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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

What to do when someone dies in South Carolina

The first things South Carolina’s own law asks for after a death, quoted word for word, then the pages for everything that follows, in the order it usually comes. Nothing here decides what a particular family must do. That belongs to the office named, the court, or an attorney in South Carolina.

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

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

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Pages taken from the planner, by email: who to phone first, and a blank records sheet.

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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

Registering the death comes first. These are South Carolina’s own words on who files the record, 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 the person holding the will must do, and when the judge publishes notice

The will has its own rules. These are South Carolina’s own words on who brings it to the court after a death, and what the court does with it.

(a) After the death of a testator, a person having custody of a will of the testator shall deliver such will, within thirty days of actual notice or knowledge of the testator's death to the judge of the probate court having jurisdiction to admit the same or to a person named as personal representative in the will who shall deliver the will to the judge of the probate court.

if proceedings for the probate are not begun within thirty days the judge shall publish a notice of such delivery and filing

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · S.C. Code §62-2-901(a)

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

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)

(a) After the death of a testator, a person having custody of a will of the testator shall deliver such will, within thirty days of actual notice or knowledge of the testator's death to the judge of the probate court having jurisdiction to admit the same or to a person named as personal representative in the will who shall deliver the will to the judge of the probate court.

if proceedings for the probate are not begun within thirty days the judge shall publish a notice of such delivery and filing

South Carolina · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · S.C. Code §62-2-901(a)

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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