South Carolina makes jail rosters covering the latest three months open to the public (S.C. Code 30-4-30(D)(3)). To use the lookup:

1. Go to the official inmate lookup.
2. Enter only the last name to begin. If dozens of results appear, narrow it with a first name.
3. Compare the age or birth date to be sure you have the right match.
4. Note any booking or inmate number shown. It speeds up calls, deposits and mail.
5. Phone the detention center at 803-539-2091 to confirm custody before driving anywhere.

Spelling matters. An empty list could mean the name was entered differently, so retry with a nickname or a middle or maiden name.

An empty search isn't proof of release. Think through these:

• Booking is still underway. Paperwork takes time after arrival.
• Bond was posted. State law allows up to four hours to release someone after bond is delivered (S.C. Code 22-5-510).
• Another agency has them. Another county, SCDC, the U.S. Marshals or ICE could have custody.
• The name was entered differently. Hyphens, suffixes and typos throw searches off.
• The person is under 18. Children go through DJJ, not the adult jail.

The jail at 803-539-2091 gives the fastest answer. For an arrest still in progress, the Sheriff's Office, 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, takes calls at 803-531-4647.

The Ellis Avenue jail is the Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Detention Center, 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-539-2091. County government runs it, inside the Law Complex beside Bond Court and the Sheriff's Office. Calhoun County lists this same Ellis Avenue detention center in its own directory, so Calhoun arrests may end up here too. To learn which housing unit someone is in, ask the jail.

Arrests near the county line can land in a neighbor's jail. Check these:

• Lexington County Detention Center, 521 Gibson Road, Lexington, SC 29072, 803-785-8230
• Aiken County Detention Center, 435 Wire Road, Aiken, SC 29801, 803-642-2040
• Barnwell County Detention Center, 330 Calhoun Street, Barnwell, SC 29812, 803-541-0283
• Hill-Finklea Detention Center (Berkeley County), 300 California Avenue, Moncks Corner, SC 29461, 843-719-4546, a 24-hour line

Calhoun County's Sheriff's Office works from 2811 Old Belleville Road, St Matthews, SC 29135, 803-874-2741.

Booking photo requests start with the detention center at 803-539-2091, or with a written public records request to the Sheriff's Office, 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-531-4647. State law gives the agency ten business days to respond (S.C. Code 30-4-30(C)). News outlets can ask the Sheriff's Office too.

• Websites that post booking photos have 30 days to delete one at no charge. The person sends a certified-mail request with proof of a dismissal, an expungement or an acquittal (S.C. Code 17-1-60).
• Most federal booking photos stay private, though fugitive searches by the Marshals can be an exception.
• Immigration booking photos are requested on ICE's FOIA records page.

SC VINE is the state's free notification service. Search VINELink South Carolina to see custody status and location, and register for release or transfer notices. The VINE line, 866-727-2846, works any time, in English or Spanish. Nobody is signed up automatically.

• Victims who ask must be notified when the accused gets out (S.C. Code 16-3-1530).
• For state prison releases, SCDC's Division of Victim Services answers at 803-896-1733.
• Jail staff at 803-539-2091 can confirm a release the same day.

A magistrate sets bond at Bond Court in the Law Complex, 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, which meets every day from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. That hearing has to happen inside 24 hours of the arrest (S.C. Code 22-5-510).

• Most charges start from release on a promise, with money or rules added when needed (S.C. Code 17-15-10).
• Murder, and any offense where death or life imprisonment is possible, needs a circuit judge to set bond.
• Bond can be paid or posted at the Central Region Magistrate Office, 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• After bond is posted, release must follow within four hours.

Step-by-step payment advice is on our bail page.

The lookup or a call to 803-539-2091 is the first source, so ask staff to read each charge. After filing, the county's Public Index from the South Carolina Judicial Branch shows court records by name.

The First Circuit Solicitor decides the final felony charges, from 151 Docket Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-533-6252. Charges can change between arrest and General Sessions, so check again before each court date.

Each charge has a class that caps the sentence. Class C misdemeanors cap at one year. Class A felonies cap at 30 (S.C. Code 16-1-20).

The judge can appoint counsel for anyone who can't afford one (S.C. Code 17-3-10). An affidavit about income and debts comes first, with a $40 application fee the clerk can reduce or excuse (S.C. Code 17-3-30).

• Public Defender, First Circuit local office: 151 Docket Street, Room 110, Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-536-4858
• South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense: 1330 Lady Street, Suite 401, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-734-1343

Families may also hire a private attorney. Case details are safest discussed with the lawyer, not over jail phones.

The jail sets its own visiting schedule and sign-up rules. Call 803-539-2091 and ask:

• which days and hours are open, and how far ahead to book,
• what ID adults need and whether children may come,
• whether video visits are offered from a lobby screen or from home,
• what clothing and items are turned away.

Our visiting guide covers common jail visit rules.

Jail account money covers phone time and store orders, such as chips, shampoo or socks. Call 803-539-2091 before sending anything. Ask which deposit options work today, what each costs, and whether a cap applies. Keep the booking number handy.

For background, read our deposit guide, then our commissary guide for typical store items. Cash should never go in an envelope.

