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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationSouth Carolina

Death certificates in South Carolina

What a certified copy of the death certificate costs in South Carolina and how one is ordered, in the official words. No figure on this page is ours; each is the office’s or the statute’s, with the date it was checked.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Filing the death certificate: who files it, and how soon

death certificates must be electronically filed with the Bureau of Vital Statistics as prescribed by the State Registrar of Vital Statistics within five days after a Burial Removal Transit Permit (BRTP) is issued or upon the funeral director assuming the physical in-person custody of the decedent, whichever is later

(2) The funeral director or other person acting as the funeral director who first assumes custody of a dead body shall file a death certificate.

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · S.C. Code §44-63-74(A)(1)–(2)

What a certified copy costs: the search fee, the expedited search, additional copies, and mail orders

Records Search - $12 per Record Requested

If we can locate the record you request, the search fee will pay for 1 certified copy.

Expedited Records Search - $17 per Record Requested

Additional Copies - $3 per Copy

No expedite option is currently offered for requests sent to our office by mail.

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · SC DPH Vital Records fees

Which offices issue copies, and how long mail and in-person requests take

All Vital Records offices can issue death certificates from any county in South Carolina.

Request By Mail … Average processing time is 4 weeks.

Request In-Person … Average processing time is 30-45 minutes.

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · SC DPH Vital Records

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

Records Search - $12 per Record Requested

If we can locate the record you request, the search fee will pay for 1 certified copy.

Expedited Records Search - $17 per Record Requested

Additional Copies - $3 per Copy

No expedite option is currently offered for requests sent to our office by mail.

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · SC DPH Vital Records fees

$8.70 additional processing fee (vendor)

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · SC DPH Vital Records

Only an immediate family member of the decedent may order a death certificate through an online vendor.

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · SC DPH Vital Records

All Vital Records offices can issue death certificates from any county in South Carolina.

Request By Mail … Average processing time is 4 weeks.

Request In-Person … Average processing time is 30-45 minutes.

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · SC DPH Vital Records

All Vital Records offices can issue death certificates from any county in South Carolina.

Request By Mail … Average processing time is 4 weeks.

Request In-Person … Average processing time is 30-45 minutes.

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · SC DPH Vital Records

Records Search - $12 per Record Requested

If we can locate the record you request, the search fee will pay for 1 certified copy.

Expedited Records Search - $17 per Record Requested

Additional Copies - $3 per Copy

No expedite option is currently offered for requests sent to our office by mail.

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · SC DPH Vital Records fees

death certificates must be electronically filed with the Bureau of Vital Statistics as prescribed by the State Registrar of Vital Statistics within five days after a Burial Removal Transit Permit (BRTP) is issued or upon the funeral director assuming the physical in-person custody of the decedent, whichever is later

(2) The funeral director or other person acting as the funeral director who first assumes custody of a dead body shall file a death certificate.

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · S.C. Code §44-63-74(A)(1)–(2)

For anyone who would rather their family found it all in one place than went looking.

A couple. A parent. An adult child and a parent, doing it together. One sitting starts it; keep it current, and tell someone where it is.

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