South Carolina

Adult criminal records for cases in which you were convicted are eligible for expungement in some situations. You have to file a petition in court to start the process, and it is up to the judge whether or not to grant your petition. 

• With certain exceptions, if you were convicted of a first-offender fraudulent check misdemeanor, the record can be expunged one year after conviction, so long as you have no other convictions during that time. 
• Records relating to a minor offense handled in magistrate's or general sessions court--or multiple offenses if they arose from the same incident and the person was sentenced at the same proceeding--may be expunged by the court three years after conviction, provided the person has no other conviction during the three- year period. 
• With certain exceptions, if you were convicted in magistrate’s court or general sessions court of a first-time, minor offense, the record can be expunged three years after your conviction, so long as you have no other convictions during that time. 
• With certain exceptions, if you were convicted in magistrate’s court or general sessions court of domestic violence in the third degree for the first time, the record can be expunged five years after your conviction. You are only eligible if you have no other convictions during that time. 
• With certain exceptions, if you were convicted for the first time of a failure to stop a motor vehicle when signaled by a law-enforcement vehicle misdemeanor, the record can be expunged three years after you complete your sentence. You are only eligible if you have no other convictions during that time. 
• With certain exceptions, if you were convicted for the first time as a youthful offender, the record can be expunged five years after you complete your sentence, so long as you have no other convictions during that time. 
• If you were convicted of an offense because you were a victim of human trafficking, the conviction can be vacated and the record expunged immediately. You have to file a petition in court to start the process, and it is up to the judge whether or not to grant your petition. 
• Records relating to a first offense of minor drug possession can be expunged by the court three years after sentence completion if the person has no other conviction during the three years. 
• Records relating to a first offense of drug possession with intent to distribute can be expunged by the court 20 years after sentence completion if the person has no other conviction during the 20 years.