Jails usually run outgoing calls through a phone company, and families set up accounts to pay. Ask staff at 803-539-2091 which provider is used, the cost and whether messages or tablets are available.

Assume a jail call is being recorded unless the lawyer is on the line. For general background, see our jail phone guide, plus the inmate messaging guide.

Before mailing anything, call 803-539-2091 to confirm the exact mailing address and the ID number the jail wants on the envelope. Ask too what's accepted, such as photos, books or magazines.

• Address it with the full legal name plus the jail ID number.
• Put your full return address on the outside.
• Skip cash and anything taped or glued, and ask about the rest.

Our jail mail guide lists typical rules.

Wallets, phones, keys and clothing from booking are stored at 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118. Call 803-539-2091 during weekday business hours to ask when pickup is allowed and whether a signed release form is needed. Bring photo ID.

Money still on the jail account comes back by a different process. Staff can explain it at release.

South Carolina makes the county responsible for basics such as food, clothing and medical care for people in its jail (S.C. Code 24-5-80). Someone sick, hurt or out of medication? Call 803-539-2091 at once. Tell staff which medicine, how much and who prescribed it.

SCDC inspectors visit every jail at least yearly (S.C. Code 24-9-10). Dial 911 for emergencies. If a mental health crisis is involved, say so plainly.

The Sheriff's Office serves criminal warrants across the county, while city officers serve them in town. To check, call the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office warrants line at 803-533-5803 or the main line, 803-531-4647. Wanted lists: Most Wanted Offenders from state probation (tips 888-761-6175) and the federal 15 Most Wanted. Pending court cases show on the Public Index. A person with a warrant should see a lawyer, then surrender at the Sheriff's Office, 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, or contact the court that signed it to reschedule. The Clerk of Court sits at 1437 Amelia Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-533-1000.

No single calendar covers every court here. Reach the court with the case:

• Bond hearings: daily at the Law Complex, 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118.
• Magistrate cases and preliminary hearings: Central Region Magistrate Office, 1540 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-533-5879.
• Eastern Region: 8423 Old State Road, Holly Hill, SC 29059, 803-496-9533. Western Region: 6357 Savannah Highway, Neeses, SC 29107, 803-247-2011.
• General Sessions: Clerk of Court, 1437 Amelia Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-533-1000.

Search the Public Index by name too. Our court guide explains each stage.

1. Federal cases from here belong to the Orangeburg Division, heard at 901 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201, Matthew J. Perry, Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 803-765-5816.
2. Release or detention is settled when the person first stands before a federal magistrate judge (18 U.S.C. 3142).
3. Marshals choose where federal pretrial detainees stay. Columbia office: 901 Richland Street, Suite 1300, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-765-5821.
4. After a federal sentence, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator, searchable by name or register number.

1. To hold someone, ICE lodges Form I-247A at the Ellis Avenue jail.
2. Under that request, custody can stretch up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Under S.C. Code 23-3-1100, staff on Ellis Avenue check lawful presence within 72 hours for anyone jailed on criminal charges. Unlawful presence gets reported to Homeland Security.
4. After pickup, the case runs through the ICE office at 3950 Faber Place Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405, 843-746-9800.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator. An A-number works best, or else the name and the country of birth. When the search finds no one, ICE advises calling its field office.

• The SCDC inmate search covers state custody, refreshed each night. People held on Ellis Avenue won't appear there.
• Arrivals at SCDC spend their first days in reception and evaluation, and an SCDC ID number is assigned within a week of arrival.
• SCDC visits run Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., in two-hour blocks booked online. Visit questions: 803-896-1838.
• SCDC headquarters: 4444 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29210, 803-896-8500. SC VINE line to check custody: 866-727-2846.
• Facility addresses are gathered on our South Carolina state prisons page.

Arrests of anyone under 18 are handled by Family Court and the Department of Juvenile Justice. An adult jail's limit for holding a child is six hours (S.C. Code 63-19-820). Family Court then holds a detention hearing, with 48 hours allowed and weekends and holidays not counted (S.C. Code 63-19-830).

Call the DJJ office for Calhoun and Orangeburg counties, 303 Summers Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-533-6270, to learn where the youth is. Many youths are held at the Juvenile Detention Complex, 1725 Shivers Road, Columbia, SC 29210, 803-896-9440 (visitation line).

About 83,177 people live in Orangeburg County, per the Census estimate for July 1, 2025. Agencies that patrol and arrest here:

• Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office, 1520 Ellis Avenue, Orangeburg, SC 29118, 803-531-4647. Deputies patrol around the clock, both outside town limits and in towns lacking a department.
• Orangeburg Department of Public Safety (city police and fire), 1320 Middleton Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, non-emergency 803-534-2812.
• Town police departments: Santee, Vance, Holly Hill, Eutawville, Elloree, Cordova, Bowman, Branchville, Springfield, Norway and North. The Sheriff's Office can share each town department's number.
• SC State campus police: the Sheriff's Office can connect you.
• South Carolina Highway Patrol, Troop 7, 1391 Middleton Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, 803-531-6844. Its area takes in Orangeburg, Calhoun and five other counties.
• Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, 2811 Old Belleville Road, St Matthews, SC 29135, 803-874-2741, for arrests in Calhoun County. The towns of Cameron and St. Matthews there also have police agencies on the state list.