South Carolina Background Check

How To Get a South Carolina Background Check Report

South Carolina’s Law Enforcement Division is in charge of background reports and criminal histories for the state. They are the central repository for criminal records. The state uses a tool they call SLED CATCH (the Law Enforcement Division Citizens Access to Criminal Histories). Individuals and companies can make a request through the mail or online. If online, the fee is $26 and if through the mail, it is $25 per record. All anyone needs to search is the person's first and last names and date of birth. They strongly recommend having the social security number also for a better match. Nonprofits pay only $8 per search. The downloadable form is on their website along with a link to the sex offender registry which can be searched for free. The state does not perform fingerprint searches unless required by law. 

What Does a Background Check Show?

A background check in South Carolina will show only state-level information, not federal. They generally consist of basic information like name, address, gender, race, age, date of birth and physical descriptors. Along with the personal details, the report will list all arrests, warrants, incarcerations, convictions (both felony and misdemeanors) and any probation or parole sentencing.

Purpose and Reasons

The most popular reason for a SC background report is for employment. Many types of businesses are required to screen applicants using a background check before hiring. Other reasons they are used are for insurance, adoption, foster care, international travel, credit, and financing, licensing, certification and security clearances. 
There are also public background checks that individuals can use to find out information about someone for the purpose of dating, vetting a roommate or business partner, finding out who owns a specific property, or checking out your own records online. These types of informal background reports will show:

• Criminal Records
• Arrests and Warrants
• Bankruptcy Filings          
• Legal Judgments

• Liens.  

• Birth Records

• Marriages and Divorces

• Property Records

• Auto, Vessel, Aircraft Ownership

• Current and Past Addresses

• Phone and Email Address

• Professional Licenses

• Relatives and Associates

• Social Media Accounts and More

SC Criminal Background Checks

South Carolina criminal background checks are used in a variety of industries to protect the safety of children, adults, the elderly and mentally ill patients. Anyone with a criminal history may have trouble getting a job at an employer who is in charge of the care or safety of others. For example, schools, mental health facilities, adoption agencies, and government organizations are some that would not allow it.

Gun Background Check

South Carolina is not a point of contact state for gun dealers, and they have no law requiring a state-level background report when selling firearms. Therefore gun dealers must comply with federal law and contact the FBI to use NICS for the background check. Citizens with concealed carry permits are exempt from the background check. Private sales are also exempt. So far this year, South Carolina has performed 248,926 background checks. Of that total, 98,339 were for handguns, 61,739 were for long guns, and 53,994 were for permits.

Gun Checks & Gun-Related Death Rate

On average 280,749 gun checks annually are being conducted through NICS in California.

State Firearms Background Checks Initiated Through the NICS

Background Check Laws

South Carolina’s laws pertaining to background checks are relatively lax, and they allow public access to criminal history information for a small fee. For the most part, they don’t limit how individuals can use background information. They have only one small rule about using them for employment, licensing and certification. 

Employment Protection

The only law that the state has regarding how employers can use background check when hiring employees is that anyone with a criminal past cannot be denied licensing to practice or engage in a regulated profession. The only exception to this is if the crime directly relates to the job in question. Other than that, employers may use background checks; however, they want when hiring. They must comply with federal laws however and follow both The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when using background checks during the hiring process.

Public Background Check Reports Usage

According to The Fair Credit Reporting Act, when using sites like InfoTracer to obtain a background report, the information cannot legally be used to determine credit, employment, tenant screening or any other eligibility requirements for business or professional use. 

Online Romance Scam Statistics

In 2017, there have been 232 victims of online romance scams in South Carolina, resulting in $2.3 million adjusted losses associated with these complaints.

Victims by Age Group