South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Background Checks

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) collects criminal records from various law enforcement agencies throughout the state, as well as from prosecutors and courts. SLED is the central repository for all South Carolina criminal records. SLED is also the official investigator for the Governor and the Attorney General, stepping in when requested. South Carolina background checks may be requested by anyone, although only criminal justice agencies have access to an individual’s complete criminal history. A public South Carolina background check will reveal any arrests and convictions only.

Background checks in South Carolina are conducted via name-search only. This means that the possibility exists wherein someone else’s criminal record will appear. It helps to include as much identifying information as possible, including full name, aliases or former names, date of birth and social security number. Only exact matches to the information entered will be returned, leaving room for both a false positive and false negative should a name be misspelled.

Steps for Retriving a South Carolina Background Check

Download the Record Check Form from the SLED website to request a South Carolina background check by mail.

Fill out the form, making sure to spell the name(s) correctly and include a date of birth and social security number.

For instant results, visit SLED Catch online. Agree to the terms and conditions and continue to the records request page.

Enter the name, any aliases, date of birth, and social security number, if known, into the search fields. Pay the fee and print the results from your computer.

If you want to conduct a South Carolina criminal background check, the best option is to use the online criminal records database. SLED discourages mailed requests for South Carolina background checks due to a lack of personnel and ask that only individuals who need a notarized or certified copy use the mail. Otherwise, background checks in South Carolina can be researched much easier and faster online. Users don’t need to create an account, and results are almost instant. Simply print any criminal records that turn up with the search, and you’re finished in minutes, instead of waiting weeks for a mailed response.

South Carolina Background Check Special Notes

Individuals who wish to request a South Carolina criminal background check should either go online to SLED or download and fill out the following form: South Carolina Criminal Records Check Form.

Record request form

Background Check Resources

• Everything You Need To Know About Criminal Background Checks
• Instant Background Checks, Do They Exist?
• The Difference Between Local & National Background Checks