Dillon County Probate Court Scope
Dillon County Probate Court is the local court for wills, estate administration, probate appointments, guardianship filings, conservatorship filings, and related orders. Probate records differ from Dillon County Circuit Court records because the Probate Court has its own judge, office, forms, and filing process. A will, estate petition, or appointment request should not be filed with the Clerk of Court unless the Probate Court or a court order directs a different process.
The official county probate page identifies Judge Teresa W. Smith as Dillon County Probate Judge. The same local source says she has worked with Dillon County Probate Court since January 2003, was elected in November 2010, and began probate judge duties on January 4, 2011. The South Carolina Judicial Branch also maintains a probate judge profile for Dillon County.
The Dillon County Probate Judge page is shown in the image below as the local starting point for Dillon County probate records.
That county page is important because probate access in Dillon County is office-centered, not built around a local online estate search portal.
Dillon County Probate Terms
Probate filings use terms that can be plain once the role is clear. These words appear in will-admission packets, estate applications, and Form 300ES. A caller asking for Dillon County probate records should use the decedent's full legal name, the estate or case number if known, and the type of filing requested.
- Testator
- The person who made and signed a will.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to carry out estate duties after court approval.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will, so state succession rules control who may inherit.
- Guardianship
- A court-supervised role for personal care decisions when the law permits appointment.
- Conservatorship
- A court-supervised role for managing money or property for another person.
Note: Probate words can affect who may file, receive notice, or request copies, so confirm standing with the Probate Court.
Search Dillon County Probate Records
No official Dillon County online probate case search portal was located in the research materials. The practical search path is direct contact with Dillon County Probate Court by phone, mail, email, or an in-person visit. South Carolina Judicial Branch probate forms can help identify the correct filing type, but the form library is not a case-record database.
- Identify whether the matter is a will admission, informal probate, formal probate or testacy case, appointment, guardianship, or conservatorship.
- Gather the decedent's full legal name, date of death, known aliases, estate number if available, and the names of the applicant or personal representative.
- Contact Dillon County Probate Court to ask whether the record is active, closed, local, archived, sealed, or available for copying.
- Use the South Carolina Probate Court forms list when the office directs use of a statewide form.
- For older probate files, check the South Carolina Archives county records guide if the local office says the material is historical.
Dillon County probate records can overlap with other offices. Real estate transfers after an estate may involve the Register of Deeds function, while a disputed civil issue may later appear in Circuit Court. The estate file itself remains a Probate Court matter unless another court proceeding is opened.
Dillon County Probate Office
Dillon County Probate Court contact details appear in the county will-admission packet. The same packet is the clearest local source for the court's mailing and office channels. The research did not locate a separate online request form for probate copies, so a direct office request is the safest route before mailing fees or original documents.
Dillon County Probate Court
Judge: Teresa W. Smith
401 W Main St Room 303
PO Box 189
Dillon, SC 29536
(843) 774-1423
Fax: (843) 841-3732
Email: dillonprobate@bellsouth.net
Hours: 8:30 am-5:00 pm Monday-Friday
The South Carolina Judicial Branch profile for Judge Teresa W. Smith is reflected in the image below.
The state profile helps confirm the judge and court identity when a probate record request must be tied to an official office.
Dillon County Probate Fees
Only two probate fee amounts were documented in the official research sources. The Dillon County will-admission packet lists the fee for admitting a will. Probate Form 300ES notes the statutory fee for a formal probate proceeding. Other copy, certification, guardianship, conservatorship, or estate filing fees were not located in official Dillon County text, so those amounts should be confirmed with the Probate Court before filing.
| Probate item | Documented amount | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Admitting a will to probate | $10 | Dillon County will-admission packet |
| Formal Form 300ES proceeding | $150 | Form 300ES statutory filing fee note |
| Other probate copies or filings | Fee not located in official sources | Confirm with Dillon County Probate Court |
The will packet states that payment is by check or money order as directed in the packet. Do not assume a card, cash, or online payment channel unless the Probate Court confirms it for the filing being submitted.
Dillon County Probate Form 300ES
Form 300ES is the South Carolina application or petition used for probate and appointment matters. Dillon County's will-admission packet says Form 300ES is required to admit a will. A formal testacy or formal appointment request may require a summons and may involve a hearing.
| Field | What it captures |
|---|---|
| Application or petition type | Informal probate, appointment, formal testacy, or formal appointment. |
| Applicant details | Name, address, phone, email, and relationship to the decedent. |
| Decedent details | Full legal name, birth date, death date, age at death, and venue basis. |
| Will information | Original, copy, lost will, and will date details where applicable. |
| Heirs and devisees | Names, ages, addresses, and relationships for persons entitled to notice. |
| Verification | Signature and oath or notary section for the applicant. |
What Dillon Probate Records Show
Dillon County probate records may include a will, Form 300ES, appointment requests, inventories, accountings, creditor notices, orders, receipts, deeds of distribution, and closing documents. The exact file depends on the type of estate and whether the matter is informal, formal, contested, or connected to guardianship or conservatorship issues.
Some probate records are straightforward. A will-admission file may show the decedent, date of death, applicant, will date, heirs, and fee payment. A formal proceeding can add summons records, hearing notices, objections, court orders, and personal representative appointment details. The Probate Court can say which parts of a file are available for public copy.
Restricted Dillon Probate Records
Probate files are not all open in the same way. Guardianship, conservatorship, mental health, minor, adoption-related, sealed, or protected personal information can be restricted by statute, court rule, or order. South Carolina mental health records are confidential under state law, and adoption hearings and records have separate confidentiality rules.
Rule 41.2 also matters when a filed court document contains protected personal data that should not be public. A written redaction or removal request must identify the document and page that contains the data. For Dillon County probate records, start with the Probate Court if the sensitive material is in a probate file.