DUI Records in Florence SC
Florence DUI records are held by the Florence Municipal Court and the Florence County court system. Florence is the largest city in the Pee Dee region and serves as the county seat of Florence County. The city is located in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. DUI arrests within city limits are handled by the Florence Police Department. Misdemeanor DUI cases go to the Florence Municipal Court, while felony DUI charges are prosecuted at the Florence County Court of General Sessions. This page explains where to find Florence DUI records and how to request them.
Florence DUI Records Quick Facts
Florence DUI Records Overview
DUI cases in Florence generate records at several levels. The Florence Police Department creates an incident report and booking record at the time of arrest. A court file opens once the case is formally charged. Each court appearance adds more documents to that file. For misdemeanor DUI charges, the Florence Municipal Court maintains the complete record. For felony DUI cases, the Florence County Court of General Sessions holds the record, and the Twelfth Circuit Solicitor's Office handles prosecution.
Florence sits at the intersection of several major highways and serves as a regional hub for the Pee Dee area. The city's traffic volume supports active DUI enforcement by both the Florence Police Department and the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Cases from either agency can end up in Florence area courts. All of these proceedings generate public records you can access through the appropriate channels.
Florence County also maintains Magistrate Courts that handle misdemeanor DUI cases from areas outside city limits. Those records are held separately from the Municipal Court records for the City of Florence. If you are not sure which court handled a particular case, the SC Public Index is the best place to start.
Florence County Court and Government Resources
The Florence County Government website provides information about the county courthouse, Clerk of Court, and other judicial services for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit area.
Florence County Government maintains the court infrastructure that supports both the circuit court and the county's Magistrate Courts. The county's court operations are centered at the Florence County Courthouse, where the Clerk of Court's office manages access to felony DUI case records.
City of Florence Municipal Court and Police
The City of Florence official website covers city services including the Florence Municipal Court, which handles misdemeanor DUI cases within city limits. The site also links to the Florence Police Department, which maintains DUI arrest records and incident reports.
The Florence Police Department processes DUI stops and arrests within the city. The Records Division handles public requests for copies of incident reports and arrest records. Those police reports are separate from court case files but are part of the complete record for a Florence DUI case.
The Florence Municipal Court maintains records for all DUI cases resolved at the misdemeanor level within city limits. Contact the Municipal Court Clerk to request copies of dispositions and court orders. The clerk can look up cases by defendant name or citation number. For cases that moved to the county circuit court level, the Florence County Clerk of Court holds those records.
Note: The Florence Municipal Court and the Florence County Clerk of Court are separate offices. Each holds different records depending on how the case was classified and where it was resolved.
How to Find Florence DUI Records
The SC Public Index is the main online search tool for Florence County court records. Access it at publicindex.sccourts.org/florence. The system lets you search by name or case number and returns charge details, court dates, and dispositions for cases in the Court of General Sessions and Common Pleas. Felony DUI cases from Florence will appear here.
Misdemeanor DUI cases handled at the Florence Municipal Court level may not always appear in the Public Index. Contact the Municipal Court Clerk directly for those records. The clerk can confirm whether a case exists in the city court system and provide copies of the final disposition.
For a broader criminal history check, SLED maintains a statewide database at sled.sc.gov. A SLED records request shows DUI convictions from courts across South Carolina, including Florence. This is the most efficient way to verify a person's full DUI history in the state.
The following are the main sources for Florence DUI records:
- Florence Municipal Court Clerk for misdemeanor city DUI cases
- Florence County Clerk of Court for felony DUI records
- SC Public Index for online case searches
- SLED for statewide criminal history checks
- Florence Police Department for incident reports and arrest records
- SCDMV for license suspension and driving history records
South Carolina DUI Law and Florence Cases
Florence DUI prosecutions are built on S.C. Code Ann. §56-5-2930. This statute makes it illegal to operate a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or any substance that affects the ability to drive safely. A first offense is a misdemeanor. Prior convictions increase penalties significantly.
South Carolina also charges drivers with DUAC, Driving with an Unlawful Alcohol Concentration, under §56-5-2933. This charge applies when a blood alcohol test shows 0.08% or above, regardless of apparent impairment. In Florence, both DUI and DUAC charges appear regularly in court records. The two charges are legally distinct and are tracked as separate offenses, but both generate public records in the Florence court system.
Felony DUI under §56-5-2945 applies when a DUI causes great bodily injury or death. The Twelfth Circuit Solicitor's Office prosecutes these cases in the Florence County Court of General Sessions. Sentences for felony DUI can run up to 30 years. All stages of those proceedings create detailed public records maintained by the Florence County Clerk of Court.
Florence DUI Records and SCDMV Actions
A DUI arrest in Florence also triggers action at the SCDMV. Administrative license suspensions tied to DUI arrests are processed by the DMV at dmv.sc.gov and are separate from any court action. After conviction, additional restrictions apply. The ignition interlock device requirement under §56-5-2941 applies to many Florence DUI convictions and creates compliance records tracked at the state level.
Drivers convicted of DUI in Florence must complete ADSAP before their license can be reinstated. This program is required by state law and tracked independently from both the court file and the DMV driving record. All three sources, court records, DMV records, and ADSAP completion status, may be relevant when researching the full outcome of a Florence DUI case.
Note: SLED criminal records and SCDMV driving records reflect different aspects of a DUI case. Both may be needed depending on why you are searching Florence DUI records.
Florence DUI Records and Florence County
The City of Florence is the county seat of Florence County, and felony DUI cases from the city are prosecuted at the county level by the Twelfth Circuit Solicitor's Office. The Florence County court system also covers DUI cases from Magistrate Courts in unincorporated parts of the county. For complete county-level DUI record access and court resources in this region, visit the Florence County DUI records page.
Nearby South Carolina Cities
Other cities in the Pee Dee region maintain their own DUI court records. Select a city below to learn more.