perform the following:
• Issue criminal arrest and search warrants
• Conduct bail bond hearings four times daily to determine how a defendant should be released from detention
• Conduct preliminary hearings for General Sessions level cases
• Conduct jury trials for all magistrate level cases
• Conduct criminal hearings to include such offenses such as Criminal Domestic Violence, Malicious Injury to Personal Property, Trespassing, County Ordinance Violations, etc.
• Conduct traffic hearings to include Driving Under the Influence, Driving Under Suspension, Failure to Pay Property Tax, etc.
• Conduct civil hearings including landlord/tenant hearings, summons and complaint cases (to claim disputed funds), claim and delivery cases (to reclaim property), and public sales of abandoned vehicles
• A magistrate may impose a fine with court assessments of up to $5242.50 and/or a penalty of up to a 180 day sentence. The civil jurisdiction is $7500.00.

Magistrate's Court Guide

For your convenience, you may click on the link below to view a guide which contains detailed information concerning Magistrate's Court.

Your Guide to Magistrate's Court

Online Services

Summary Court Dockets

Public Court Records Search

Recommended Fine List

Central Traffic Court Payments

Upper Township Payments Magistrate Court

Central Traffic Court and Upper Township Magistrate Court Online Payments

For your convenience, Central Court at 2500 Decker Boulevard, Columbia, SC 29206 and Upper Township Magistrate Court at 400 Northeast Drive, Suite I, Columbia SC 29203, you may pay online to pay the full amount on the citation via credit card. No partial payments are accepted online. Your mandatory court appearance is still required for certain charges (see blue copy of ticket). All online payments should be made no less than twenty-four hours before your scheduled court date and time.

Listing of Magistrate Courts

Bond Court

Mailing Address

201 John Mark Dial Drive (Click for Map)
Columbia, South Carolina 29209
Hours of Operation
24 hours a day, 365 days a year

Telephone: (803) 576-3281
Fax: (803) 576-3303

Central Court

Judge Benjamin Franklin Byrd
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
2500 Decker Blvd, Columbia, SC 29206 (Click for Map)
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2300

 

 

 

 

 

Judge Michelle Branch-Howard
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
2500 Decker Blvd, Columbia, SC 29206 (Click for Map)
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2300

 

 

 

 

 

Judge Daniel McLeod Coble - Assoc. Chief Magistrate
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
2500 Decker Blvd, Columbia, SC 29206 (Click for Map)
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2300

 

 

 

 

 

Judge Deirdre Louise Simmons
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
2500 Decker Blvd, Columbia, SC 29206 (Click for Map)
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2300

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judge Ethel Brewer
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
Richland County Bond Court
201 John Mark Dial Drive, Columbia, SC 29209 (Click for Map)
Telephone: (803) 576-3281

 

 

 

 

Judge Mildred Rita Metts
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
Richland County Bond Court
201 John Mark Dial Drive, Columbia, SC 29209 (Click for Map)
Telephone: (803) 576-3281

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judge Eleanor Duffy Cleary
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
Richland County Bond Court
201 John Mark Dial Drive, Columbia, SC 29209 (Click for Map)
Telephone: (803) 576-3281

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judge Christina Ann Pope
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
Richland County Bond Court
201 John Mark Dial Drive, Columbia, SC 29209 (Click for Map)
Telephone: (803) 576-3281

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judge Roger Myers
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
Richland County Bond Court
201 John Mark Dial Drive, Columbia, SC 29209-9481 (Click for Map)
Telephone: (803) 576-3281

 

 

Judge Patience Orbriel Van Ellis
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
Richland County Bond Court
201 John Mark Dial Drive, Columbia, SC 29209-9481 (Click for Map)
Telephone: (803) 576-3281

 

 

Judge Tobias Gavin Ward, Jr.
Magistrate for Richland County Central Court / Bond Court
Physical Address
Richland County Bond Court
201 John Mark Dial Drive, Columbia, SC 29209-9481 (Click for Map)
Telephone: (803) 576-3281

 

 

Central Court:

 2500 Decker Boulevard, Columbia SC, 29206    Phone: 803-576-2300

Telephone Extensions:

Cashier Division	Ext. 1
Time Payments and Show Cause Hearings	Ext. 2
Jury Duty	Ext. 3
Setoff Debt	Ext. 4
Traffic Court	Ext. 5
Jury Trial Scheduling	Ext. 6
Civil Mediation and Civil Jury Trials	Ext 7
Criminal Domestic Violence	Ext. 7
Preliminary Hearings	Ext. 8
Expungement and DMV Orders	Press *

Accepted forms of payment:  Cash, cashier checks, money orders, credit cards (Visa, Master Card, Discover)

No personal checks are accepted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Columbia Magistrate

Judge Stephanie Denise Bess
Mailing Address (Click for map)
3875 Lucius Road
Columbia, South Carolina 29201-1120
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2510
Fax:  (803) 576-2519

 

 

Blythewood Magistrate

Judge Diedra Wilson Hightower
Mailing Address(Click for map)
118-A McNulty Street
Blythewood, South Carolina 29016
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-1580
Fax: (803) 576-1583

 

 

Dentsville Magistrate

 Judge Phillip Fredric Newsom
Mailing Address (Click for map)
2500 Decker Blvd 
Columbia, South Carolina 29206
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2560
Fax: (803) 576-2325    

 

 

Dutch Fork Magistrate

Judge Michael David Scott
Mailing Address
1019 Beatty Road (Click for Map)
Columbia, South Carolina 29210-4630
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2540
Fax: (803) 576-2545    

 

 

Eastover Magistrate

Judge Donald Jeffrey Simons
Physical Address:  501 Main Street, Eastover, SC 29044 (Click for Map)
Mailing Address
PO Box 762, Eastover, SC 29044
Columbia, South Carolina 29202
Hours of Operation 8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2580 Fax: (803) 576-2589

 

 

 

Hopkins Magistrate

Judge Valerie R. Stroman
Physical Address 2500 Decker Blvd, Columbia, SC 29206 (Click for Map)
Mailing Address
PO Box 192
Columbia, South Carolina 29202
Hours of Operation 8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2530 Fax: (803) 576-2535

 

 

Lykesland Magistrate

Judge Barbara Wofford-Kanwat
Mailing Address 1403 Caroline Road (Click for Map)
Columbia, South Carolina 29209
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2500
Fax: (803) 576-2504

 

 

 

Olympia Magistrate

Judge Harold A. Cuff
Mailing Address
1601 Shop Road (Suite B) (Click for Map)
Columbia, South Carolina 29201-4858
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone:(803) 576-2550
Fax: (803) 576-2555

 

 

Pontiac Magistrate

Judge Kela Evans Thomas
Mailing Address
10509 Two Notch Road, Suite D (Click for Map)
Elgin, South Carolina 29045
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2520/576-2521
Fax: (803) 576-2522

 

 

Upper Township Magistrate

Judge Tomothy Clinton Edmond - Chief Magistrate
Mailing Address
400 Northeast Dr., Suite I(Click for Map)
Columbia, South Carolina 29203-5182
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2570
Fax: (803) 576-2579

 

 

Waverly Magistrate

Judge Sandra Ann Sutton
Mailing Address
2712 Middleburg Drive, Ste. 106 (Click for Map)
Columbia, South Carolina 29204-2415
Hours of Operation
8:30am – 5:00pm
Telephone: (803) 576-2590
Fax: (803) 576-2599