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Lost Traffic Ticket in South Carolina
Determine Where You Got Your SC Traffic Ticket
Retrieving your lost traffic ticket information is a breeze―as long as you know which court is handling your ticket.
Most South Carolina trial courts can handle traffic tickets. This includes magistrate, municipal, family, circuit, and federal courts. However, most tickets go before magistrate and municipal courts. Generally, magistrate courts handle county-level tickets and municipal courts handle town- or city-level tickets.
Try to remember:
- Where you were when you received the ticket.
- Whether it was a town- or city-level ticket or county-level ticket.
- Which law enforcement agency issued the ticket.
Answering these questions can help you begin your process of elimination.
Contact Your South Carolina Court
You can find the contact information and (when applicable) website for your court at the South Carolina Judicial Department website.
From “Trial Courts,” select either “Magistrate Court” or “Municipal Court”―whichever applies to you.
Once you find your court, contact it and ask:
- The traffic ticket fine and court costs.
- The date by which you must pay the ticket or appear in court.
- Whether you’re required to appear in court. (If you’re not, you might paying your ticket online or by mail.)
NOTE: Generally, courts won’t provide ticket-related information to anyone other than the driver who received the ticket.
Determine How You Will Plead
South Carolina lets drivers plead to their traffic tickets in the following ways:
- Guilty.
- No contest or nolo contendere.
- Not guilty.
Drivers who plead guilty, no contest, or nolo contendere are responsible for the ticket fines and penalties.
Drivers who plead not guilty fight their tickets in court and only deal with fines and penalties if they’re found guilty.
Refer to Paying Your Traffic Ticket and Fighting Your Traffic Ticket for more information about these options.
Pay Ticket
(Plead Guilty or No Contest)- Pay the fine, possibly online.
- Accumulate driving record points.
- Risk license suspension or revocation.
- See increased auto insurance rates.
- Possibly attend a defensive driving course to combat points and get an insurance discount.
Learn more about
Paying your Traffic Ticket »Fight Ticket
(Plead Not Guilty or Nolo Contendere)- Contest ticket during your hearing.
- Possibly have a traffic ticket attorney represent you.
- Gain no penalties if found not guilty (except applicable court/attorney fees).
- Appeal the guilty verdict (if applicable).
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